Page 6 of Dev

“I’ll do it.” Tawk raises his hand.

“Appreciated.” Raze wraps things up by slamming the gavel, and everyone gets up and starts to make their way out.

“Dev, I need to speak to you,” Raze grunts as I get up to follow them, so I sit back down and wait for the last man out to close the door before I look at him.

“Corey called me again this morning. He really wants in.” Raze knows how against the idea I am. We’ve had this conversation so many times before, I’m sick of it.

“That ain’t nothin’ new, boss, that kid’s wanted in since he got the first hair on his nutsack.”

“I know, and I get your reasons for not wantin’ him to be part of this, but he’s eighteen years old; he can make his own decisions now, and we could sure as hell use his smarts.”

“Raze, his smarts ain’t supposed to be used for gun runnin’ and getting the club outta shit. He’s got the brains to be a doctor, and?—”

“Does Corey wanna be a doctor?” Raze interrupts me.

“It ain’t happening, Prez.” I shake my head at him sternly.

“I understand your need to protect him, same way I wanna protect my sister, but you can’t make Corey’s decisions for him anymore. He’s grown now.”

I hear what Raze is sayin’, and I get that I’m being hard on my brother, but I will not let him waste his potential, and I will not have him living in danger, not when I’ve spent all my adult years trying to protect him from it.

“Corey’s confused right now. His girl just broke up with him, he’s getting to the end of high school, life’s gettin’ real for him. This ain’t what he wants, Raze, it’s just what hethinkshe wants.” I stand up to leave.

“You ever thought that what really scares him is losing you?” he asks me before I get away.

“That ain’t ever gonna happen.” I get up and see myself out, heading straight for my bike so I can go speak to my brother.

“Ain’t you supposed to be workin’?” I find Corey in the corner of the gym, kicking the shit out of a punching bag.

“Place ain’t busy.” He turns around, and I can tell from how red his eyes are that he’s been crying some more.

“Wanna talk about it?” I take a seat on the weight bench.

“Ain’t gonna make no difference talkin’ about it, she won’t even pick up my calls.” He punches the bag hard before taking a seat on the mat and leaning back on his arms.

“You were together a long time, not having her in your life is gonna be hard to accept.”

“Dev, I ain’t gonna accept it. We love each other, and I don’t know what's going through her head right now, but I can fix it.”

“And supposin’ you do, what ya gonna do if she tells you that she don’t wanna be part of the club? What if she asked you to leave this place and become the kinda man she deserves? Do you know what old ladies of the club have to deal with, Corey?” I see a new angle to get this shit through to him. “They’re never safe. They have to spend every second of their lives looking over their shoulders because if the club piss someone off, they’re the best way to come back at us.”

“Millie knows how it works, she’s not a?—”

“She’s a spoiled little rich girl, Corey. Her biggest problem in life is deciding which of her daddy's credit cards to use. Yeah, she has a job, but it’s to teach her values, not to fuckin’ keep her livin’. You have the chance to be a man who can keep her safe, you can treat her the way she deserves, give her everything. You can’t do that if you wear the cut.”

“You’re forgettin’ that I’ve already lost her.” He laughs sadly, standing up and heading toward the front desk.

“Corey, listen to me. This is a time you should be studying. Don’t throw?—”

“I don’t wannabea fuckin’ doctor, Dev, I’m not this perfect fuckin’ kid that you keep makin’ me out to be. I want the club life. I want the cut, and you can’t hold me back no more.” I march toward him, feeling my temper rising.

“Ya think? Just fuckin’ watch me.” I point my finger in his face, then crash my way out through the door and get on my bike.

“And how would you like your eg—” I stop mid-sentence when Dev charges through the diner door, coming straight for me. His eyes look so focused and determined, I feel my pussy throb and fear tense all my muscles at the same time.

“Excuse us.” He speaks to the couple that I'm serving before grabbing my wrist and dragging me through the back door. Once we’re outside and alone, he drops me from his grasp as if my skin is scorching him.

“What the hell was that, Dev? I’m at wor?—”

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