“So help me God,” Harley growled. “I’ll rip your pride and joy off in ten seconds if you don’t answer the question.”

“Wait- just give me a SECOND!”

Harley pulled or twisted something, and it definitely hurt because Gavin’s voice rose an octave or two.

Harley evilly chuckled, “Talk, little brother. Now.”

“Okay!” Gavin bellowed.

Harley released his privates and stood up straight. He stared down at Gavin, who pressed his hands between his legs and groaned in pain.

“Gav,” James pressed.

Gavin looked up at my brothers through hard eyes. “You don’t need me to say it; you know I’m jumped in.”

Dante reached down, and for the second time, he whacked Gavin across the head. “You just up and made a decision to join a fuckin’ gang? Brandon Daley’s gang? You stupid little eejit!”

Gavin growled, “It’s was my fuckin’ choice. I didn’t need permission from you or anyone else.”

James was lightening fast when he hit Gavin. He landed a punch directly across his jaw and it caused me to jump up to my feet.

“James!” I screeched.

Without turning around my brother said, “Sit back down, Aideen.”

How did he know I was standing?

“Don’t hurt him!” I snapped. “He is stupid beyond measure, but he is our brother. Our little brother!”

“Which is exactly why I’m goin’ to knock some fuckin’ sense into him. Now, sit back down. Please.”

Bossy bastard.

I grunted, but did as he asked and sat back down on my settee.

“Hit me all you want, nothin’ will change.”

All three of my brothers glared down at Gavin.

“Why?” Dante asked.

“Why what?”

“Don’t play stupid, boy,” James growled.

“Why join a gang? Why do somethin’ so out of character for you? Why do somethin’ plain fuckin’ stupid?”

Gavin set his jaw. “Because I wanted to, okay?”

“That’s your answer?” Harley asked, his voice firm. “Because you wanted to? Are you fuckin’ jokin’ me?”

“Just leave me alone. I don’t do anythin’. Brandon just has me hang around, and that’s it. I don’t do anythin’ wrong.”

Bullshit.

“Not yet,” I muttered.

Gavin switched his gaze to me and glared. “Shut up, Aideen.”

Yeah, like that would happen.

“You shut up and listen to sense,” I countered. “Being in a gang is dangerous, it’s run by scumbags and you aren’t a scumbag. You’re tryin’ hard to be somethin’ you’re not.”

Gavin pushed himself to his feet and shouldered past Dante and Harley.

“Where are you goin’?” I snapped.

“Away from you four. I don’t fuckin’ need this bullshit,” he snarled then slammed my apartment door.

“I’ll go get him,” James growled.

I began to tear up. “Leave him. The more we force him to do somethin’ he doesn’t want to, the more it’ll push him away.”

“So we’re just supposed to accept he is in a gang now?” Harley asked me.

I shook my head as tears slipped down my cheeks. “No, I’m handlin’ it.”

“You’re pregnant,” Dante frowned. “You shouldn’t be handlin’ anythin’.”

I sighed. “Just trust me. Keela can convince her uncle to do almost anythin’. She said she will get Gavin out without a scratch on his head.”

“When?” James questioned.

“Soon,” I replied.

He nodded.

Harley frowned at me when I wiped under my eyes. “Don’t cry, sis. It’ll be okay.”

I nodded my head and sniffled.

Damn, Gavin.

My brothers continued to frown at me, and then we all looked at sitting room door as the sound of the front door opened and closed.

“Hello?”

“Sittin’ room,” Harley called out without looking away from me.

Kane, Nico, and Alec walked into my sitting room and each of them raised their eyebrows.

“Everything okay?” Nico asked when he saw me wipe my eyes.

I nodded my head. “Everythin’ is fine.”

I walked by them, out of the sitting room and directly towards the bathroom. I heard the lads murmur some things as I walked down the hallway, then just as I entered the bathroom, I heard footsteps.

I picked up some tissue and blew my nose. I patted under my eyes as a large body filled up the doorway. I could see him from the reflection in the mirror next to me.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded my head. “Yes.”

“Look at me.”

I didn’t want to so I kept my back turned to Kane and sniffled. He sighed and walked into the bathroom. He put his arms around me and hugged me from behind.

“What happened?” he murmured. “James mentioned Gavin.”

I turned in his arms and pressed my face against his chest.

“He is so stupid and stubborn. How can he not see I just want to protect him?”

Kane rested his cheek on the crown of my head. “Like you said, he is stupid and stubborn. He’ll realise in time that you and your brothers are doing the right thing by being hard on him.”

I whimpered. “What if somethin’ bad happens to him?”

“It won’t, I can talk to Brandy-”

“No!” I stated and pulled back from Kane’s hold. “I don’t want you involved with him, I know Brandon, I’ll sort this out meself.”

Kane’s lip twitched. “What happened to everything being me and you?”

My lower lip wobbled. “On this, it’s just me. I can’t protect both of you at the same time.”

Kane smiled. “I’m the protector, babydoll.”

“No, I already called dibs. Sorry.”

He laughed. “We can protect each other.”

“Deal,” I murmured.

“Please don’t cry anymore,” Kane murmured. “It makes me want to beat the shit out of your brother for upsetting you.”

I surprisingly laughed, “Me brothers beat you to it.”

“I figured as much.”

I sighed. “I’ve missed you.”

Kane snorted, “I’ve only been gone a couple of hours.”

“So? I still missed you.”

He tilted my head up so he could lean down and press his lips against mine. Our kiss started slow, but it quickly became one filled with hunger. He kissed me hard and hissed when I bit down on his lower lip.

“I can’t wait to have you,” he whispered.

I smiled. “You do have me.”

“I mean I can’t wait to have you naked.”

I playfully swatted him. “We just started datin’. What kind of girl do you think I am? I have morals.”

“I hate your morals,” he whimpered.

I laughed. “Let me get really comfortable with being with you first. I don’t want this to just be physical.”

Kane rubbed his nose against mine. “I can wait. It will kill me, but I can do it.”

I knew he could, and it made waiting harder.

Literally.

I was in pain.

My back was sore, and I was a grouch because of it.

“Do you want a foot rub?” Kane asked me.

I rolled my eyes. “I want you to piss off and leave me alone.”

“Damn, Aideen,” he mumbled. “You’re cranky today.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “You’ll get over it.”

“You should go fuck yourself.”

I looked at Kane with raised eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

He held his hands up. “Masturbation is a proven stress reliever. If you won’t let me fuck you, then fuck yourself and calm your pregnant ass down.”

I hated that my lip quirked, and I hated that Kane, and his brothers, saw it. My brothers left my apartment hours ago; I was just left with Kane, Nico, and Alec.

“Ah ha!” He pointed at me. “I made you smile!”

I rolled my eyes. “So?”

“So!” Kane beamed. “I’m not that much of a bastard if I can make you smile.”

I forced myself not to laugh. “You are a bastard. A huge one.”

“I want to throw a lamp at you.”

“What? Why?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Because you need to lighten the fuck up!” Kane grunted and folded his arms across his chest.

I stared at him for a moment then burst into laughter.

“What? Now you laugh?”