Page 13 of Striker

I ran my hand through my hair as I sat up. Grabbing my boxers I threw them on and made my way to the door. “I’m fucking coming. This better be good, asshole!” Whipping the door open I came face to face with Maverick and Goose.

“Morning, asshole! Time to rise and fucking shine Princess.” Goose pushed past me into my apartment, making himself right at home on the couch.

“Why the fuck are you here at six in the goddamn morning, Goose?” I growled as I turned around heading toward the coffee machine.

“Wrench has some news. You need to call church. This is bad, Striker. It’s about Lilah.” Maverick was serious. I could see the concern on his face.

“Shit. Alright. Let me get dressed and we’ll talk. Tell everybody church at eight. That gives normal people time to get up.”

Goose laughed as he slapped me on the back. “Come on, man. We used to get up way earlier for the ranch. This ain’t nothing for you.” Maverick looked around the apartment, eyeing the dirty dishes and women’s cowboy boots and slowly smiled.

“Shit. Looks like Striker got lucky last night! No wonder he was still sleeping. Which girl did you grab? Or was it a girl from town?”

They both were laughing now. I was surprised he didn’t recognize his own sisters boots, but I was lucky as fuck he didn’t. I grabbed a cup of coffee and started to head toward the bathroom.

Before I could get back to the bathroom, Lilah came out wearing nothing but my T-shirt. She had a big smile on her face, hair wet from the shower, and little finger shaped bruises on her thighs. The color from Maverick and Goose face drained and they both turned to look at me. Their faces grew darker and my poor Little Lark looked mortified.

“What. The. Fuck. What the ever-loving fuck, Striker!” Maverick was inching closer to me, Goose was right behind him. “What happened tojust friends, brother?I’m not going to break her heart again, brother?” Maverick was right in my face as his voice got louder and louder. Lilah came right up beside me, slowly stepping in between Maverick and myself. Goose put his hand on Maverick’s shoulder.

“Listen, brothers. Maverick and Goose, just listen.” Lilah grabbed my hand, looking back and forth between me and her big brothers.

“No man! No fucking way, Striker. That’s our baby sister and she’s not even wearing her own clothes! Look at the bruises! Fuck!” Goose’s face was turning bright red.

All of a sudden, Lilah spoke up, “Hi I’m right here! Please stop talking about me like I don’t exist! I can make my own choices. I made the choice to talk to Levi after Mama and I talked. I made the choice to stay for dinner. I made the choice to stay the night. So you can cut the bullshit boys.”

Her brothers looked at her, then looked at me. “Go home, Lilah. This doesn’t concern you. This is a conversation between brothers.”

Lilah stomped her foot and threw her hands in the air. “A goddamn conversation about ME! You both are the worst! I thought you would be happy. Happy I’m with your best friend. A good guy. The man I’ve always loved and always will. Seriously, Silas and Sawyer! So much for a great start to the fucking day!” Lilah turned and ran into my bedroom, tears forming in her eyes.

I pointed right at Maverick and Goose. “You boys fucked up. You have no right to come barging in and make your sister cry on her first day of work. You best be working on apologizing later after she’s calmed down.” I didn’t care about the consequences right now, I knew we would work them out later. Lilah came out of the bedroom, dressed in her clothes from last night.

She stood on her tippy toes and kissed me right in front of her brothers, “I love you, Levi Walker. Call you after I get out of work.” She turned and pointed to Maverick and Goose, narrowing her eyes at them. “And now I’m heading home to get ready and tell Mama all about how you two are acting like a bunch of asses. Shape up boys. Otherwise, it’s gonna be a rough life for you two.” Lilah turned, grabbed her boots and stomped out the door. I turned the coffee machine back on and poured a cup for the three of us.

“We have a lot to talk about boys. Sit and don’t interrupt me.” They both sat on the bar stools and grabbed a mug. “I love Lilah. I love your sister with everything I have. I always have and I always will. She’s not just a hookup. I’m not lonely. It’s not just a fluke. I’m gonna marry her. I’m gonna have babies with her. I’m gonna grow old with her. So you can either get on board with it or shut your mouths.” I looked at both of them. They finished their coffee and turned to each other. After a few minutes of silence, they turned to me.

Maverick spoke first, “Alright brother. That’s all we’ve ever wanted to hear.” He smiled and got up from the bar stool. “We know you’re a good guy. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be our Pres. Just don’t hurt her or we’ll be looking for a new one.” Goose slapped me on the shoulder as he got up, smiling like nothing ever happened.

We all laughed as I headed toward my bedroom to get dressed, “Alright, boys. Glad that’s all cleared up. Now let’s get ready for church.”

Everybody was filing in for church at the clubhouse. Once everyone was seated, I banged the gavel to let everyone know it was time to rock and roll. “Alright, brothers. I got a wake-up call at six a.m by these fuckers and I guess it’s pretty serious.” I gestured my head toward Maverick and Goose. “Wrench has some news and it has to do with Lilah. Go ahead and tell us what’s going on, brother.” Wrench stood up, he was holding a small, black box in his hands. He looked nervous and that made me even more scared to hear what he was about to say.

“Well, I was doing a normal tune-up on Lilah's truck. Went to go and clean the undercarriage and found this.” He threw the black box on the table. “It’s a fucking tracking device. Somebody has been following Lilah whenever she goes. I tore the truck apart and didn’t find anymore. This was the only one.”

I could feel my face turning red. My Little Lark was in danger and I didn’t even know it. Goose stood and reached across the table to grab the tracker.

“What the fuck! It’s her piece of shit ex! He’s a detective in the city and has the means to get something like this. I’m going to fucking kill him. NOBODY messes with my baby sister!”

I stood and grabbed the tracker. I tossed it back and forth in my hands. “Is it on right now, Wrench?”

He sat down and ran his hand down his face, “No. I cut all the wires inside.”

Maverick grabbed the box from my hands and threw it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into a million pieces. He shrugged and sat back down. “No takin’ chances with my baby sister.” Goose laughed and slapped his brother on the back.

“Alright, brothers. Time to find this fucker and bring him in. The Devil’s Highwaymen have a few words they would like to share with him.” Everybody banged their fists on the table and yelled. I banged gavel to get everybody’s attention. “Alright. Alright, brothers. Put your feelers out. Keep an eye out. And let’s get this asshole. Church is over.” We all headed out toward the bar. It was time to drink away some of our worries and relax before we brought Lilah’s ex down.

I was just finishing my first beer when somebody’s long, red fingernails wrapped around my bicep. “Hey there, big boy. I missed you these last few nights.”

I knew who it was before I even turned around, “Tammy. Not interested.”

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