Page 89 of Filthy Liar

“I won’t lie to you and say he’ll never get hurt, it happens often, but we like breathing around here, so I can promise you we’ll do everything in our power to keep him alive.”

I turned back to him, his face lit up as he talked to Slash, and I knew I’d definitely made the right choice.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy,” I said absently, and Beckett snorted.

“I can guarantee he was happier the first time he fucked you. He’s been wanting you forever, the crew came second to that.”

“How comforting,” I said dryly, giving her the side-eye. “Does this mean he has to fight in the cage?”

She shook her head, crossing her arms. “We don’t force anyone into the cage unless they deserve it. Chances are high he’ll want to though. There’s a rush that comes with taking that jacket off and stepping into the cage to represent the crew.”

“I understand that, I love going to the Pit and proving I’m not all talk,” I smiled, trying to mentally shake off the nerves. “This is a good thing for him. I’m glad we’re all finding our place in life.”

“I had my bets on Logan becoming a male stripper, so now I need to figure out what other path he’ll take since he’s with you,” she sighed, acting like I’d inconvenienced her.

“He wants to help people. I think Diesel’s going to find him something at the community center when it’s up and running,” I replied, motioning to Ander as he talked to Rory. “Ander’s not likely to do much else other than what he’s doing now, and Reid will do something great too once he’s not babying us.”

“He’d be good at the center too. He has respect from the locals, but he also has a sense of authority around him. People would go to him for problems, I think,” Beckett nodded, pulling out a cigarette to light it.

I heard cars outside, recognizing the sound of Reid’s. We’d taken the Challenger and Supra to Beckett’s last night to make sure they were safe, and since Logan’s was still here to be repaired, it only left the house as a target.

Thankfully, that had lasted the night with no attacks.

Maddox and Jett both walked in the door with Reid and Logan, being their escort for the drive over, and Logan let out a wolf whistle when he saw Zavier.

“Looking good, baby! There’s no way that hottie is my bestie!”

Zavier grinned, doing a little turn and holding his arms out. “You like?”

“Love,” Logan corrected, practically jumping on him to give him a hug. “Congratulations, dude.”

Beckett sighed, blowing smoke in my face. “Their bromance really is so sweet that it’s sickening.”

I snickered as Jett jumped on them too, all three of them ending up in a tangle of limbs on the ground as Slash just shook his head and smiled.

“There’s something wrong with them,” Maddox grumbled as he appeared beside us, sliding his arms around Beckett from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Nothing eventful happened?”

“Nope. Hopefully Zavier’s stunt last night will show them that we’re not playing,” Beckett answered, and I cringed a little at the reminder.

I could still smell burning flesh, and I really hoped the mess had been cleared up at home. One of the windows had shattered from the blast, so Rory had organized someone to fix it while we were at Beckett’s.

“Where are you guys going today?” Maddox asked, and it took me a second to realize he was talking to me.

“Oh, we’re heading to the Pit later. There’s some fights on, and Slash wants Zavier to show off his jacket or something,” I replied, his eyes sliding to Zavier.

“Be careful. I don’t think the mafia give a fuck about the jacket, so they could still attack you. Keep a weapon on you at all times, preferably a knife and a gun. You won’t be bothered by the cops as much now that jacket’s in your home, but if you have problems, call my parents. Mom likes going after them for harassment, and they usually leave her alone because of it.”

“Zavier being a Psycho doesn’t give the rest of us immunity.”

He faced me, dropping an arm around Beckett’s shoulders instead. “Yeah, it does. Zavier is now part of us, which means his family is protected under us by default. If the cops pull any of you over and bother you, call. If someone’s giving you trouble, call. You have the right to let people know not to fuck with you, okay?”

“What happens if you guys do come and help? Do we pay you or something?”

He smiled, shaking his head a little as if I was an idiot. “Family means family, Raven. End of story. Like it or not, but you’re one of us now. Besides, you’re technically family anyway since you’re dating my cousin.”

“You almost said that without cringing this time. Good for you,” I joked, and he flipped me off.

“Remember that I know how to kill someone and make the body vanish.”

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