Page 163 of Colt

All color drained from Dagger’s face, his eyes narrowing as they darted between us. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about? You can’t be. Freya’s off-limits.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he glared at me. “She’s my daughter,” he roared. “You had no right to go behind my back.”

I met his glower unflinchingly. “I’m tellin’ you now, to your face that me and Freya are together. I love her, Prez.”

Dagger’s nostrils flared like a dragon about to burn me alive.

“Dad,” Freya whispered imploringly. “I love Colt. I want to be with him.”

Prez’s lip curled into a snarl. “The hell you do. You’re too young to know what love is.” He jabbed an accusing finger at me. “And you! You betrayed my trust. I brought you into my club, gave you a family, a home, and this is how you repay me?”

His words punched me in the gut, but I tamped my unease down, keeping my voice steady. “We didn’t plan for it to happen, brother, but we have deep feelings for each other. You’ve seen us, you must’ve noticed our connection. You can’t deny it, and neither can we anymore.”

Dagger let out a snarl. “Brother? You’re no brother’a mine.”

Freya stepped forward, pleading. “Daddy. Please...”

He held a hand up again to stop her words, his jaw clenching so tight I thought it would crack. For a long, tense moment we just eyeballed each other, cold fury crackling between us, before his eyes shuttered and he turned to Freya. “You’ve got a choice to make. Him or us.”

“Daddy,” she breathed. “I—I.” She couldn’t speak through the catch in her throat.

“Don’t you do that to her,” I warned. “Don’t you fuckin’ treat her like she means nothin’. Don’t do somethin’ you’ll regret later.”

He gnashed his teeth together. “I’ll see ya in the ring. I’ll give ya ten minutes to get your ass there or I’ll find ya and drag you in by the scruff’a your neck like the traitorous mutt you are.” His eyes flicked to his only daughter. “By the time I’m done with him, I want your decision.”

Freya’s usual warm gaze turned ice cold. “I don’t need any time, I already know my decision.” She jutted her chin up proudly. “I choose him.”

A shocked silence fell over us. Dagger stared at Freya like he didn’t know her. “Right,” he grated out. “Pack your bags. When I throw lover boy out on his ass, you can go with him.”

My beautiful girl let out a snort. “I’ve already packed. I knew you’d do this; I knew your ridiculous pride would come before me, just like everything else does.”

His mouth thinned into a white slash across his face. “How long, Colt? How fuckin’ long have you been sneakin’ around behind my back, fuckin’ my daughter? How long have you looked me in the eyes and lied to me? How long has it been since you began to betray the man who regarded you as a son?”

My stomach churned. “Not long. Couple’a months.”

Prez’s face darkened, spit flying from his mouth as he roared, “You son of a fuckin’ bitch!” My breath seized as he lunged at me, hands curling into claws.

Like a shot, I pushed Freya behind me and braced for impact, but at the last second, Prez jerked to a stop. His chest heaved with harsh breaths as he tried to control his anger.

The sound of Freya sobbing made my heart wrench.

Prez glowered at her. “You’ve betrayed me as badly as he has. What did ya do to reel him in? Wear one’a your little skirts? Bat your pretty eyelashes?” He let out a humorless laugh. “Ya think I don’t know the way you work?”

My gut twisted, my fingers twitching with the need to wrap around his neck and squeeze. “Don’t fuckin’ speak to her like that. She’s a good girl, the fuckin’bestgirl. She doesn’t deserve that shit fromyou.”

He took a step back and raised a finger, pointing to my chest and spitting, “You’re a fuckin’ traitor to this club and to this family, and I’m gonna beat the fuck outta ya for it. Where’s your cut?”

I nodded toward the chair I’d laid it on the night before.

Dagger stomped over and grabbed it. “You’ve just forfeited it. You don’t gotta cut anymore.”

Freya sniffed loudly.

All the tension whooshed from Dagger’s body as he turned his head to study me. “Ten minutes. Bring your A game to the ring. You’re gonna fuckin’ need it.” He threw me one more furious look before his stare slashed briefly to Freya, and he walked out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him so hard, the wall rattled.

“Let’s just go,” Freya whispered. “You don’t need to fight him, Colt. He won’t let you win; for him it’s a matter of honor. If you get the upper hand, he’ll do something to turn it in his favor.” She stepped toward me and raised her hands to frame my jaw. “Please. Baby,” she begged. “Let’s just get our stuff and leave.”

Still reeling, I lowered my forehead until it touched hers. “I can’t, Princess. I’ve got honor too. Your dad’s right. I did fuck up. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I gotta take responsibility for what I did, plus I owe him a jab for the way he spoke to you.”

“I don’t care about that.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Please don’t do this.”

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