Page 9 of Ripper's Property
“King knows where I stand,” I state. “I’ve already made my claim.”
“Like fucking hell you have.” Dragon comes to Skeeter’s side lookin’ like he wants to throw down. They all do. I’d like to see them try. There’s a reason King chose me as his Enforcer and it ain’t because I’m weak.
“There’s no way King would let you touch his little girl. You’re old enough to be her dad,” Dragon barks. So what? He’s got feelings for my girl too?
“You’re like her fucking uncle.” Skeet crosses his arms, widening his stance, looking like he wants to take his shot at me. I fucking dare him. He may be big, but the kid has no fucking clue. He needs to remember who he’s speaking to. I’m a founding brother of this chapter and the Enforcer, and I can take his patch away as fast as he can blink.
“You’re welcome to ask King for yourself.” I leave out the fact that I need to put Montoya in the ground first before it’s a done deal. I’m not allowed to touch her—yet. I still have to fulfill my side of the agreement. But then I’ll be puttin’ my hands all over that sexy little body and making her scream my name so loud they all know exactly who she belongs to.
“This is fucking bullshit,” the fucker snaps. “She should decide who she wants as her man. Not be fucking forced into marrying someone. If it were up to her, I doubt she’d be picking you.”
He doesn’t have a fucking clue. She already has picked me. I’m not going to inform them of how I know the fact, but I know I’m the one she wants. Skeeter is young. Barely patched in. How does the kid expect to provide for the girl? He can’t put a roof over her head or give her what she deserves. He may be infatuated, but he hasn’t spent the last sixteen years ofhis life being dedicated to her. I’ve been protecting her, making sure she’s not only safe, but happy. What the fuck has he done? Bought her some chocolate and made her some coffee.
“Maybe you need to look a little closer, kid. Pay more attention to the girl rather than staring at her ass all day long. I’m the one she wants, and when the time comes for her to decide whether she wants to be my old lady, she’ll be sayin’ yes. Mark my words.”
His nostrils flare but he’s wise enough to keep his mouth shut. He should go run along and fuck Shiloh and look a little closer there because that girl wants his ass. My Rory doesn’t.
“Now, are we done here, or do we need to take this shit outside?” I scan every set of eyes in the room, seeing the anger and jealousy simmering beneath the surface, but they keep their traps shut. Smart move. “Now, we have shit that needs to be dealt with. As some of you may have heard, we have a lead on Montoya. Meth lab across state lines has his dirty prints all over it. We need to get out there and scope the place before he slips through our fingers again. I’m gonna be riding out today to confirm it’s him and get some surveillance in place. I need three men with me. Who’s up for the task?”
“I’ll be staying here with the princess,” Raid states. “I think you should take Dagger, Cage, and Hawk.”
Skeeter looks irritated he wasn’t chosen for the job, but with the anger running through him, I think he’d be a live wire. And if we run into any trouble, I need to know my guys are operating with a level head and not acting on jealousy or anger, otherwise shit can get messy, and I ain’t in no mood to clean up a mess today. I want to get out there, get the cameras in place, and then get back to my girl. She and I need to have a conversation.
“We’ll ride out in an hour,” I state, looking to my three brothers. They all tip their chins, and Skeeter storms out of the room, pissed as hell. He’ll have to get over that shit. I turn toRaid. “Make sure he keeps his hands to himself.” If he touches what’s mine, he’s going to pay for his crime, and I respect the brother too much to have to put him down. But I will.
“Never let anyone touch our girl.” Raid nods.
I’d argue that three letter possessive word he always likes to use, but he’s right. It’s like she said. She’s our queen. A part of our kingdom. Our family. And the owner of all our hearts. We all love her in our own way. Some like a daughter, others a niece or sister, others as a friend. Some wish they could be more. But there’s only one man who will get to take her down the aisle. Only one man who will ever know the sounds she makes when she’s hitting her peak. Or the way her lips feel sliding along my shaft. Her tongue licking across my tip. Or the way her pussy feels pulsing on my cock as she rides out her storm. There’s only one man who will ever get to love on her body, and that’s me—the one who owns her heart. Her words, not mine.
7
Rory
“You done with school, princess?” Raid asks as I enter the great room. My second guard isn’t anywhere in sight, which loosens up the anxious knot in my stomach. I’m still upset with Ripper for being a jerk again this morning, and for getting onto Skeet for being nice.
“Yeah, I’m done. Where is everyone?”
The place is like a graveyard. Usually, the guys would already be drinking, and the girls would be playing music and dancing around the room, trying to tease one of the Knights into taking them for a ride, but the place is quiet. Eerily quiet.
“Rip and a few others had to go on a run. And I told the girls to get lost for the night. Punishment for not coming forward about the shit that Cherry was talkin’.”
I guess without the girls around there’s no point for the guys to be out here. Rip didn’t tell me he was leaving. Wonder how long this “run” will be. If I weren’t worried for him, I’d begrateful for a reprieve. But them going on a run means they’re dealing with club business, and that always worries me.
“I’m going to go take a walk down to the lake. Get some fresh air.” I need to clear my head.
“You want some company?”
“I’m good.” I just want to be alone. I spent the day trying not to think about what Cherry said this morning, but now that I don’t have school to occupy my mind, it’s flooding in fast.
“Hey, doll. Would you be up for a movie night tonight? Just like old times?”
I smile at Raid’s kindness. He’s always trying to cheer me up. He’s a big old teddy bear, and I’m so grateful for him.
“I’d love that, Raid. Thank you.”
“You go take your walk. Holler if you need any of us.”
I head outside and see Skeet working on his bike. “Hey, handsome! Mind if I bum a smoke off you?”
