“The Prez might not like it, but you heard what he told us. He’d rather piss Faith off than bury her. Our number one priority is her safety, then the tape. I say we throw her ass on the back of a bike and get back to the compound.” Blade crosses his arms over his chest.
“It is a nice ass.” I grin, only to have Blade glare daggers at me. “What? I’m just saying what I know you’ve both thought.”
He shoves me up against the wall. “This is Eagle-eye’s fucking daughter, remember? She’s not just a piece of ass. Can you fucking imagine what he’d do if he found out? He’d take our fucking cuts, then keelhaul us.”
“Because he’s adad.In his head she’s still a kid.” I push his hands off me. “I like her. She’s jumpy, but she’s got guts.”
Blade growls and turns to Alpha. “Talk sense into him.”
“She’s off limits,” Alpha agrees, but he doesn’t look as uptight about it as Blade.
“Just saying, if shehappensto show some interest, I’m not against the idea of providing a little bedside service.”
“She’s not fucking interested. She’s made that pretty damn clear.”
“Has she?” I lean against my bike. “Something put a bug up her ass about bikers, that’s pretty fucking obvious. But us personally? I’m not convinced.”
Blade shakes his head. “Sometimes I feel a lot more than a couple years older than you dipshits. Faith is Eagle-eye’s fucking daughter and I don’t care if she wants to dress you up and put a bow on your cock. We’re here to do our job and then leave. Besides, she might look like a mouse, but she grew up with assholes like that guy who shot at Alpha. She’s seen life from the inside and got the fuck out. What part of this shitshow do you think will make her change her mind?”
“Assholes like you, you mean? Weren’t you in the Vipers back then?”
“Exactly,” Blade snarls. “Assholes like me.”
“Easy, brother,” Alpha says, putting a hand on Blade’s shoulder. “We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t loyal to Eagle-eye. You know that. Faith’s a sexy little spitfire, nothing wrong with acknowledging the obvious. Doesn’t mean we’re going to fuck around.” He fixes me with a serious glare. “Right?”
I sigh. “Right. But if the nights get long and scary, and she comes knocking…”
“You fucks are lucky I dislike you less than the rest of the gang.” A knife slides into Blade’s hand and he makes a show of cleaning under his nails with it.
“Why’s it such a big deal to you? I get that he’d be pissed, but she’s a big girl, and maybe he’d be happy she was brought back into the fold, you know? One big happy family.”
Blade looks up, his freaky blue eyes even more piercing than normal. “That man saved my fucking life. He gave me a chance when a lot of people would’ve put a bullet in my head. That’s not something I’m willing to throw away for a piece of ass.”
“Give me a little credit, man. I know she’s not a club slut.”
“So you’d treat her right? Make her your old lady? Or maybe you want her to shack up with all three of us like Emily or Alessa.”
I push him right back, shoving Blade in the chest. “Would that be so bad? Don’t tell me you don’t want what they have. Maybe I’m biased because she’s exactly the kind of girl that gets my attention, but at least I’m fucking honest. What’s so bad about us? Alpha’s got that whole Captain America’s rogue twin look and I’m obviously hilarious and delightful, but maybe you’re worried that nobody will be able to see through your fucking aura of imminent danger.”
“Shut the fuck up, Ripper.” Blade turns his back on me without answering the question. “Imminent fucking danger. You’re an asshole. We have a job, and we’re going to fucking do it. It’s to keep her safe even though she hates our fucking guts, so stop fantasizing about turning us into a happy family and keep your eyes on the goal.”
Happy family? I wasn’t really thinking that far ahead, but now that he’s pushing me on it, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to have more than the club and these two jackasses in my life. When I got out of the Army, I was happy enough to have my life and most of my limbs. Anything else was a bonus, but eventually a guy gets to wanting more.
“Blade’s right.” Alpha straightens at that, and nods. “She doesn’t go anywhere without one of us. Whether she knows it or not, Crow’s already stirring up trouble, and it’s up to us to nip it in the fucking bud. Ripper, you take the first shift. Keep your phones on and charged. Try not to get too fucking distracted by her ass. We’ll find somewhere to crash nearby. You so much as hear a peep, send a message and we’ll be here.”
Blade nods, finally approving. “I’ll take second.”
Damn. “Want to switch? I’m a sucker for a nice naked silhouette. Maybe we can have a whole Romeo and Juliet moment through the window.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Blade asks. I shouldn’t rile him up, but he makes it so easy. It’s too fun.
Alpha grabs him by the shoulder and gives him a shove towards his bike. “Ignore him. Who are we?”
“Strike Team Alpha,” Blade and I answer.
“I can’t hear you.”
“Strike Team Motherfucking Alpha!”