Page 25 of Finn

Finn’s throat works, and he flicks his worried gaze to me.

Cole lifts his hands from the table in a short gesture. “I haven’t been able to verify it yet, and obviously, I take threats about my family very seriously. Unfortunately, I have to leave town for business, and I’m not sure how long I’m going to be gone.” He settles back against his seat. “I was going to have one of my top guards stay with her, but then she came up with this equally perfect idea, and I just couldn’t turn it down.” Again, his lip twitches.

Jax turns his angry glare to me, and I shrink a little in my chair. I only said it to get into Finn’s pants, and yet, I inadvertently drew them into this shit. Something I said I wouldn’t do. “I don’t get it,” Jax scoffs. “First, if Finn contacts her, you’re going to take away our businesses. Now, you want him to watch her? That makes no fucking sense at all.”

“It makes plenty of sense.” Cole folds his hands behind his head without a care in the world. “As I said, I’ve never asked you two to do anything, letting you run your businesses free and clear from Dragon interference. It’s time to pay up.”

Jax growls. “That was the arrangement we made.”

“Well, I’m changing it. Leenie needs protection while I’m gone, and who better to give it to her than two highly-trained fighters?”

“What?Me?” Jax explodes.

“Both of you,” Cole explains, dismissing his outburst.

“Done,” Finn answers. “Nothing will happen to her. I promise.”

“Dude,” Jax says, staring at his brother like he has two heads. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You just met the girl, and we’re being sucked into gang shit fucking again!”

“I’m sor—”

Finn and Cole both turn toward me. “Don’t.”

Cole’s the only one who finishes the sentence. “...apologize.” He rubs the back of his neck, and a bit of the vulnerable Cole from years ago comes back. “I can’t have anything happen to my sister. Family is too important to me.”

“One of your highly trainedguardswould be smarter then,” Jax throws out. “We don’t babysit. We train fighters.”

Um, ouch.My brother doesn’t take his bait though. “I’m stretched thin. The Dragons weren’t prepared to take over Crew territory. We did it as a favor to our mutual friends. We have thousands of members, but they’re spread out over the tri-state area. We’ve been recruiting from old Crew members, but that process takes time, and unfortunately, the business I have is pressing, and an immediate concern. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t leave Leenie’s side until I’d extinguished the problem. However, that’s no longer possible. Dempsey will research and verify the threat. If he doesn’t turn anything up, I won’t need your services for long. You should consider yourself lucky that you’re getting out of this so easy.”

“Fine,” Finn says, nodding.

His brother’s response is obviously harsher. Jax shakes his head. “Listen, if we do this—and it’s a big fucking if—I want to hear that you’ll never threaten our businesses again. We came to an agreement when you first took over Crew territory that we were allowed to run our completely legal, aboveboard fights with no deference to you or the Dragons, and the first time she showed up, that gets thrown in our faces. If we help out, I don’t want to hear you ever use anything against us again.”

Cole laughs. “Listen, I don’t trust just fucking anybody with my sister. Period. The only reason I’m letting you near her is because Mag already vetted you two assholes, and I know he must have because he allowed you to come within spitting distance of his girl.” He leans forward suddenly. “You helped them out when they needed it the most. I’m asking you to do the same thing now. For me.”

I glance at Cole. He’s not directly answering Jax’s question. I kick him under the table, and he only glares at me in return.

“I didn’t hear a promise in there,” Jax observes.

“Because I won’t fucking promise a damn thing!” Cole snarls.

“Not even for your sister’s life?”

The Dragon leader stands abruptly, gripping the table. The chair behind him clashes to the floor.

My heart skips into my throat. The red and orange flames of my brother’s tattoo dance over his neck from his corded muscles tensing. I bite the inside of my lip, just now realizing how all of this is affecting Cole. Whatever he needs to do on business must be super important, but without knowing if the threat is legit, he’s taking a serious gamble by leaving me.

I stand, too, placing my arm on my brother’s back. He stiffens, still looking like he could jump over the table and pummel Jax. The truth is, Cole never used to be like this, and I understand that he has to be. Gang leaders can’t have weaknesses because the second they pop up, they’ll be exploited…by everyone.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I tell him, rubbing his back. “I promise.”

Finn stands, too. “No, nothing will. I’ll make sure of it.”

Jax shakes his head. I can’t blame him for holding out. I would too. He doesn’t understand the way things work once you’re in a crime organization. Personally, I’ve had a lot of time to disseminate what Cole goes through. I see it so clearly in comparing who he used to be to who he is now. If I could, I’d tell Jax that I’ll work on my brother regarding a promise to stay away from the two brothers’ businesses but I can’t say that here. Not now.

Cole straightens, and my hands fall off him. “I think you’ve misunderstood this conversation. My asking was just trying to be polite. You don’t have a choice. I’m ordering. And if you don’t, you can say goodbye to the Ring and your gym now instead of later.”

My shoulders deflate. I take a step back from my brother. Just because I understand logically that he has to do these things doesn’t make it easier to take.

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