Unwavering, I met his gaze. “Yes, I absolutely can. She’s mine. I had a vision about her,” I admitted in a low voice. He sucked in a sharp breath.
“Voodoo, your visions aren’t always exact,” he tried to argue, but I was having none of it.
“My visions have become increasingly accurate over the years, and you know it. Hell, I just had the one about Axel and his ol’ lady out in Arizona. You know I was spot-on with that shit.” I paused. “Look, I actually saw us getting married, but I also saw her hurt. That part I need to prevent if I’m able.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated.
“So you’re basing your future and love on a vision?” Venom asked in disbelief.
“No,” I said slowly, like I was talking to a three-year-old. “I already had a pretty deep attraction to her. My vision simply showed me I was on the right track with her. And that picture of Lester Damen? Burn it. That’s the reason he’s mine. The girl in the image is my woman, and I don’t want my brothers seeing her like that.”
His head dropped for a second, and I heard him mutter “Fuck” before he met my gaze again.
“Fine. Call church for tonight. If the brothers are on board, then Damen is yours. If they aren’t? You don’t touch him.” His words were final, and I was left grinding my teeth. Despite my feelings, I knew he was right. My personal feelings couldn’t be allowed to destroy my club. I prayed they’d be on board.
After I showed the brothers the shit that Lester Damen had been guilty of and told them what he’d done to Kira, they were well on board with my needs. Not a single one hesitated to give me their vote. The fact that Kalashnik had allowed photographs of his own daughter being raped as her oldest brother held her down was beyond repulsive.
I’d happily put a bullet between both of their eyes. That was after I had a little revenge against them and Damen.
When I pulled up outside the vet clinic, I’d intended to wait in the Jeep, but I decided there was no time like the present to show my hand. Especially if my instincts were correct and she hadn’t said a word yet.
The bell on the door rang as I stepped through, and Veronica gave me a big flirtatious grin. “Hey, Voodoo. Everything okay with Zaka?” She bit her lip.
“Oh, yeah. He’s great. I’m here to pick up Kira.” The stunned disappointment on her young face was almost comical. It had me feeling half bad for her. I’d never led her on, though, so I didn’t feel guilty.
I heard nails rapidly clicking on the floor before Sasha came from the back hall. She excitedly dove for me, and I chuckled but made her obey. “No, Sasha. Settle.”
She immediately sat, and I could’ve sworn she was grinning at me as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. I rewarded her with affection as I scratched and ruffled her fur.
“You have all the women eating out of your hand,” said Veronica as she leaned over the counter. I heard a snort and turned to the hall where Kira stood with her arms crossed. Her sassy attitude made me smirk.
“All but one, it would seem,” I said, trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes. “You about ready, babe?” I threw that last bit in to alleviate any question of where my feelings were aligned. Veronica sighed.
“I thought you’d wait outside,” Kira huffed. I looked up at her from where I crouched, scratching her dog’s belly.
“You thought wrong.” I shrugged, and laughter slipped out when she rolled her eyes and turned to Veronica to ensure there wasn’t any emergencies that had popped up.
She gathered her bag and Sasha’s leash and snubbed me as she went to the door. As she stepped out, she waved. “See you tomorrow, Veronica.”
“Not sure what you did to piss her off, but her favorite dessert is turtle cheesecake.” Veronica gave me a good-natured wink, and I nodded.
“Appreciate that,” I replied with a wave and followed Kira out. She was already in the Jeep with Sasha buckled in the harness in the back seat.
“You remember what I said?”
“About what?”
“I told you I was giving you some time to get your head straight. You agreed to be my ol’ lady, with all it entailed.”
“You didn’t say I would be looked at as property! That’s degrading!” She fumed.
“And I told you, it’s not like that. That brand you got on your neck protects you. There’s not a motherfucker alive that will risk my wrath to fuck with you. I don’t own you. You’re not a fucking dog. But make no mistake about it, Kira—you are mine.”
Not giving her time to argue further, I backed out and drove toward her house to get her vehicle. When we stopped at her place, I went in with her. Geneva was watching TV.
“Hey, you two!” she said with a happy twinkle in her eyes.
“Hey, Geneva. Kira’s moving in with me. I’ll pay the next two months of her portion of the rent so you’re not left hanging,” I said as Kira gasped behind me.
“Ogun! You can’t do that. I’m not making you pay my bills!” I hid my smile that she didn’t argue about moving in with me. Geneva made no effort to hide her huge-ass grin.