Page 45 of Waging War
I cross my arms as I begin to analyze every little thing in the room, from the half-cracked open window to how many seconds it would take me to reach the door behind me.
Anxiousness creeps along the length of my spine.
“You’ve been through some traumatizing stuff since I left you,” Dad says.
Understatement of the century.
My shoulders droop a touch. “Daddy, you didn’t leave me. What happened to you was not your fault.”
He flips a pen, top over bottom, tapping each point against his desk. The hair at the nape of my neck now rises at the far-off look in his eye.
“We spent nearly two months away from the compound. It’s rocked our very core, and I hate to tell you this… but we’ve lost several members.”
My jaw clenches. It has been oddly quiet around here, but I thought maybe some of the families were relocated like what we’ve done for the chief.
“We can’t risk losing anyone else to Diablo’s scare tactics.”
I square my shoulders, meeting his gaze. “They’re not scare tactics, Daddy. They’re real threats, and this club is no safer sitting around waiting for the storm to pass than it would be if we took some action and ended this all ourselves.”
He flinches as if I’ve directly offended his leadership. “You know that I love you, Hazel, more than anything, but the club has come to a difficult but realistic decision.”
Nope. Definitely not going to like this.
I dig my nails into the soft black leather of my jacket. If this is going where I think it’s going, I’ll never forgive him.
My face is red, and I can hardly breathe. I know he can sense my rising anger because he shifts uncomfortably in his chair.
He rubs a hand through his short salt-and-pepper hair, torturing me with another minute to gather his thoughts. “I think it’s in your best interest to move in with Cooper for the time being.”
For a moment, I honestly think I’ve misheard him. “You want me towhat?”
There’s no chance in hell I’m moving in with Cooper. The odds of the sky falling are greater than him ever letting me leave that house.
“You need extra protection right now.”
I jam a finger at Cooper. “Did you put him up to this?”
Coop pushes off the wall, leaning over Dad’s desk. “No, Haze. But you can’t seriously think that hiding you inside city limits is safe?”
Something hardens over my heart, and it’s a lot like the sick presence of resentment.
The Wolves have always been everything to my father. No matter how hard I’ve loved him or shown my worth, it’s never been enough to be his first priority. If I’d been born a boy, I’d be riding right next to my old man with a leather cut adorned with that VP patch Cooper’s wearing now.
“Who in their right mind would come knocking on our garage door, knowing the kind of manpower we’ve got? Not to mention we’re heavily armed. It would be suicide,” I argue.
Dad gives a subtle shake of his head. “You’re going to Cooper’s, Hazel. That’s final.”
The muscles in my neck flex as I struggle to remain composed.
“If Diablo catches wind that you’ve been freed, he’ll come after you. That means he can continue to strong arm us. We’ve lost enough men and women, Hazel.”
I laugh, but the sound is ugly and gritty. “So, let me get this straight… You two get to continue living your lives the way you see fit while I get locked away—again?”
Coop steps around the desk to me. Stupid tears flood the back of my eyes, but I will them away. He cups the side of my face, and for the first time, I jerk out of his hold.
“Don’t do that. Don’t either one of you sit here and pretend to care about me when you’re no better than the asshole who used me against you.”
I turn to Dad, frantic for him to listen to me for once. “Please. We can fight this. Diablo doesn’t have to have this control over us. If you’d just let me be a part of the team, we could find a way.”
