We should have quit while we were ahead. Each game, we doubled the bets. Each game, we got further behind. By now, half of the club was inside the bar, howling with laughter that Razor and I were getting our asses kicked by two women.

Razor and I were just about to win our first game when Ox came storming in to the clubhouse. Hi expression was murderous. His face was flushed, and thick veins were popping on his forehead. Was he furious about Razor and Lexi? When Ox was angry, anybody who valued their life thought twice before they challenged him—it would be a seriously dumb mistake.

“Ox? What’s up, brother?” I wanted to diffuse any problems before it got ugly. Today was not the day for fights about pussy.

“Fucking cops at the gate. They have a search warrant. And one of them is acting like a raving lunatic, threatening to kill me if I don’t open the fucking gates.”

Cobra was the first to react.

“Jesus. Fuck. Can’t they just leave us alone for one day? I’ll go talk to them.”

Mia stepped in front of Cobra. “No honey, please. You’re not . . . ah, God . . . please let somebody else handle this?” Her voice was filled with panic. I couldn’t blame her after what they’d been through.

I put an arm on Cobra’s shoulder in an attempt to settle him down. “Hey, time I stepped up to the VP challenge. Let me talk to the fuckers. OK?”

He was still staring at Mia’s face when he nodded. Guess she got to him.

“We’re coming with ya.” Razor, Hammer and Ox fell in behind me as I turned to leave.

I stopped Ratbag from following. “Look after the Sheilas, bro,” I ordered. “Keep them safe.”

Ratbag swallowed hard. Realizing that he’d been given the most important job of all, he nodded his head. A deep frown marred his brow. I guessed that the enormity of the responsibility was sinking in, yet I knew I could trust Ratbag to do as asked.

Marching to the gate, I was mad as hell. We were having a family barbeque, for fuck’s sake. Why did the fuckers think they needed to come and ruin the party? It was sunset, and we’d had a peaceful day so far, everyone enjoying the day, being together as one big happy family. Until this intrusion. Fuck.

The big motherfucker with his hands on the gate, his knuckles white because he was gripping so tightly, caught my eye first. He was a brute of a man, and I was used to big guys like Ox.

He wasn’t dressed in uniform. Instead he wore black jeans and a black T-shirt. A beanie covered his head and his jaw was set in stone as he glared at me, hatred burning in his eyes. As I drew closer, I noticed the tattoo on the inside of his muscled forearm. Underneath the scales of justice were the words: “Justice for all.”

Angry cop. Fuck.

“Open this gate. Now,” he commanded, a sneer on his face as he held up his badge.

I sucked in a breath when I read his name. Very fucking angry cop. Harrison fucking Summers. Jade’s brother.

Shit just got real.

Chapter 17 ~ Ryder

I couldn’t signal to Ratbag to hide Jade and Lexi in the safe place. Jesus, why hadn’t I thought of that before coming out? I should’ve guessed it was a matter of time before her brother came to the compound to snoop.

Did he know that Jade and Lexi were here?

Hammer caught my eye, and by the frown on his face I knew he’d worked out that this was connected to Jade. He’d helped me look up information on Jade and her cop brother online after Jade had told me the story about the incident, so he’d recognize his name.

I nodded ever so slightly. Hammer was the smart one, like my brother, Max, who was usually two steps ahead of everyone else. He turned on his heels and walked slowly back to the clubhouse. I knew it took every inch of control for him not to run. But if he did, it would raise alarm bells. Acting as if he was just bored was far smarter. But inside, my guts were churning.

Hurry the fuck up, Hammer. Get Jade and Lexi to the safe place. I was struggling to keep my exterior cool and relaxed. As if this was nothing unusual. I had to buy time.

“So, what do you want to see?” I baited.

“Just open the fucking gates, asshole. We’ll talk inside,” he growled, even baring his teeth as a feral animal would to show his intent of ripping anything that stood in his way apart.

Ox groaned behind me. He was struggling to remain calm. I knew he was just dying to lay into the angry cop. If I weren’t careful, we’d have a fucking fistfight on our hands. Well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea . . . Only problem was, we were outnumbered three to one and besides, that would just alert them into thinking we had something to hide, and make them even more determined to snoop around the compound.

“Yeah? I don’t give a fuck what kinda badge you wearing. If you’re on my territory, you don’t talk to me like that without getting your fucking nose broken.” I squinted and stared him down. Harrison’s hand went to his nose instinctively. That’s when I noticed it was already screwed. He must’ve had it broken before.

Jesus. A cop with a death wish. There was nothing worse. They were the kind of vigilantes that took the law into their own hands—shooting first, and questioning after. I had to stay calm for Jade’s sake. As much as I wanted to punch the fucker in the face and make his nose bleed, I had to rein it in.

Harrison shook the bars in front of him. “I’m counting to three. If you don’t open the fucking gate, we are shooting it open.” As if that was a signal, the uniformed cops lifted their guns. Jesus, Harrison wasn’t playing a game of chicken. He had balls of fucking steel. I had to admire that about a man, even if he was on the other team.

I nodded to Razor. He knew the drill. Pretending to be so nervous that he forgot the code and kept punching in the wrong numbers. Razor hated playing scared, because he was a really mean motherfucker. Ever since he and Cobra saved me all those years ago, I’d never seen Razor scared of anything.

Harrison saw straight through the ruse. “Quit stalling,” he barked at Razor. Razor rolled his eyes back in his head, clenching his jaw as he aggressively punched in the right numbers. Fuck, Razor wanted to go to town on the cops. He was even wearing his custom shoes with the razorblades imbedded into the soles. We’d have a fucking bloodbath on our hands.

“Razor, chill,” I reminded him. That was the great thing about being brothers. We only needed a word to convey a whole message. Razor shook his head, like a wet dog would, as if ridding himself of his thoughts. He had just as much at stake here, even though he wasn’t aware that Harrison Summers was related to the girl he was sweet on. I hadn’t told him that part yet. Fuck, I hadn’t known before earlier today that he was soft on that bitch.

Why the fuck was Harrison Summers here?

Was it coincidence, or did he know his sister and cousin were here? I just hoped that none of the brothers or their bitches would say anything out of place. None of them were aware of this situation. Not even Cobra or Mia. Fuck.

Once the gates opened, Harrison strode forward, pushing Razor out of the way with one hand. Fucker was strong. Razor growled, ready to retaliate, but I shook my head, showing him to back off—for now, at least.

Where is she?” Harrison growled, indicating with a nod toward the clubhouse. The cops immediately raised their weapons and stalked the clubhouse.

I held up my hands. “She? Who are you talking about?” Jesus, he was here as Jade’s brother, here to protect her. But she was my woman. I wanted to protect her, too. This was all kinds of fucked up.

“Jade. My little sister. I’m taking her home with me.”

My mouth went dry. Fuck, he’d just commanded up ten fucking cops and a search warrant to help him fetch his sister? He didn’t mess around. He meant fucking business.


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