Page 25 of A Brother's Secret

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Data…

Dragon opened the door and came in, Mali behind him, her dark eyes curious, her expression as guarded as I’d ever seen it. I could see the wheels and gears turning and clicking along behind her eyes and had to hand it to D. Whatever he’d said was making her think, but also, she was a little more relaxed, less stand-offish. She moved like a cat, gliding rather than walking with that feline grace and I had to smile.

I’d carried a torch for her since about forever and it looked like neither time nor distance had changed that much. I let my gaze wander over her, checking her out, making sure she was okay, even as she did the same to me. Questions floated up behind her eyes and I gave her a slight chin lift. I’d answer what I could, but there were some things that were strictly club business and I’d already set my brothers on edge with this. I wasn’t about to betray them, or her, but asking for trust from either side at this point was probably going to be asking alot.

“All right, decision made… Data, you find out what’s what and if’n you can’t, well, then, time for plan B as much as we don’t likeit.”

“I like plan B, can we just skip to plan B?” Reaver asked, and he was bouncing on the balls of his feet again.

Dragon shook his head, “We don’t have any idea what it is we’re playin’ at. Plan A first; I’ll let you fill yer lady friend in. You two get some sleep and gimme a call tomorrow on the burner.”

“Will do,” I said and Dragon nodded.

“Come on, boys.”

The men made to follow him out and Trigger turned, “Text me when you wake up, I’ll bring some of Sunshine’s cookin’,” he declared and I smiled.

“Thanks, I really appreciate that, man.”

“No problem,” he said and the door swung shut behind them. I turned to Mali as the bikes roared down the drive and up the country road back to the highway. She was standing there, staring back at me, a fine tremble in her hands the only clue that she wasn’t any kind of calm. Her eyes were frantically bouncing over me and I felt my shoulders drop. I went over to her and pulled her into a hug. She hugged me back, her long, elegant fingers digging into the shoulders of my leather jacket, kneading like a nervous cat; feeling for any hurts or damage.

“I’m okay,” I whispered into her hair and she shook herhead.

“Kyle, they’re the Sacred Hearts,” she said voice strained and I curved my arms around her body, my hand finding the back of her head, kneading the tension at the base of her skull, playing along either side of the back of herneck.

“They aren’t the club they used to be when we were kids, Mali.”

…but we still hold onto the reputation. I thought to myself. I could understand her fear. Just because we weren’t bad, didn’t mean we weren’t bad-asses. She rested her forehead against my shoulder and took some deep and even breaths.

“So what happens now?” she asked.

“Thought you wanted that hot bath and I believe I owe you my miracle cure for a hardride.”

“Look around, the place isn’t exactly equipped for luxury… or indoor plumbing.”

“Ehhh, you’d be surprised.”

I took her hand and led her to the third of the shop curtained off, over by the back door leading out. The guys had strung up curtains from the track in the ceiling. The thick canvas they’d used was probably painter’s drop cloth once upon a time, given the amount of spatter and staining on it. I whisked it down the rail, revealing the setup behind it, which granted, wasn’t pretty by any means, but it wasfunctional.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked and I laughed to myself.

“Ah, if you’re thinking it’s a horse trough, you’d be right. One of the brothers works out on a thoroughbred ranch that his ol’ lady owns. My guess is they donated to the cause.”

“It’s fucking huge,” she said and she wasn’t wrong. It was more like half the size of one of those above-ground outdoor swimming pools than it was bath tub sized. Pill-shaped, it could easily fit three adults comfortably, but then again, I had a suspicion that was my brothers’ goal… insightful bastards.

“They jerry-rigged the water supply, so hot water here,” I turned the one tap and the water rushed forth, loud against the aluminum bottom of the trough, “and cold over here.” I twisted a completely separate tap, cold water pouring from a different spigot.

“Who cares?” she asked, a little dumbfounded, “It’s hot and we can be clean… maybe your new friends aren’t as big a dicks as I thought.”

I smiled to myself and chuckled. Mali, always had a way with words and was twice the guy of most guys we hung around growing up. Although, with a daddy like hers, she’d had to be tough. I sighed and turned back to her from leaning over the trough.

She had a weird look on her face I couldn’t place, staring at the water filling the tub and finally she broke her gaze away from the flowing tap and rising steam to look at me, her expression guarded.

“So what’s this miracle cure?” she asked.

I held up a finger, “Ah, be rightback.”

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