Page 114 of Outlaws of Tulsa

I’m not sure if I believe that. I think Koyn or Dragon wouldn’t think twice about hurting a woman if it served their purpose.

“You might not,” I grumble as he sits down in his leather desk chair, “but the others will if they get their hands on me.”

He shoots me a sharp glare. “I took responsibility for you, which means you’re my problem to deal with. They can answer to me if they’ve got something to say about it.”

A flare of appreciation for Copper ripples through me. As he powers up his computer, I take a moment to admire his profile. Strong, sharp jaw line. Dark scruff from not having shaved recently. Tattoos peeking out from beneath the arm of his white V-neck T-shirt on his massive bicep. His nearly black hair is styled in a messy way that suits him—longer on top and short on the sides. Even though he’s in his late forties, he doesn’t have the hard lines in his face like his younger brother, Koyn, does. Where Koyn lost his wife and child to a brutal rape and murder he witnessed, Copper still has his son Nees—also known as Blake—and even his ex-wife Krista. Koyn’s lived a life of revenge and Copper has remained as a federal agent with the FBI. They may be brothers who are both affiliated with the same MC gang, but they’ve lived very different lives in the past decade.

“Whatever happened to Erin?” Copper asks, turning slightly to bore his dark brown eyes into me.

I shudder at his words, fighting tears. “She went missing. I know that bastard took her, but there’s no proof. Besides, by the time I realized she was missing, I was already…with you guys.”

The reminder of my betrayal has his concerned expression melting into an irritated one. It bothers me, though it shouldn’t. Copper and his brother are monsters. The entire Tulsa chapter of the Royal Bastards MC are. They steal, beat, kill and never blink an eye while doing it. I shouldn’t care what Copper thinks of me, yet I can’t help feel the sting of his disappointment.

He taps away on his computer, not looking my way. “What happened when you left Collins’s office here in Tulsa after you got the lead on me and my brother?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Went back to Montgomery. I told Johnson to look into the Koynakovs. He’d been irritated at myvigilante mission. It took some convincing, but I finally got him to promise he’d look into it.”

“Convincing?” Copper turns, his dark gaze sweeping down my face to my chest.

Heat burns at my cheeks with shame.

“I slept with him. So what?” I snap, irritated by the fact he’s judging me.

“Did your golden pussy work on your boss man?”

I let out a heavy, annoyed sigh. “I thought so. At least he led me to believe so. But then…” Disgust churns in my gut. “He put me on administrative leave.”

“Was he even a good lay?” Copper asks.

I close my eyes, remembering the way his man tits jiggled and how he dripped with sweat. It was disgusting. He came quickly much to my relief. Fucking Johnson was gross and humiliating, but I needed his help. When he put me on administrative leave, I wanted to kill him. Hell, I still do.

“No,” I bite out. “Not at all.”

Copper smirks at me, clearly amused by my story. “So you came back here and joined our group?”

“Not exactly. I did come back, but I went straight to the police here in Tulsa. I wanted them to open an investigation on you and your brother.” I cross my arms over my chest and lean back. “That’s how I met Brad and Denise.”

Brad was just another guy I slept with trying to further my agenda. I would have thought after Johnson, I would’ve learned my lesson. Apparently not. At least Brad was my age and not half bad in bed.

Now he’s dead because of me.

He and Denise both are.

“How’d you get in with dirty cops?” Copper asks, leaning back in his chair and swiveling around to face me.

I could lie and say they weren’t dirty, but I won’t. When I’d gone down to the station to try and open the investigation, Brad was the detective on duty. His partner, Denise, joined us. They were curious about my vigilante investigation. Both Brad and Denise had a successful side hustle selling confiscated drugs on the streets. Their interest in the Koynakovs was because they were hoping to score more product. I certainly played that to my advantage, promising that the Royal Bastards MC would be an opportunity to not just confiscate drugs, but also weapons, too. While we plotted and planned, I fucked Brad, hoping to keep him interested and eager to help.

“They wanted your drugs,” I mumble, not meeting his eyes.

“You know we don’t deal drugs.” His chair squeaks. “But you lied, didn’t you, Stormy? It seems like you lie a lot to get what you want.”

“Fuck you and the judgmental horse you rode in on,” I snarl out. “Do you want the story or not?”

His eyes narrow and his jaw clenches. I can tell I’ve pissed him off, but I don’t care. I’m not about to let him make me feel like a shit human because I was trying to save Erin while also taking down the Koynakov brothers.

“So you decided to infiltrate our group,” he says, lifting a brow. “And somehow ended up riding another dick in the process.”

Tears prickle at my eyes, but I refuse to let this man see me cry. I did what I had to do. Looking back, I regret it. I’ve slept with exactly four men in my life. A random guy at Langley so I could get rid of my stupid V-card, Johnson, Brad, and Filter. It’s a bit sickening when I realize not one of those was because I actually wanted to. Each one was an agenda.

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