Page 55 of Property of Chaos

I shove my lid on so she misses my smile.Troublemaker.I give her hell about her attitude, but it’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because shit like that gets girls in trouble.

There are far too many pricks out there with too fragile egos for her to get around with such unchecked sass. One word to the wrong guy, and her whole life changes.

I can’t be everywhere for her.You can’t be everywhere for Vanessa, either.Maybe not. But that’s why I have men like Circus. Men who do as I ask without questioning moral boundaries.

What’s wrong with wanting her safe?Fuck Marianna.

“You ready?” I throw my leg over and flick the pillion pegs for Selena.

She climbs on and tucks the heels of her boots against the metal. “Sure. Make it loud.”

Jinx waitsin the yard when we pull in, feet wide, arms folded over his chest.What the fuck now?I pull up near the clubhouse and let Selena off.

“Homework first,” I call after her as she darts toward the building. “If you get stuck with anything, ask Dolly to help.”

“Sure.” She waves over her shoulder, dashing through the open door and into the dark belly of the beast.

A one-percenter clubhouse sure as fuck ain’t the perfect place to raise a girl, but it beats where she came from. My father had addictions during his time with the Kings. Most involved women.

Selena’s mom was a victim of that carelessness.

“You need me?” I holler to Jinx as he approaches.

“You got somewhere more important to be?”

I kill the engine with a sigh and tug off my helmet. “Have at it.”

“Marty needs you at the station.”

Shit.Itcan only mean one thing. “They look in the truck?”

He wets his lips. Scratches the back of his head. Nothing that soothes my anxiety.

“Boy, I swear to God?—“

“They scratched something up when they cleared some of the debris from the fire.”

“Scratched something up,” I repeat slow and low, one eyebrow raised. “Like?”

“Something human.” He draws a breath that puffs his chest.

I fold my arms over the tank and flop forward in the seat, head to my forearms.Wherever you go, chaos is sure to follow…My father’s voice haunts me. “Is it ours?”

“Don’t know.”

I jerk upright, lifting an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Jinx shrugs, tone hardening. “I don’t keep a fucking ledger of what we put there.”

“Somebody should!”

“You don’t think?!”

The fucker stares me down, chest heaving the same as mine.

“Look,” I say a little softer. A little more forced. “Shit’s tense at the moment. I get it. But us yelling at each other ain’t going to help any of these assholes, is it?”

“No.” He stamps his arms over his chest with a grimace. “It’s not.”

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