“I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” I told him, my lips tight. “This is my home.”
“You don’t have family here, sis.”
“The family I have here is worth more than the one I walked away from.”
He narrowed his eyes and for a second, the hurt was clear, and guilt nipped at me, but I pushed it away. My mind raced over why he would be here. Why now? Was it about dad? He could be dead. I bit the inside of my cheek, and my spine went rigid.
“He’s not dead,” Warren read me like a book he’d always been able to. Well, until we stopped agreeing with each other and I left. That was when our twin bond stretched too far, but it hadn’t snapped. “There is some shit going down.”
“I don’t care,” I told him. “Get out of here, Warren. Whatever this is, I don’t want to know.”
With that, I turned to walk away but ran straight into a hard chest, smelling leather and sandalwood cologne, slamming memories back to the surface. I took a faltering step back and looked up. The man in front of me was six foot two and a wall of muscle. His cut and tight black t-shirt did little to hide the definition in his arms and shoulders.
He had a pair of sunglasses hooked over his t-shirt at his throat, dragging it down to reveal tanned skin. He was sporting a light coating of scruff, like it had been a couple of days since he bothered shaving, but it only enhanced his features. He was a good-looking bastard, and it pissed me off acknowledging that, as I looked up into the silvery blue of his eyes. They were just as stormy as I remembered. His fair hair looked mussed up from wearing his helmet, then running his hands through it.
“Fuck,” I mumbled.
He smirked and spoke in a gravelly voice I knew too well. “I don’t think War was finished talking.”
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told him,” I pushed him. “I don’t care.” I barged past, heading towards the back of the bar. I had to get away from them. I couldn’t believe Warren broughthim. If he wanted me to listen, bringing Hudson Kelley with him was the wrong move. I barely made it three steps before he grabbed my arm, pulling me back against his chest.
Hudson leaned down and put his lips near my ear. “That any way to speak to family?”
“You’re not my family,” I gritted my teeth, trying to discretely shake him off. The last thing I needed was to make more of a scene than theyalready had, but people were watching. “Shit,” I cursed and turned to look at my brother. “Not here.” I glared at Hudson, and he released me.
There was no need to look behind to know they were following. I pushed through the door behind the bar and let it go on the fire hinges. It hit one of them and a dark chuckle echoed down the corridor. I didn’t want to do this, facing my past, my family. Whatever they’re here for, it couldn’t be good.
I unlocked my office and went behind the desk, sitting on the leather chair. The two of them standing in front of the desk would intimidate anyone else, but not me. No, I grew up around these assholes. They didn’t scare me.
“Wave,” Warren blew out a heavy sigh.
“Just say what you came to say. The faster you say it, the faster you can get the hell out of here.”
“That isn’t happening.”
“No one is talking to you,” I snapped at Hudson, never taking my eyes off my brother.
I drank in his face, noting the changes. His eyes were harder, fine lines by the corners, even though he was only twenty-four, same as me. He hadn’t had it easy, but he made the choice to stay and work with our father when he could have got out.
Warren had the grades to go to college, the skills to play scholarship basketball, but he threw it all away. For the Club. And I would never forgive him for that. The four of us talked all the time about leaving when we were kids. Warren, Hudson, Connor, and me. But when it came down to standing up to my father, I was the only one willing to walk away.
Warren held a hand up to Hudson to keep quiet. “He wouldn’t let us leave, Wave.”
“You didn’t even try,” I snapped. I wouldn’t argue and dredge up old shit. I wanted them gone.
“We don’t have time for this, War.”
Again, my brother tried to placate his best friend and out of respect, I guess, Hudson stopped talking, but he wasn’t happy and the glare he turned my way was telling. He didn’t want to be here, just as much as I didn’t wanthimhere.
“You’re perfectly welcome to wait the fuck outside.” I folded my arms.
“Not happening.” Hudson pulled a chair out, making himself comfortable.
“We’re not here to argue,” Warren told me. “We have a problem.” I did not give two shits about his problems, but Warren continued. “You’re in danger.”
“Me?” My eyebrows shot up. “Why would I be in danger?”
Warren glanced at Hudson.
