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She kept playing along. “It did, but it was worth it.”

“Why didn’t he leave the place to his boys?”

“Neither my father or uncle wanted it. And my grandfather knew my sisters and I wanted to move out of the gated community and get out on our own. Ace recognized how independent the three of us were. He also trusted us to keep up the property. It was his pride and joy since it was handed down to him from his father.”

“Doc, right?”

“Yes. He and Bear became best buds while fighting in Vietnam. They got out and landed in Shadow Valley. They both built a life here by founding the Dirty Angels.”

“Club’s been ‘round a helluva long time.”

“1974 to be exact. So yes, we want to protect our way of life. Which is exactly what a motorcycle club is…a way of life.”

“Except for the Angels of Fury. Seems to be more of a hobby club.”

Normally she’d get pissed at a man calling the women’s club a hobby but the truth was, it was more of a social riding club than a traditional MC. Still, every member of the AFMC came from and still belonged to the MC life, whether it was the Dirty Angels, Blood Fury, or Dark Knights.

Meaning, they still lived the lifestyle and technically belonged to a conventional club. Only with those, the women were considered property, not members.

And that was the sticking point.

“Honestly, we originally started it to get back at the guys for being so damn stubborn and set in their ways. But let me tell you, I’m glad we did. It’s been a blast.”

Except for when the Souls attacked them on their club run, injuring Piper, Bri, and Lyric.

“Well, bless your heart, darlin’.”

Vi snorted.

Her amusement quickly fled when he said, “Some men have issues with women being in power, or not wanting to be under a man’s thumb.”

“You’re not telling me something I don’t know. Why do you think women say they’d rather pick the bear? As you’re probably aware, it can actually be dangerous for a woman to tell a man no, or turn down his advances, for example.”

“Proof some men can’t handle strong women.”

“The stronger a woman is the less likely a narcissistic, misogynist fuckhead will pursue her. It’s a great deterrent. Almost as good as bear spray. But that doesn’t mean he won’t challenge her due to his fragile masculinity.”

Her parents had raised her and her sisters to not be attracted to the average guy since it would take an extraordinary man to survive living with and loving them. Just like when her mother Jewel “tamed” The Beast.

While that limited the dating pool, their father would have preferred their choices were non-existent.

While Diesel had no problem with two of his daughters joining the military, he wouldn’t have tolerated them joining a police force. Wearing an Air Force or National Guard uniform was one thing, wearing a “pig skin” was quite another.

Despite what a misogynistic asshole her father could be, he was never like that with his daughters and had been pleased when Vi was eager to step into his boots when he was ready to take a step back from the business. But then, he had groomed her to take over since she was a baby. She grew up in that warehouse.

With being raised around the Shadows, the older she got, the more she knew it was her destiny. The same could be said for T-Bone, Grim, Ghost, Indie, and Scarlet.

“What about you? Do strong, independent women bother you?” She basically already knew the answer since he worked for one and never acted like it was a problem.

“The truth is, I can’t handle weak women. If being badass is a deterrent for ball-less assholes, then that leaves more of y’all for the rest of us.”

That leaves more of y’all for the rest of us.

Holy shit. He might not realize how much of a turn-on his attitude was.

Or maybe he did.

Either way, with what he said and the way he said it in his exaggerated accent, he was getting more and more difficult to resist.