"It matters when we've spent years keeping our noses clean," King says. "We just finished a war with the Iron Eagles. The town trusts us now. Police leave us alone. Assaulting an officer could fuck all that up."
"He wasn't acting like an officer." I lean forward, gripping the arms of the chair. "He was acting like a predator. And she's new, been here maybe a month based on how green she looked. You think anyone at that station is going to believe her over a cop with twenty years?"
Tank grunts. "Probably not."
"Definitely not," I correct. "Which means he'd get away with it. And next time, maybe it goes further."
"This about justice, Rookie? Or about the cop being a woman you wanted to protect?"
My cock twitches in my jeans at the memory of her curves pressed against me. "Both."
"Honest answer." King glances at Tank, something passing between them. "Look, I get it. You did the right thing in the moment. But attacking cops brings heat we don't need."
"He grabbed her first," I argue. "I just defended someone who couldn't defend herself."
"Against her own partner," Tank points out. "That's going to cause problems at the station. For her."
Fuck. I hadn't thought about that. Hadn't considered what happens to her after I drove away. "You think they'll fire her?"
"Or bury her," King says. "Pin it on her somehow. Make her the problem instead of him."
My hands curl into fists. "That's fucked."
"That's cops." King stands, coming around the desk. "Which is why we stay away from them. They've got their world, we've got ours. The two don't mix."
"Even when they're being assaulted?"
"Especially then." King claps a hand on my shoulder. "You did good, Rookie. Protected someone who needed it. That's what we do. But now you need to stay away from her. Let it blow over. Don't give them a reason to come after the club."
I nod, even though everything in me rebels against the idea of abandoning her. Of letting that piece of shit win. Of never seeing those green eyes or that bombshell body again.
"You're dismissed," King says. "But Rookie? Next time you want to punch a cop, maybe give me a heads up first."
"Yeah." I stand, heading for the door. "I'll try to remember that."
Tank follows me out, his massive presence at my back as we walk through the clubhouse. It's early afternoon, and most of the brothers are out. Beast working on bikes in the garage, Torch doing whatever demolition job he's got lined up, Steel probably buried under someone's car. The war with the Iron Eagles ended two months ago, and we're all still adjusting to the peace.
"Rookie." Tank's voice stops me before I reach the bar. "That cop. She hot?"
I turn to face him, keeping my expression neutral. "Why?"
"Because you've got that look." His brown eyes are knowing. "Same look Steel had when he met Holly. Shadow when he found Rachel. Like you got hit by a truck and don't know which way is up."
"She's a cop," I say flatly. "I hate cops."
"Yeah, you do." Tank crosses his arms. "But you also let her ride on your bike. Shadow saw you. Said she was pressed up against you like she belonged there."
My cock hardens fully at the memory. "Doesn't mean shit."
"Means something." Tank tells me. "Just don't let it fuck up what you've built here. Don't throw it away for some cop pussy."
The crude words make me want to punch him, which is fucking stupid because he's right. She's a cop. I hate everything that badge represents. The system that let my brother's killer walk free until I hunted him down myself. The indifference, the corruption, the way they protect their own no matter what.
But her pussy was pressed against me through those uniform pants, and I felt how wet she was. Felt her tits against my back, her arms around my waist, her thighs squeezing mine.
Fuck.
"I'm getting a drink," I mutter, heading to the bar.
