Page 13 of Harper’s Renegades

My brows rose at that. “Really? So the fact that we got her soy milk when none of us drink it isn’t treating her differently?”

“You and I both know it’s not. She never drinks normal milk and hardly has cheese or any other dairy product, so I’m under the impression she can’t tolerate much of it. When she knows she’s going to have pizza, she makes sure not to have any dairy besides that on the day,” Magnus countered.

“The fuck? How the hell can you possibly know something like that? Just how closely have you been watching me?” Harper demanded as she entered the kitchen, overhearing us.

Cringing, I tried not to flinch as I turned to look at her with a scowl on her face and hands on her shapely hips. “Harpster, we haven’t been secretive about keeping an eye on you. We know this like how we know everything else. We made an effort to know.”

Magnus stepped forward and pointed to the table. “Sit. Dinner’s getting cold. We’ll explain while you eat, and if you don’t eat, we won’t talk.”

“Oh, you’re not going to feed me this time?” Harper challenged.

I couldn’t help but snort at her sass. She’d learn soon enough not to pull that shit with our eldest brother—he doesn’t take it well.

“If you would like me to sit you on my lap and feed you again, I’d be happy to oblige. I thought we could be adults about this matter. Your choice, doll, sit and eat yourself or fight me on this, and I will ensure you eat everything I put on your plate,” Magnus threatened.

Ghost and I held our breath as the two of them squared off. It was one of the hottest things I’ve seen—her chin raised, blue eyes flashing, with her lips pursed in defiance. As she considered what he was saying, I wasn’t sure what choice she would make, but eventually, she let out a huff, walked over to the table, and took up her fork.

“Bring it on, boss man, I’ll make sure to win the clean plate award,” she stated, cocking her head to the side and flipping him off.

Magnus darted forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her finger into his mouth, where he sucked on it suggestively. “Don’t offer for me to fuck you if you’re not ready for me to bend you over this table and do the deed right here, right now. Do it again, and I assure you I won’t hold back.”

Harper’s eyes went wide at his words, but it looked like his meaning hit home to her. The rest of us gathered around the table, took our seats, set the food on the table, and started dishing out the meal. Magnus took Harper’s plate and filled it with what he decided would be an appropriate amount for her to have before placing it back down. I watched her wrestle with whether she was going to fight him on this or accept it for what it was. Thankfully, she kept her mouth shut and began to eat. When Magnus made up his mind about something, it wasn’t going to change unless it was absolutely necessary.

“All right, I’m here eating what you wanted me to. Are you going to explain exactly how you know so much about the ins and outs of my life?” Harper demanded.

She first stared down Ghost, but he wasn’t going to be the one to spill the beans on how crazy about her we were. Then she looked at me. I shook my head, pointing to Magnus. That prick was going to be the one to tell her precisely what he made happen two years ago. Granted, we all agreed with him this should be done and ensured that it did, but he was the one to come up with the idea.

“When you got your birth control implant, we had them inject a tracking device as well,” Magnus informed her. “We also piggybacked on the secondary security system that Weston installed in your house to keep an eye on you. Your car is also LoJacked, along with the fact we cloned your phone, so we see everything that happens on it.”

Her fork clattering to the plate echoed through the air as we waited for her to implode. To her credit, all she did was push away from the table and walk out to the backyard. Once I saw she wasn’t stopping and heading right for the rice fields behind the house, I took off running. We could give her space as long as she didn’t go outside our property.

“Harpster,” I warned when I got close enough. “Don’t make me do something neither of us will appreciate right now.”

Whirling on her heel, she marched right up to me, finger jabbing at my chest. “Oh, is that so? I guess I should be fine with the fact you’ve infiltrated my whole life without me knowing for the past two years? Gee, Harper, you’re being such a drama queen,” she taunted, waving her hands around. “Who would ever be upset about their privacy being violated like that? Gosh, you should feel so flattered we like you so much we’re willing to go all CIA on your ass and track your every fucking move!”

My instinct was to blurt out, “Yes, that’s exactly how you should feel.” Yet when I really looked at her, I knew that was the worst thing I could do in this situation. “You need space, fine, we can give that to you, but only if you don’t leave our property. No matter how mad you are at us, remember the reason you’re here in the first place.”

She snorted at that. “How could I possibly be in danger when you can track every move I make?”

I didn’t justify that with an answer knowing she was looking for a fight from me, and I wasn’t going to give it to her. All I wanted was to wrap her up in a hug and convince her everything we did was out of love for her. Of course, she wasn’t ready to hear that, but when it came to my brothers and her, we were a lost cause. Harper was our person, and no one else would measure up. This was one thing we couldn’t fuck up.

“Please,” I begged, feeling like it was the only thing I could say right now.

“Fine, but I’m allowed to be out here as long as I want without one of you hovering,” she countered.

Letting out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, I nodded. “We can do that. Just know if you try to leave, we will stop you.”

“Believe me. I’m fully aware I’m incapable of escaping you three. I don’t even know where the fuck I am,” she snapped, turning her back to me, a clear dismissal.

I hesitated, reaching out a hand but let it drop before I touched her and headed back inside to finish my dinner.

“How pissed is she?” Ghost asked, poking at his rice.

“More than we would like, but not as bad as it could be,” I answered with a sigh, letting my head fall back against the chair. “She promised to stay on the property, and we would give her the space she needs without one of us lurking.”

“You told her yes?” Magnus inquired.

I watched him for a moment, trying to see if he was upset I’d agreed to it or not. There weren’t many times we pushed back on his opinions, but this was an instance that I was going to. “Yes, I did. I was left with forcing her to come back in here and eat with us and make matters worse or giving her space to cool off. While I know your drive is making her bend, it’s my job to ensure she doesn’t break, which is exactly what I did.”