Page 65 of Darling Psycho

Ah, the good old dad talk.

Rider wasn’t Angela’s dad. They’d only known her for a handful of years, but he stood in for her dad and looked out for her like one.

But so did Lawless, which would tip the scale into weirdville for any other man.

Lawless guessed his feelings were polar opposite to what Rider felt for Angela.

“It’s my cabin. I didn’t build it so I could live elsewhere in a skyscraper.”

Sometimes, Rider was a man of few words, but the active tick in his jaw relayed everything he was thinking. “Why didn’t you say so when I was at your penthouse? We could have moved her out sooner.”

Okay, this was where Lawless had to halt this train of thought before his friend, boss, and prez got ahead of himself and suggested something ludicrous, like taking her away from him.

“Rider, before this gets awkward for us both.” He meant for Rider. Lawless didn’t believe in awkwardness. “Angela isn’t going anywhere. We’re both living in the cabin. Together, with Oscar.”

Rider snorted at the mention of the ginger cat like it was a kid they had birthed. Then his face sobered, and he dragged a hand down over it. “This is not what I need right now, Lawless. First, Zara will skin you alive, and then she’ll scrape mine off down to the bone for not doing anything about it.”

Lawless wasn’t worried about the tiny queen, and he smirked, leaning forward to rest both forearms on his knees.

Having connections meant he occasionally had to step into the normal zone of decency to reassure someone, namely his friend, so that he would not go level one lunatic.

“You have nothing to worry about. Neither does Zara. I’m sure you can handle your old lady.”

Rider read between the lines and grimaced.

“You have some timing.”

“Waited long enough, Prez.”

“This isn’t the life for her.”

Lawless laughed lightly. “Are you fucking kidding me? She’s as much in this life as we are, just less bloody. No one thought your queen was MC material. Do you remember that first rally you took her to, where everyone looked at you like you lost your damn mind? Now look at her, queen of the fucking roost, and doing it without issue.” Lawless spoke, then added. “You had Angela spying for you.”

“Her idea.”

“Which you didn’t squash because you had faith she could do it. She’s busting her ass off to graduate to get to law school so she can help the club. She’s in this life, Ri.”

Explaining his intentions felt as bad as dipping his Johnson in acid. But this was Rider, a man he respected and a man who would wade in for Angela if anything ever happened to Lawless.

He’d put marks in place to look out for her while he’d been away.

Now he was doing it for if he were ever taken away permanently from her.

Lawless’ will had already been changed. Angela would get everything, even the things no one else knew about. His offshore accounts. Houses and properties and safe houses around the states. He’d even bought her old family home about two years ago through a broker speaking on his behalf for if she ever wanted to revisit her old life.

The man Lawless was meant he couldn’t offer a safe life.

But a protected one? Absolutely. Of this, he was sure.

Lawless wasn’t half measures.

He liked something. Or he was indifferent.

The same could be said with this new revelation of wanting to own someone.

To put his mark all over her like she was a thing toownand keep.

He wasn’t testing the waters, he was storming the ocean.

---