Page 91 of Waging War
Ben’s chest rises a touch, and when he turns toward me, every delicious, dirty secret wedged between us scorches my cheeks. “Believe me, you have no idea howpersuasiveshe can be.”
“Stop it,” I grit between my teeth.
Ben turns up a brow. “Say please.”
Despite my annoyance, his arrogance makes my insides all melty. The bastard knows exactly what he’s doing by riling Cooper up. He’s staking a claim in front of my family, and even more maddening is that tiny little thrill skittering up my spine.
“Please.”
His shoulders relax, and I’m gifted a panty-melting grin. “Good girl.”
A couple of the guys mutter curses under their breaths as Cooper seethes.
He’ll pay for that later.
“Alright, alright.” Dad bangs his fist against the table. “Hazel, you called this meeting for a reason. I’ll assume there’s a point to all this?”
I kick up my chin, staring each one of them in the eye as I take position at the end of the long wooden table. At the center of it, I catch the open eye of our painted wolf emblem before addressing them. “Unfortunately… Chief Barron has been killed.”
Dad’s eyes widen as Teresa and the other men sputter.
The door swinging open behind me startles everyone into action. The sounds of chairs flying backward and guns cocking ricochet around the room as they point a small arsenal at the intruder.
“Easy, easy. Everyone relax.” Jackie’s smooth voice fills the room.
Dad’s face is bright red at the mere sight of Mackville’s mayor, his gun trained directly between Jackie’s eyes. “You’ve got a lot of nerve waltzing in here uninvited.”
“Your daughter so graciously invited me to your…humble abode.”
I flip him off, coaxing a wide grin from the womanizer.
“Why are we even letting him speak?” Lucas spits toward Jackie. “He’s the one who tried to kill Prez.”
“Lower your weapon, Lucas. He’s not our enemy.”
His deep brown eyes narrow. “Whose side are you on, Haze?”
“I’m on whichever side is willing to put an end to Diablo’s reign, and I’ll do anything to make sure that happens.” Ben shifts behind me, but I throw a hand out to stop him. “If you’re going to stand in my way, then consider this the only opportunity I’ll give you to move.”
Lucas swings his gaze toward Dad, waiting for our leader to reprimand me.
“You heard her, Lucas. Shut the fuck up.”
He glares at me but eventually lowers his weapon.
“Very well. I come baring gifts,” Jackie says, nodding toward the door.
Cassidy, Jules, and the guys from The Pound quietly step into the clubhouse, followed by a man I’ve never met before.
I lock eyes with the girls, surprising myself when I cross the room to hug them. “Oh, thank God.”
The embrace is swift, but they squeeze me hard. “We’re glad you’re okay, too.” Cassidy smiles gingerly.
A deafening silence fills the space when I turn back to Ben. He and Jack stand a few feet apart, staring each other down, and my palms twitch with the need to defend Ben.
His brother remembers the man who started this all—the one who chose gambling over his family and who’s been Diablo’s enforcer for the better part of a year. But the Ben I know has fought for his right to stand in a room full of people who could easily disown him all while he hopes for forgiveness that may never come.
“I’m sorry,” he says first to Jack, pain etching into every groove of his face when he turns to the Wolves, “for all of it.”
