Oh, fucking hell, what now.
“Katie’s store just got robbed,” Brock said. “Who—”
“Connor,” Mason said. “Connor can go.”
Fuck. They had no fucking idea what I had just told her a few hours ago. What was I going to do, ignore the club president’s order when I was already in hot water because I was a pussy and couldn’t face up to someone I’d told to fuck off?
“I can go now,” I said.
“Do it,” Brock said. “If you think you need backup, don’t engage. She didn’t say if it was an active robbery or not.”
“I know how to fight,” I said, taking my leave.
I wasn’t going to back out of this at this point. Between avoiding Katie forever versus fulfilling my duties to the club, there was zero doubt about which direction I would come down on.
But fuck, it was going to be an awkward encounter. And the girl hadn’t even responded to my text message…had it even gone through?
It was going to be even worse if that wasn’t the case.
* * *
When I pulled up, the place was mostly empty. There was no active robbery going on. But there was one person inside cleaning up.
Katie.
Fuck. I couldn’t have gotten the new hire employee to give my word to?
But I had to be a man. And being a man didn’t just mean getting fucking intense tattoos or fighting anyone that looked at me the wrong way. It meant owning up to the things I had said.
I went up to the doors and tried to open them, but they were locked. I didn’t need to knock; Katie heard me trying to get inside. She flipped me off when she first saw me, which answered the question of if she had gotten my text message.
But then she looked back at me again. I stood in place, making it clear I wasn’t going anywhere until she gave me a chance to talk to her. She might have hated my guts, and I might have felt like a fucking asshole, but I wasn’t going to let her die or get robbed again because she didn’t have Black Reaper support.
She came to the doors, unlocked it, and pried it open half an inch. She didn’t say a word as her eyes demanded I speak first.
“How are things here?”
“Why the fuck would you care?”
I bit my lip.
“I heard the Bandits robbed the store,” I said. “I care about eliminating the Bandits. I care about doing what I can to kill those fucking pricks. So if I can do that being here—”
“But you don’t care about being a massive shithead?”
Ah, fuck. Were we really going to have that conversation at midnight right now? I could have just left, really. There was no active robbery. I didn’t see anyone nearby. I didn’t have to help Katie clean up.
But my feet did not move one inch. I felt glued to the ground, and not because Katie’s glare held me down. I was here because of my own volition.
“I—”
“I know you weren’t right in the head when you sent that text,” she said. “You killed Damian’s brother?”
“Ah, fuck!”
That was club business. That was…well, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that that got out, should I have?
“How did you know?”
