Page 21 of Outlaws of Tulsa

“No one,” he bites back. “But the look on your face. It’s fucking crazy.”

I clench my jaw. “Don’t make me kick your ass tonight. I’m not in the mood.”

“No,” he taunts. “You’re in the mood to play house. You need to ditch the girl. Let me take her in and get her sent back home.”

The bathroom door jerks open and Hadley steps out. Freshly showered and wearing some other bitch’s clothes now. She’s no longer dripping in blood or wearing smeared makeup. Fuck, she looks even younger. More innocent. More like Blaire.

“I can’t go back home,” she whispers. “I…I just can’t.”

“Darlin’,” Copper starts, but she shakes her head.

“Just let me leave and I’ll figure things out on my own.” She says it in such a prissy bitch kind of way like she’s used to demanding shit and everyone just bowing. I don’t know what world she came from where she was the princess, but I’m themotherfucking king around here. What I say goes. Her ass isn’t going anywhere.

“Nope.” I grab her skinny arm. “Let’s find a place to crash. We’ll figure all this out tomorrow.”

She yelps, tugging, but I have an iron grip on her. Copper scowls at me. I ignore his ass as I make myself at home. Animal may be a crazy motherfucker, but he and I are cool. He knows I’d do the same shit to help him out if he were in a bind. I push through a room with a couch and a television. There’s a window but no outer doors.

Hadley eyes the couch with suspicion. Like I’m going to actually touch her. I’m not some sick asshole. She looks like my daughter, for fuck’s sake.

“I can’t have you walking off,” I tell her. “I don’t know half those men in there. I’m by far the safest one to be with. We’re going to catch some sleep and in the morning I’m taking you home.”

“I told you—”

“Myhome.”

Her brows furl together and she crosses her arms over her chest. With no makeup and fully clothed, she looks all of fifteen.

“How old are you?” I drop down to the middle of the sofa and nod to the cushion beside me.

“Old enough.”

“Stop fucking playing with me, child.”

She hisses at me. “I’m not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one, goddammit.”

“I’m an adult now which means you can’t keep me here. I had my eighteenth birthday the other day. I can leave.”

Knowing that asshole was sticking his dick in some underage pussy boils my blood, because I sure as shit know he didn’t wait for this flower to blossom. She’s already claimed to have wanted that shit, but that’s not the point. The point is, she got drawninto a world she clearly doesn’t belong in and is spreading her legs for men who are too old for her when she should be in high school. If I were her father, I would’ve whipped her ass into shape a long time ago. She would’ve never run off to live with a bunch of bikers.

“You’re not leaving. Sit,” I order. “I’m tired as hell and don’t need you running off.”

She stomps over to me and plops down on the cushion. Despite her apparent anger, her hands tremble. The poor thing’s shaking like a leaf.

“You may as well let me go,” she sasses. “I’m on every milk carton from coast to coast. If anyone sees me, they’ll call the police. You don’t want to be involved in that.”

“I’ll take my chances.” I grab her thigh and drag her down the couch, ignoring her squeals of protest, before lying down on the couch. She struggles, but I pull her tight against my chest so she won’t get away in our sleep.

“Let me go! Did you hear that whole part about me being a teenage runaway and everyone is looking for me?” Her voice is shrill.

“And I think you missed the part about how I don’t care.”

Hadley

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart races inside my chest. I don’t think it’s stopped in the past several hours. I’m having trouble coping with reality.

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