Bronc nodded. “Good. We stay sharp; we watch each other’s backs. If Maltraz makes a move, we respond as a pack. No more lone-wolf shit. Understood?”
Everyone nodded.
Bronc turned to me. “And you. You keep an eye on your girl. If she’s the weak link, he’ll exploit it.”
“Understood,” I said. "And I've been trying to prep her for anything. Been teaching her to shoot and shit. She's getting pretty good with a 9mm; at least against wild hogs."
That got approval and a few laughs.
The meeting broke up with the scraping of chairs and the rumble of boots on the tile. I caught Arsenal’s arm on the way out.
“You really think I can manage a claim with her?” I asked.
He grinned. “Don’t see why not.”
I shook my head. “I hope so.”
He clapped me on the back. “Go easy on her, cowboy. Some girls are fire, but she’s lightning.”
I watched the others drift out—Papa to the back porch, Doc to the clinic. Wrecker stayed behind, picking at the last scraps of bacon.
“You got something to say?” I asked.
He looked up, eyes silver in the light. “Just this: If you don’t lock that down, you’ll regret it forever.”
I smiled. “Who says I haven’t already?”
Wrecker shrugged. “Not my business. But you deserve something good, Gunner. Even if you don’t think you’re up to the job.”
He left, and I stood in the empty room, letting the smell of biscuits and coffee settle over me.
I headed for the exit, but Bronc caught my arm.
“Walk with me, Finn.”
He led me out onto the back porch, where the air was still cool, and the lawn stretched out in a neat stripe to the treeline. Bronc shoved his hands in his pockets and stood in silence for a minute. I could hear a lawnmower in the distance, and the clang of metal from the garage where the prospects were working.
“I need to ask you something,” Bronc said, not looking at me.
“Sure.”
He was quiet, then: “This thing with Brie.”
Here we go. “Yes, sir?”
“You know I like her. You know I want you happy. But…” He hesitated, the word hanging like a weight.
“But?”
He sighed. “I’ve seen the way you look at her. Seen the way you look at a lot of women, but this is different. You’re more…intense.”
I snorted. “Didn’t think I had a softer setting.”
He smiled, then turned serious again. “I’ve been to Kazimir’s place in Philly. I know what you’re into. Hell, I know you got a taste for control, for the leash. But I don’t know if Brie has it in her.”
My skin prickled. “You think I’ll break her?”
He held up a hand. “No. That’s not it. I just… I’ve seen wolves break over less. Some girls need time to grow into it. You ever see what happens to a wild horse if you bridle it too soon?”
