Page 16 of Azrael

“You’ve got club resources,” he said finally.“But you take Havoc and Renegade with you when you start digging.No lone wolf shit, understand?This is club business now.”

Relief washed through me, though I kept my face neutral.“Understood.”

“What about the girl?”Renegade asked.“She gonna stay at your place while we handle this?”

And there it was -- the question I’d been expecting since I walked in.Club rules were clear about women staying at the compound.They either belonged to a member, or they didn’t stay.Period.

Charming’s eyebrow raised slightly, waiting for my answer.I could feel the weight of every brother’s gaze on me, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

What exactly was Zara Colton to me?

Chapter Five

Azrael

Charming leaned back in his chair, gaze fixed on me with the kind of intensity that had made grown men squirm since before he became President.“So, Azrael,” he said, his voice deceptively casual, “what exactly do you plan to do with Zara while we look for her mother?”

I knew what he was really asking.Every man at that table did.

“She’s got nowhere to go,” I said, keeping my voice even.“If she wants to remain close to the club, she’d be living out of her car.I can’t exactly throw her out.”

Havoc shifted in his seat.“She staying in your bed?”

I shot him a look that would have made a lesser man flinch.“Like I said, the guest room.This isn’t about that.”

“Maybe it should be,” someone muttered from down the table.I didn’t bother to see who.

Charming raised a hand, silencing the room.“You know the rules, Azrael.A woman stays at the compound, she belongs to someone.Period.Unless she’s club pussy.”His eyes didn’t waver from mine.“No exceptions, not even for you.”

The rules weren’t arbitrary.They existed for a reason -- to protect the club, to maintain order, to avoid the kind of jealousy and infighting that had torn other MCs apart.Women who weren’t claimed were free game for everyone, or they couldn’t stay.It was simple, brutal math.

“She’s not looking to join the life,” I said.“She just needs a safe place to stay while we find her mother.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Renegade said, his voice rumbling through the tension.“Rules are rules.Either she’s your woman, or she’s not staying.”

I felt a tightness in my chest at the thought.It had been a long time since I’d been with anyone.A very long time.The last woman who’d been mine had ended up in a body bag, and I’d made a promise to myself after that -- no more innocents dragged into my world, no more blood on my hands that didn’t belong to those who deserved it.

But Zara was already in danger.She’d be sleeping in her car, vulnerable to anyone who might come looking for her.And if the people who took her mother decided to tie up loose ends…

“I’m not making that decision for her,” I said finally.“She didn’t come here looking for a man.She came looking for help.”

“Then help her pay for a motel,” one of the brothers suggested.

I shook my head.“And leave her unprotected?If the people who took her mother decide she knows too much, or if they’re looking to grab her too, she’s dead.”

“So protect her,” Charming said simply.“Make her yours.”

The way he said it made it sound so easy, so straightforward.Like claiming a woman was as simple as picking up a new shirt or buying a drink.For some of the brothers, maybe it was.But not for me.Not anymore.

“You know what that means,” Havoc said, leaning forward.“She wears your patch, she’s your responsibility.Your property, as far as the outside world is concerned.”

“I know what it means,” I said, my voice hardening slightly.“I’ve been around long enough.”

Charming studied me for a moment, then smiled.It wasn’t a warm expression -- more like a predator sizing up its prey.“You afraid, Angel Boy?Afraid you might actually come to feel something for this girl?”

A few chuckles rippled around the table.I ignored them.

“I’m concerned about her safety,” I said.“And about her consent.This isn’t some club hang-around looking to be claimed.She’s a civilian with a missing mother who came to us -- to me -- for help.”

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