Page 70 of Waging War
If my life isn’t waking up every day, desperate for his company and dazed by the intensity ofus, then I don’t want it.
“If that’s true, then why are you trying to marry me off to a man I don’t love? Why go through all this trouble to pin me down and hide me away when we could be fighting Diablo as one solid unit?”
Cooper shifts behind him, but I don’t have time to worry about his pride.
“I’m trying to do right by you, baby girl. I nearlydied.” He utters the word, seemingly unable to believe it. “I almost left you all alone. And yes, the Wolves would always protect you, but none of them could love you as much as I do.”
He flicks his gaze at Cooper. “I know the two of you share a bond, and I want better for you than what your mom and I had. Falling out of love is scary and messy.”
I soften the scowl on my face. “Daddy, I love Cooper, and I’ll always love him.” I turn to my childhood friend. The same friend I used to skip rocks with off the riverbank after digging up worms. The man who respected me enough to love me through all of my firsts even when I couldn’t love him back. “But even if I chose to be with him, there would be no guarantee that we wouldn’t face the same fate.”
Flicking a smirk his way, I say, “Besides, we both know I’d make a shit wife.”
Coop’s lips twitch.
“Look, this isn’t about keeping me safe any longer. It’s about getting the respect I deserve as an equal.” I pull my shoulders back and draw a breath. No more cowardice. “And as of today, I’m demanding it. Not as an ol’ lady, a hang-around, or even your daughter. I want the respect you would give a fellow wolf.”
He considers me for a moment before a hint of pride starts to color his gaze. Thumping the president patch on the left of his cut, Dad nods. “Alright then. As president, I agree to give you the same level of respect I would give one of our sworn members.”
Warmth spreads along my limbs as we share a faint smile.
“There’s something else. Diablo doesn’t know that I’m no longer in Jackie’s care, and I feel we should use thatfactto our advantage.”
Cooper snorts. “No offense, Haze, but how can you possibly help?”
My eyes narrow. “We’ll start with Bruce’s new hideout. Ben’s mentioned that they had to move camp because of the attack. We can find it and destroy it. Then, once he’s on the run, we’ll grab him and bring him to justice ourselves.”
“And how will we acquire their location?” Cooper asks.
I point to the mark on my wrist and hike a brow.
Dad scoffs before muttering under his breath, “Sleeping with the enemy.”
Cooper’s eyes ignite. “You want me to sit back and watch you fuck your way into Diablo’s compound? Forgive me when I say,hard pass.”
Dad nudges him and quietly growls, “Easy.”
I shrug dismissively. “No one said you had towatch.”
Cooper’s face darkens.
“That won’t work. Someone is bound to recognize you,” Dad supplies.
Coop swipes his gun off the table and stuffs it into the back of his pants. “Where’s Ben now? Why don’t we just tie him down and interrogate the information out of him?”
They look at me expectantly.
“Well… he’s gone.”
“Heleft?”
Maybe seducing Ben isn’t as strong of a plan as I’d thought. He’s likely too far gone to want anything to do with me now, anyway.
“It’s too risky to try to take out the number of men Bruce has on his turf. We’ve lost a good number of men, and we’d need to rally with other gangs in the area just to have a fighting chance. I’m not willing to risk being in someone else’s debt if they lose a man in all this.”
I roll a strand of hair around the tip of my finger. He’s got a point.
“How many more men do you think we need?” I ask.
