Page 35 of Rise In Arms

“Where’s Prez?” I ask Hawke, who’s too busy looking at Charity.

“Brother, you had better take your eyes off her, before I take you outside and give you a beatin’,” I growl, low enough for just Hawke to hear me.

He finally tears his eyes away from Charity and looks at me, a wide smile on his face. “Well, well. Looks like Trigger’s got himself hung up on a girl,” he teases.

I quickly turn toward Charity, who’s in a conversation with Blaze. I’m glad she didn’t hear what Hawke just said but at the same time, I’m not likin’ that her attention is on another man.

“So, you gonna tell me?” I ask Hawke distractedly, not able to tear my gaze away from the two of them still having what looks like a chummy little chat.

“Tell you what?”

“Hawke, brother, I asked you where the fuck Prez was, but you’re too busy eye-fuckin’ a taken woman.”

Hawke lets out a loud cough, and I finally look back at him. His eyes are wide. “Wait, hold up?” he says. “Did you just call her your woman?”

Fuck, did I? Why the hell did I say that?

“Ah…. Nah… didn’t mean that, just that… she has a man,” I say quickly, looking away from Hawke’s interested stare and rubbing my chin.

“Nah, fucker, you meant she’s yours.” He laughs, then taps my shoulder and leans in closer. He whispers in my ear, “And I wasn’t eye-fuckin’ her, I’m a very happily married man. I just happened to be making an observation… of her beauty.”

“Like fuck you did.” I’m laughing with him now. “Call it what you want, but she’s fuckin’ gorgeous. ‘Beauty’ just doesn’t cut it,” I add, meaning every word.

“Not yours, hey?” Hawke states before he turns, yelling over his shoulder as he walks away,” Prez is out back.”

I nod in response and take a step closer to Hazel and Charity. “You two are going to my room till I finish speaking to Prez.”

“But why? Can’t we just hang out here and have a drink?” Hazel asks, looking around the room, a big smile on her face. It’s as if the girl has just gone to a carnival for the first time.

“No way in hell are you two stayin’ out here.”

“What’s the big deal? They’re harmless, we just want a drink,” Charity pipes in, moving her body to the music—the Chainsmokers “Something Just Like This.” My eyes are glued to Charity. She catches my eye and smirks. Fuck, she knows the effect she has on me.

I’m mesmerized by her body moving in sync to the music and miss Hawke yelling something at me. Hazel grabs my arm. “Kane, your friend over there is calling you.”

Blinking my eyes to refocus, I glance down at Hazel and follow her line of sight to where she’s looking across the room. “Fuck, okay, let’s go.” I grab Hazel’s hand, who grabs Charity’s, and lead them both toward my room.

“Tell Prez I’ll be there in a minute,” I say to Hawke as I pass him. I notice all the other men’s eyes are on the two women I’m all but dragging out of the main room of the clubhouse, probably wondering who they are, and if they’re theirs for the taking. Fuck, gotta get ’em out of here. I don’t know what’s worse: their hungry eyes roaming over my sister, or over Charity.

Digging my room key out of my front pocket, I unlock the door and step inside, opening the door wider for them to follow. Hazel walks in first and then Charity. My room at the clubhouse isn’t much, just big enough to hold a dark wood king-sized bed against one wall, with a matching side table beside it, a small lamp and clock on top. A single black leather armchair sits in the corner with clean clothes strewn all over it, and there’s a small bathroom off to the right as you walk in. A built-in closet and dresser with six drawers fills up the other wall, and a poster of our Blood Brothers logo sits on the wall above my bedhead.

“Cozy,” Charity says as she takes a seat on the edge of my unmade bed and crosses her legs.

Hazel walks toward the bathroom, enters, then walks out a few seconds later. “Can I have a shower while I’m here?”

“Sure, I’ll get Bear to get your backpacks from the bikes. And Hazel?” I add.

“Yeah,” she asks, looking up at me, her eyes pausing their inspection of the rest of my room.

“We’re going shopping for a new car this week.”

She narrows her eyes at that, hands moving to her hips. “I am not letting go of Betty she’s fine. She just needs a little tender love.”

“Tender love?” I repeat, not believing what I’m hearing. “Are you crazy? That piece of… car is on its last bearings. That shit has to go, I don’t care how attached you are to it. Your safety is more important than memories.”

“But…. But….”

“No buts, we’re getting you a new car and that’s final.”

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