Page 50 of Biker's Tribute: Property of Bear

“Ew, Wyatt, don’t get that grease all over me,” Anna replies while still leaning in and giving me an opportunity to disobey her further by groping her butt. She rolls her eyes and kisses me again.

“It’s instinct,” I reply, reluctantly letting go of her so I can continue my work on the engine.

“You always think someone has a plot against you. Remember the situation with Oske a few months ago?”

“Nope.”

I remember. This time is different. Mom won’t take my calls. Nobody has a proper explanation forwhyEthan was in a therapist’s office.

I don’t believe Owen when he says Ethan must have been fucking the therapist. Does that make any sense? Why would a woman with advanced degrees crawl into bed with my brother? I suppose she could have been dragged…

“I don’t want you leaving again,” Anna admits. I look up at her from the bike. Fuck, is it possible that she gets more beautiful with each passing day? I notice things about her that I didn’t at first. Only idiots think the shine ever wears off a woman. They’re like fine silver. You polish them and keep them happy, their beauty only grows with time and the memories you create together.

I can’t imagine what I have with Anna happening with anyone else.

“You can’t come with me. The kids need you.”

“They need you too.”

“I can be better help to them if I go out there and protect this family.”

“From what?”

“Ethan’s lies… and whatever trouble he got himself mixed up in.”

“It sounds like it’s just the same Midnight SS bullshit,” Anna says, betraying that shewaslistening in on my call with Gideon that she swore she didn’t listen in on. Swore on theReal Housewives, I might add. I’m cutting the goddamn cable…

“They’re posers, Anna. Darragh Murray gave all the intelligence over and these men have nothing to do with the Midnight SS. They’re something else… and I don’t like it.”

“They had patches and jackets. How did they get their hands on those?”

“I don’t know. But Owen put Slitlicker in the ground himself.”

“Wyatt, Ew.”

“I didn’t choose his club name…”

But I understand the sentiment. I could never keep things from Anna. It’s too hard when she’s my best friend. Even better than Hunter, not like I’d admit it to his face.

“It could be some real bad shit,” I reply. “Someone who wants to take down the club from within.”

“They wouldn’t compromise Owen or Ethan. They couldn’t.”

“You don’t know gamblers.”

“I do, actually,” Anna says, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s so damn stubborn.

“You don’t.”

“Yes,” Anna insists. “I do. And you would never sell out the club. You would take a bullet first.”

“I did the work.”

“Okay, you’re a little further along on your journey but Ethan and Owen would both die for your club. If they’re keeping a secret… maybe it’s to protect you.”

I want to believe her, but leading the club has made me paranoid. I watched the same thing happen to dad. It’s the vigilance you need to lead that takes over and it’s hard knowing who to trust. I would take this to Hunter but… if this is a problem with either of my brothers and gambling, I can handle it easily.

Hunter has his hands full with Juliette. Shit, we all have our hands full these days. It’s funny how much it all changed since before dad died. He would shit himself if he knew the situations we’ve gotten ourselves into.

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