"Oh, well that makes it all better," Honey snapped, her voice dripping with sarcasm."Jesus Christ, Wren.Those guys aren't just another MC.They're fucking animals.They deal in shit that Bound in Blood would never touch.Human trafficking, underage girls—"
"I know what they do," I cut her off, not wanting to hear it.I didn’t point out to her I’d been in this club far longer than she had but that wasn’t fair.Honey was only worried about me.For more than one reason.Bound in Blood would never hurt me, but I had to tread carefully unless I wanted Rocky dead.No one here would pull any punches for him.
The Copperheads' reputation was well-known among the clubs.They operated on the fringes, taking any job that paid, no matter how depraved.They had no code, no honor.
"Did he press you for information?Even hint that he wanted you to tell him something you shouldn’t?"Honey fired the questions at me.She wasn’t angry.Honey was protective of the people she loved.Sometimes that meant bulldozing through a situation, but she always did it with the best of intentions.
"No!Nothing like that.We barely talked about the club at all."I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated."He seemed genuinely interested inme.In my bike, my work on it.It wasn't like he was pumping me for information."
Honey paced the small living room, her hands clasped behind her head."Do you even hear yourself?That's exactly how they operate.They find a way in, something personal, something that feels real."
"It was just sex," I lied, my voice cracking slightly."Besides, I didn't find the patch until the next morning as I was leaving."
"Bullshit it was just sex."Honey stopped pacing and looked me dead in the eyes."I know that look.You're still thinking about him."
My defenses crumbled.I collapsed onto the couch again, the fight draining out of me."I can't stop," I admitted, the confession like broken glass in my throat."There was something about him...he's different.From anyone I've ever met."I looked up at her, hating the vulnerability I felt."I know how fucked up that sounds.Trust me, I've been telling myself the same thing for two straight fucking days."
Honey sat beside me, her concern obvious in her expression."You know this can't go anywhere, right?Even if he's not trying to use you to get to the club - which is a big fucking if — there's no universe where this ends well.Bound in Blood and Copperheads are like oil and water.Except the water wants to set the oil on fire."
I nodded, staring at my hands."I know.I'm not stupid."
"Never said you were.But even smart people do dumb shit when they're thinking with parts other than their brain."She nudged my shoulder with hers."Believe me, I know.I fell for Bloody Jack fucking Mason."
That pulled a reluctant smile from me."Yeah, but that worked out okay."
Honey's face grew serious again."This is different.The tension between the clubs has been building for months.Jack says the Copperheads have been pressing into our territory."
I flinched at that.Ghost had mentioned "things happening" that I didn't know about.This must have been what he meant.The fact Honey was saying anything to me about it at all showed how worried she was.
"Maybe Rocky's not involved in that part," I said, even as I recognized how pathetic it sounded."Maybe he's just a mechanic who works with them."
"You don't believe that any more than I do."Honey chided gently."There's no such thing as 'just' anything with the Copperheads.Everyone gets their fucking hands get dirty."
I knew Honey was right.The logical part of my brain had been screaming the same thing since I'd seen that patch.But something else, something deeper and more primal, kept whispering there was more to Rocky than what I saw on the surface.
"I need to know," I said softly."I need to know if it was real, or if I was just a mark."
Honey studied my face for a long moment."Wren—"
"I know it's stupid.I know it's dangerous.But I can't let it go without knowing for sure."
The silence stretched between us, heavy with all the things neither of us was saying.I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and the fact that it had to be someone from the fucking Copperheads felt like some cosmic joke at my expense.Ghost would lose his mind if he found out.Jack would probably put a hit out on Rocky on principle alone.But none of those things changed the fact I couldn't stop thinking about him.Couldn't stop wondering if he was thinking about me too.
Honey sat next to me on the couch."This isn't just dangerous, Wren.This is suicide."Her voice shook with genuine fear."The Copperheads aren't just rivals.They're fucking animals.Animals who'd gut you without blinking if they thought it would hurt Bound in Blood.Pretty sure you know that better than me, yet here we are.”
I rubbed my temples, wishing I could erase the past few days and go back to when life made sense.When I didn't lie awake at night replaying every fucking moment with a man who had very well played me for a fool.
"Last month, Jack and some of the guys intercepted a truck headed for the Copperheads' compound.Young girls, Wren.Some of them no older than thirteen, all of them drugged out of their minds."She turned her head to look at me.“You’re my best friend, Wren.I can’t let them hurt you.Not over a man.”
I stood up, needing to move, needing to do something with the restless energy building inside me."I get it, OK?They're monsters.But..."The words stuck in my throat.
"But what?"Honey challenged."But maybe your guy is different?The exception to the rule?The one good apple in a barrel of rotten ones?"Her laugh was harsh, brittle."Sweetheart, you're smarter than that."
"I don't know what he is," I snapped, running my hands through my hair."That's the whole fucking problem.I can't just write him off without knowing for sure and without knowing his name I have no place to start."
"Why not?Why can't you just let this go?"Honey gave me a confused look, but I knew she understood.I’d had a similar expression on my face when I first learned of Jack’s interest in her."There are plenty of other guys out there.Guys who won't get you killed or worse."
"Because it didn't feel like a lie," I said quietly."What happened between us felt real.And if there's even a chance that it was..."
