Page 13 of Fight Or Flight

“Stay away from her,” I warn, pushing off the wall.

He rolls his eyes at me and turns to walk away, but I quickly reach out and tag the back of his shirt. Pushing me off him, he turns to me.

“Why? She’s fucking hot.”

Yeah, she is and under normal circumstances, I’d be proud of my brother for recognizing that. Hell, I might even give the kid some pointers—Lord knows he needs a little help getting around the bases. But he ain’t getting around anything where Brooklyn is concerned. I’ll fucking kill him.

“First you warn me against Tabitha, now Brooklyn. News flash, big bro, you can’t have them all.”

I warned him off Tabitha Richardson because the kid is fucking blind and can’t see what’s obviously right in front of him. Tabitha is spoken for. It might not be public fucking knowledge, but everyone knows Danny Parrish put his mark on that girl a long time ago and I don’t care how much time my little brother puts in at our uncle’s boxing gym, he is no match for Danny. He makes Uncle Jack look like a fucking preacher and let’s not talk about Tabitha’s dad, Cobra. That guy wouldn’t think twice before taking a cheese grater to Rob’s balls if he knew he was sniffing around his youngest daughter.

But Brooklyn isn’t spoken for and the sudden protective streak I have over her has nothing to do with how hot I find her and everything to do with making sure no one hurts her. You see, somewhere between crashing her mother’s car and finding out she was Bones’ daughter, I made a solemn vow to myself. As long as I live, I’ll never be able to repay her old man for his sacrifice, but I can make sure no one hurts his daughter—including my horny brother who is just looking to get his dick wet. Brooklyn may have come here looking for her father, but she got herself a guard dog instead.

“I’m not going to tell you twice, Rob. Back off.”

“So you can have her?”

“No, dickhead, because she’s Bones’ daughter and if it weren’t for him, none of us would fucking be here. Not Mom, not me, and not fucking you. Have some respect.”

“Eric! Robert! Family meeting,” Mom calls from downstairs.

Neither of us run at our mom’s command, instead, we stand completely still and continue to stare one another down.

“What are you gonna do when she leaves?” he asks. “You going to follow her wherever the fuck she lives and threaten every guy who smiles at her?”

Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. Until now I didn’t even want to acknowledge the promise I made to myself, but my brother forced my hand and now there’s no going back. If I’ve learned anything from my dad or my uncles, it’s that a man’s word is all he’s got in this world. Once you speak it, you see it through.

Bones vowed to have my dad’s back, and he saw it through all the way to the end.

It’s my turn to do the same.

I don’t owe anyone anything but him. Without another word, I leave my brother standing there and head downstairs. A moment later he follows, and we quietly enter the living room where our parents are waiting for us. As expected, Anthony and Bella are already there, but so are Grandpa Wolf, Grandma Maria, and all the Satan’s Knights.

“What kind of family meeting is this?” I ask.

“Told you they were shipping you out,” Rob sneers as he plops down on the loveseat next to Bella. “Move over, squirt.”

“Mommy, Rob, called me a squirt!”

“Don’t be a rat, princess,” Rob retorts.

“Take a seat, Eric,” Dad says, jutting his chin toward the empty armchair.

“Is Eric in trouble for robbing Uncle Gangster’s car?” Anthony questions smugly.

Ignoring him, I take my seat and anxiously await the answer to the little shit’s question.

“No one is in trouble for anything,” Mom answers.

“That’s such bullshit!” Rob exclaims.

“Watch your mouth,” Grandpa scolds.

My dad sighs, rubbing a hand over his drawn face. I try to recall a time in my life when I’ve seen him look so drained but I can’t and that says a lot because my father has seen some shit in his life. He’s been beaten and thrown behind bars. He’s buried people he’s loved and rode for days on end defending his club, and yet he’s never looked so fucking worn out as he does now.

“Bella, baby, come here,” Dad calls hoarsely, crooking his finger.

Being daddy’s little girl, my seven-year-old sister ditches her place next to Rob and runs straight toward our dad. Two people in this world that can make my dad smile no matter what. The first is my mom, the second is my sister, and as soon as his arms wrap around her a small smile ticks his exhausted face.

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