Page 20 of Denial

“You know I’m not lettin’ my cousin out of my sight. Killer can stay here and know that I’ll be with Jinx to protect Hope from anyone who thinks they can get too close. Dad can keep workin’ on what we’ve been doin’ here and I can take my stuff with me to work while we’re at the cabin. Maybe bring an extra guy with us for when I can’t guard outside,” King says, sitting up in his seat taller as he takes his eyes from the tablet in front of him.

“I can send Deegan with you guys. He’s been doin’ really good and I want to see what he’s like when he’s away from the clubhouse for an extended period of time,” Vault says, looking around the room again until his eyes land on Deegan standing against the wall behind Killer. “You’ve done good on the short runs you’ve been on so far. Now I want to see how you’ll do over longer periods of time. You’ll all be tested like this at one point or another. Right now, it’s Deegan’s turn.”

“I’m gonna go too,” Red speaks up, shocking the hell out of me because I wasn’t expecting him to go with us.

Red is one of the Nomads who chose to stay in Pine View when the rest of them left to meet back up with the Nomad chapter. His reason is that he’s getting too old not to have a stable place to live while always riding from one destination to another. Plus, he fell in love with the small city of Pine View and Vault was happy to keep him on when the others left. I’ve not really sat down and talked to him, but from what I have seen of the man has shown how loyal and protective he is. Red will jump in front of a bullet with no hesitation or questions asked instead of letting someone get hurt when he’s around. He’ll give a person his last dollar and the shirt off his back just because they need it. I’m actually happy he’s going to the cabin with us so I can get to know him more.

“Okay. I think that makes enough of you guys goin’. If for any reason one of you needs to come back to the city, call me and I’ll send up a replacement. We’ll keep workin’ with the Wild Kings to take care of business here and make sure Becker and this hitman are found. At this point, I’d rather gut Becker than turn his family and him over to the authorities. He’s taken so much from Hope and it needs to end. Now, he’s pushin’ her outta her home and away from family because he’s a selfish prick who can’t stand to be told no by a woman. Fuckin’ asshole!” Vault states, his voice hard and cold as he looks around the room and glares at us all.

No, Vault isn’t mad at us. He’s pissed about the situation and wants it to end so Hope can come home and be with her family. I’m done letting pricks like him take what they want and think nothing will be done about that shit.

“Becker is mine!” Killer states, his voice barely more than a growl as he stares Vault down with a purely evil look on his face. “The only one who will fuckin’ get his hands on Becker besides me is Jinx. You all know he’s gonna claim my girl as his ol’ lady and therefore it gives him more right to Becker than me. Jinx, I’m not gonna take away you gettin’ your pound of flesh from him, but I’m gonna be right there with you when it happens.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way. I need to get back to Hope. I’ve been gone too long,” I say, getting out of my chair as Ghost steps aside to give me room. “If anythin’ else is discussed let me know.”

Devil and our dad follow me out to the hallway and stop me a few feet from the door. Turning to face them, I realize I’m gonna need a bag packed to go to the cabin and that will take me away from Hope for way too long.

“Can you guys pack me a bag of clothes and shit to take to the cabin? I really don’t wanna leave Hope for the length of time it will take to do that shit,” I ask them as my dad looks at me with a smile on his face.

“You’re all fuckin’ in with her already and she still hasn’t let you explain shit to her,” my dad says, his voice letting me know he’s proud of me despite not being able to say the words.

“I am. She’s bein’ stalked, was shot, and we don’t know how much time any of us have on Earth. So, I’m not gonna waste any more time when it comes to her and where I want our relationship to go. Hope is mine and no one will take her from me,” I state, looking between my brother and dad.

“Are you sure you really wanna tie yourself to one piece of ass for the rest of your life?” my brother questions me and it takes everything to not punch him in the fucking face talking about Hope like that.

“First of all, don’t you ever talk about Hope like that again. We grew up with her and she’s been with us every fuckin’ day. I don’t give a fuck if she didn’t grow up in the club, Devil. You don’t fuckin’ talk about women like that. No wonder you can’t get a girl of your own. You’re such a fuckin’ asshole. Secondly, I’ve never had sex before so I have no problem with Hope bein’ the only woman I fuck for my entire life. I will give her every fuckin’ piece of me and know that she’ll do the same in return. I love her and have fallen in love with her slowly over the last several years. If you can’t see what an amazin’ woman she is and how huge her heart is, then you need to go see a fuckin’ doctor, Devil,” I state, anger coursing through me with the thought of him talking shit about my girl or even thinking those kinds of things about any woman he comes into contact with.

“I know she is, Jinx. Just makin’ sure that you’re really in this for the right reasons and not because you feel some kind of way about her almost dyin’ a few weeks ago. We all know you’ve had the biggest crush on her forever. If you weren’t in this for the right reasons, I wasn’t gonna let you go any further with her. I love you and you’ll always be my brother, but Hope is one of the best girls I’ve ever met in my life and I’d be lucky if I can ever find a woman who is half as great as she is. All of us would. I’m glad to see that you’re truly in love with Hope,” Devil says, shocking the hell out of me because I’m beginning to see there’s more to my brother than what I originally thought there would be.

Taking a deep breath to force the anger away, I look at my brother as our dad starts laughing at the two of us.

“You two will never change,” he says, laughter filling his voice as I start to walk away from the two of them. “And I wouldn’t ever want you to. Love you boys and I’ll always be here for both of you.”

Walking to the door of Hope’s room, I don’t hesitate to open it and walk in. Gwen and Kim are sitting with her and they’re all laughing. Hope is holding a pillow against her stomach and I can see the pain in her eyes as she looks over at me.

“What kind of party are you girls havin’ in here?” I ask, walking up and pressing a kiss against the top of Hope’s head as Kim and Gwen watch me closely.

“We’re just talking about how stupid guys are,” Kim says, laughing some more. “You all take your sweet ass time figuring out what you want and then still don’t do anything about it until the absolute last possible second. I think you know something about that, Jinx.”

“You’re right, I do. I’ve been a fuckin’ idiot and I will apologize and make up for it every day for the rest of our lives,” I tell them as I walk to the end of Hope’s bed and lean against the wall under the TV.

“Good. You better treat my niece better than a damn queen or you won’t have to worry about Killer and the boys taking your ass out. Gwen and I will be worse than anything you’ve ever heard. We take ‘mama bear’ to the extreme when you fuck with our girls. Got that, Jinx?” Kim asks me and I’m not gonna lie, she scares me sometimes. Honestly, I think my balls just shriveled up and disappeared.

“Not gonna treat her as anythin’ less than that, Kim. You got nothin’ to worry about when it comes to me,” I say, trying to adjust my stance while protecting my balls as the girls all start laughing their asses off once more.

I’m glad to see Hope laughing again. Even if it’s at my expense. At that exact moment, Killer and Fox walk in the room with King trailing along behind them.

“What’s goin’ on in here?” Killer asks as he looks between the four of us with confusion filling his face.

“Well, I think Jinx is gonna go through puberty again,” Gwen says as they all start laughing once more. “Kim just scared the shit out of him and now he’s protecting his lower area.”

The guys laugh as I lean deeper into the wall and fold my arms over my chest.

“I can see that happenin’. Been scared that much a time or two in my life when my mom’s not happy,” King says, standing next to me as he looks at his mom with nothing but love in his eyes. “Love you, Mom. But you really gotta stop scarin’ the hell out of the guys. We know you’re a badass, but Jinx isn’t gonna hurt Hope.”

“Just making sure my niece is treated well by him. It’s been years in the making and if Jinx can’t stand up to an old woman like me, then he doesn’t deserve Hope,” Kim says, completely unphased in her words or the way she’s glaring at me.

“Baby, you gotta stop this shit. He’s already gotta deal with Killer and his attitude when it comes to the girls. Jinx doesn’t need you addin’ to that shit before anythin’ has really happened between the two of them,” Fox says as he pulls his wife out of her chair and sits down before pulling her onto his lap and holding her close as he nuzzles his face into her neck.

---