Evasiveness isn’t Briar’s go-to demeanor, so he has my full attention.
“What the fuck exactly does taking liberties mean?”
“There’s been an incident.”
“Swear to fuck, Brother, if you don’t spit it out, I’ll find someone else to wear that patch.”
“There’s been an OD, and we’re pretty fucking sure the product came from one of our guys,” he explains.
“Junkies die every day,” I remind him with a quick shrug. “There are a dozen more addicts waiting in line to take that poor fucker’s place.”
“It was a seventeen-year-old kid from Chicago,” he adds.
“Okay?”
“More specifically, the boy was from Western Springs.”
“Fuck,” I grunt. “How the hell did a rich kid end up overdosing in Detroit?”
More importantly, how did a teenager from one of the wealthiest areas near Chicago OD on my fucking dope?
He holds his hands up in an I don’t know why sort of way. “I don’t have all of the details, that’s why the trip will take longer. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“I’m going,” I tell him as my chair scrapes across the concrete floor when I stand. “You can stay here and keep these fuckers in line.”
“I’d prefer to go.”
His mouth snaps shut when I look at him. He always wants to stay at the clubhouse, always wants to stick around. Not that he avoids work, but he’s better suited at the club. Let’s just say his people skills need some work. His insistence on getting out of here is suspicious.
“You want me to let Hornet know he’s losing a man?”
Shaking my head, I reach into my pocket for my phone. “Have them grab another guy to fill your place. I’m going to ride straight through to Detroit. I don’t have any desire to stop off in Syracuse.”
“Alone? Prez, I don’t think—”
Alone is just what I need, almost as much as just getting away from the girl my sister dragged home last night. I can’t fucking think straight. Even now, with her in the other room, I’m wondering what she’s doing, who’s talking to her, if one of my guys has balls bigger than I suspect and is coming on to her.
The only guy here that would even attempt— “Get TJ in here. He can ride with me.”
It’s Briar’s turn to narrow his eyes in suspicion. He knows going out on the road with TJ could go one of a million ways and not one of them is positive. I won’t explain to him that the best way to keep TJ alive is to remove any and all chances that he’ll touch my—
My head shakes violently. She isn’t my anything. The only thing I consider her is a huge pain in my ass… and my dick.
“Don’t fucking touch Candi.” The warning is clear in my voice, but instead of fear on my VP’s face, his lips tilt up in a knowing grin.
“Dude? Seriously?” He chuckles, cupping both hands back and pressing them to the front of his cut. “You know I’m the last person here that’s going to push up on your girl.”
“She’s not my fucking girl,” I spit, revealing more emotion about Candi than I’d ever intended.
“I won’t touch her,” he vows. “Promise.”
Here’s the thing about Briar. His vow today, his vows of loyalty to this club, and every other vow that comes from his lips have never been questioned. He took a vow of celibacy before he ever walked through the front doors of Ravens Ruin, and I’ve never seen him break that vow. He’s friendly with the girls, doesn’t mind standing beside them, and doesn’t shove them away when they snuggle up close. But that’s as far as it goes. He’s never led one of the girls down the hall or to his room when he thought no one was looking. He’s never gotten drunk or high and given in to his need to get off. The girls no longer grab his junk or tease him about his choices. For the most part, everyone leaves him alone.
I thought things would change after my father was gone. Suspicions around his vow are just that, suspicions. Every man has his own secrets, and I’m not the kind of person to question him unless he gives me a reason to. He hasn’t in the ten years since I’ve known him.
“You don’t have to hide anymore,” I tell him, praying he understands my meaning without having to go into detail. “My father’s dead. You can be exactly who you are at Ravens Ruin.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Genuine confusion marks his brow.
“I’ll warn the guys not to get offended if you, you know—” I roll my hand in front of him in explanation.
“If I what?”
I glare at him, certain he’s fucking with me, so I just come out and say it.
“If you want to bring a fucking guy back here,” I yell.