“Duke, you can stay,” Reyes said to the other man.
“Duke?” Eden asked, staring over at the other man. “That’s anti-climactic, you look more like a Tygra or Snarf.”
“Thundercats now?”
She shrugged. “Is Duke a nickname or a real name, ‘cause you know I could help you come up with something a bit scarier. How about—”
“We’re not here to talk about nicknames,” Reyes barked, making Eden startle.
“Is she always like this?” Duke asked him.
Zeke took stock of her, noticed the way she bit her lip as though trying to stop herself from talking. “She’s scared.”
“I’m not scared,” Eden muttered. “Just think I could find him a better nickname than Duke. Like Bones or Skull or Butch.”
“Not very original,” Duke told her.
Zeke moved to stand between her and the other man. “Why is she so scared?”
“She doesn’t look scared to me,” Reyes said in a low, cold voice. “Scared would be a normal reaction. From what I’ve been told she hasn’t shown any fear since she wheeled her way in here and let loose with that smart-ass mouth.”
Duke remained silent, although Zeke thought he saw a flash of something in the other man’s eyes. Regret? Concern? Zeke was usually good at reading other people, but he wouldn’t be playing poker against this man anytime soon.
“Eden, did someone threaten you? Touch you?” His hands clenched into fists.
If they did, they were as good as dead. Zeke moved his gaze from one man to the other. What the fuck was their game here? Why hold her like this? Why call him? Had Reyes been looking for a way to get to him? If so, why not just pick up the damn phone and call him? Obviously, he had his number.
Maybe he needs something over you. Something to use to get you to do what he wants. Zeke could be overly suspicious, he knew that. And he wouldn’t put it past Reyes. Even as a kid, he’d been calculating.
Duke’s gaze narrowed. “Nobody harmed a hair on her head. We don’t fucking hurt women here.”
There was something in his voice that reassured Zeke, although he wouldn’t take anything this guy or any of the others said at face value. Their loyalty was to the club, always. Zeke was under no illusions about that. Besides, he’d never risk Eden’s safety on a hunch.
“No? You just lock them up alone in a dark room for hours,” Eden mocked.
Duke glared down at her. “Half an hour at the most. Sorry if the accommodations weren’t up to your standards.”
Eden just sniffed. Zeke was back to feeling murderous. “You locked her up?”
“You’d rather we gave her free rein of the bar?” Duke gave him an incredulous look.
No, that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Eden could find trouble in a church. She wouldn’t even have to go searching for it here. It would find her.
Duke’s gaze moved to him once more. “She’s fine. Not a hair harmed on her head. Didn’t even gag her, despite the fact she’s got a hell of a set of lungs on her. And she’s a brat.”
Eden gasped. “I am not a brat.”
“She might be a brat,” Zeke acknowledged. “But no one touches her.”
“You’ve claimed her?” Reyes asked casually.
“Yes,” Zeke replied. He wasn’t sure it was the wisest thing to do, to let Reyes know how much she meant to him when he didn’t know what the other man wanted.
There was a reason Reyes had kept her here and called him. And until he knew it, he probably should have kept his feelings for her close to his chest. But Eden was his and he didn’t want any of these assholes thinking they could move in on her.
“I’m sorry, you claim me? Did I just step back in time? Is it the eighteen hundreds now?” Eden asked sarcastically.
Leaning down, he clasped hold of her chin. Then he kissed her. He licked along her lips, felt the moment she let her body override her brain. She opened her mouth and the kiss turned from sweet to possessive. When he pulled back, she stared up at him, her breath coming faster. Her caramel-colored eyes were wide, and he could see her pulse fluttering in her neck.