Page 29 of Property of Saint

“Whatcha thinking about so hard?”

He jumps at my voice, gives a sheepish grin, and shrugs. “Not much.”

Eyeing him carefully, I suspect it’s something deeper than that, but it’s not my place to pry if he doesn’t want to talk.

Maybe to distract me, he asks, with a grin. “Thought you were upstairs with your ol’ lady?”

Barking a laugh, I shake my head. “She ain’t ol’ lady material.”Yet.But I’m not going to let any of my brothers know I’m even considering it. My brow furrows. “I stayed with her long enough to get her to take a strong painkiller. Fuck knows she needed one.”

“Why didn’t she just take it?” He frowns, then nods. “Ah, worried about being vulnerable in a club full of bikers.”

Huffing, I respond, “Worried about a return visit from Doc, more like.”Or Freak,I add to myself. That Short hasn’t mentioned the enforcer suggests Freak’s licking his wounds somewhere and hasn’t blabbed his mouth about the death sentence he’s pronounced on Pippa, nor how close he came to carrying it out.

Short’s reaction takes me by surprise as he slams both palms down hard on the bar top. “Fuckin’ pervert,” he growls. Giving me a sideways look, he continues, “Can’t stand that fuckin’ doctor.”

“Whoa,” I hold up my hands and chuckle softly. “Tell me how you really feel.” My eyes narrow. “Not really a problem, is it? He treats us, and he’s not likely to have wandering fingers where we’re concerned.”

“I’d fuckin’ cut his hand off if he put it near my dick.”

I give a halfhearted laugh, “Don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about, you’ve nothing he wants. He likes them with tits and a pussy.”

“I saw what he did.” Then, in case I don’t understand, he clarifies, “With that woman in your room.”

“We all saw,” I agree. “We knew why he’d been struck off but never seen it up close and personal before.”

“Can’t believe he tried to pull that shit in front of witnesses.”

It had surprised me as well. I shrug. “It’s like he can’t help himself.”

“He’s a grown fuckin’ man, not some pimply faced kid.” Again, Short slams his hands down. “Fuckin’ hate how he treats that daughter of his.”

“Hear you, Brother. I hear you.” I’m not fond of it myself. And neither are any of the Kings. Even the club girls are treated with more respect than Doc shows his own kin.

Short beckons to the prospect, who refills his drink. He takes a sip, then, waving his glass, asks, “Why the hell do you think she puts up with it, VP?”

Swallowing a mouthful of beer before I respond, I consider my answer. “Bronwyn?” He nods to clarify. “Who knows? She must be beholden to him in some way. She’s still at school, isn’t she? I thought I heard she was doing a four-year degree, though she’s coming to the end of it. Maybe he’s paying for her tuition.”

My reply doesn’t make him any calmer. “I’m warning you now, Saint. Next time I see him speak like that to her, I’ll be calling him out.” And in case I don’t get what he’s saying, he adds, “With my fuckin’ fists.”

“Whoa. Hold that thought a moment.” It’s time to put on my VP hat now. “Think carefully before you do anything, Short. Having an on-call doc who doesn’t ask questions is worth a fuckin’ lot to this club. If you fuck that up for us, what happens next time one of us catches a bullet?”

After catching my eye and holding it, he frowns and shakes his head. “I hear you loud and fuckin’ clear, VP. But Bronwyn doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. She shouldn’t walk around so scared and cowed.”

Raising an eyebrow, I ask incredulously, “You got the hots for her?” Sure, Bronwyn’s a pretty enough thing, but him? He doesn’t reply, but his face heats. I bark a laugh. “You fuckin’ have.” Snorting, this time it’s my hand that smacks into the bartop, punctuating my mirth. “Fuck, Short, you’re a big man, six foot seven, isn’t it?” I don’t wait for his confirmation. “She’s a tiny thing, a hundred pounds wet. You’d break her in half.” But it’s not just her physical attributes that worry me. “Think about it, Bro. She’s meek, won’t say boo to a goose… She wouldn’t last a moment in this club. She’s definitely not ol’ lady material.”

“Not saying I’d make her mine.”

I say my next words carefully. “She’s not a one-night stand, a girl out for a good time. Fuck, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was a virgin. And, if you go after that girl, it could be the same result that we’d lose Doc. You think he’d want one of us lusting after his daughter?”

Placing his head into his hands, he rubs at his temples. “I know, I know.” He turns his head toward me. “She’s just been on my mind, VP.”

I’m confident Short would think twice before doing anything that would harm the club, or deprive us of medical services, so I don’t continue pressing the point, or linger on the ridiculousness of a relationship between the biggest man in this club and the tiny girl. Instead, I give him something else to think about.

“Can’t solve your problem. Wanna have a go at mine?”

That catches his interest. He sits back up. “And what’s got you worried?”

I point to the ceiling above my head. “Pippa.” When he offers a raised eyebrow, I give him more. “Not sure giving her time to heal is in her best interest when I can’t see any other option than her ending up dead.”

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