Page 45 of Brazen Being It

He nods. “Solid. Yesnia likes her.”

I slam my fist on the table. “I don’t give a fuck who likes her. She’s here. If anyone in this room doesn’t like it, then take my fuckin’ cut because I won’t hang her out to dry.”

Axel studies me. His stare is hard, but there’s something in it—respect, maybe even pride. “You love her?”

I don’t answer, but I don’t look away.

“She matters. We see it all the way through, got my vote,” Axel says. “And if any brother in the club doesn’t back her, they see me. I’ll personally take their cut to a vote.”

His words hit me harder than I expect. He backs her. He backs me. My big brother is willing to take on anyone going against me.

Axel continues, voice steady. “Little Foot is always a soldier. Always the one to follow an order, never get out of line. Always taking any job, got the back of anyone in the club. He claims her, that’s all I need to know. I don’t care about her past, or what Frankie or Salentino tries to bring down on us.”

He sweeps the room with his gaze, every man watching. “Anyone challenging this? You aren’t just challenging Little Foot. You’re challenging me.”

Silence falls, heavy and full.

Rex looks between me and Axel, then back to me. “You trust her?”

“With everything.”

Axel nods. “I trust my brother. I respect him. He wants her.”

Rex nods once. “Then this is on you, Double. If she becomes a liability, it’s your patch that bleeds first.”

“Understood.” My brother’s voice is steady. “I back Little Foot all the way. I mean it.”

It hits me then, hard and sharp—my brother respects me. He trusts me. He’s willing to put his cut on the line for me and my woman.

Maybe, just maybe, we’re finding our way back to what we were as kids. Maybe I can have family, love, and respect. Maybe I can have Cambria, too.

Back at the trailer, Cambria’s on the steps, sun in her hair, sketchbook in her lap. She looks up as I approach, her eyes searching mine.

“You okay?”

I drop down beside her. “Been better. Been worse.”

She closes her book, looks at me straight on. “Frankie?”

I nod. “Don’t know what he wants. I don’t like unknowns. That’s all I can tell you. Club business is for brothers only.”

She doesn’t pout. Doesn’t push. “You don’t have to protect me from him.”

I reach for her hand. “I know. But I’m going to anyway.”

She leans into me, her voice a whisper. “I can protect myself too.”

I smile, pressing my lips to her temple. “I know that, too.”

And I believe it. But it doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop trying to make the world safer for her. One fight at a time.

Night falls. Sleep is slow to come. Every creak, every gust of wind, every animal cry in the woods outside makes my heart race, my mind spin. Cambria is curled against me, her breath slow, her faith in me absolute. I’ve never felt anything so heavy—or so right.

When the house is still, I slip outside. The night is thick, the air sharp with pine and humidity. I walk the perimeter, boots crunching in the grass, scanning for any sign of trouble. There’s nothing out there but crickets and moonlight. Still, I check every shadow. I will keep her safe.

Back inside, I settle beside her, pulling her into my arms. Her hair spills over my chest, warm and soft. She fits there, perfectly.

I’m not running anymore. I’m not hiding.

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