Page 8 of Rattler
I didn’t tell her she’d have to give it up again when we got to the compound.I’d deal with that later.
I shut the door and strode to the driver’s side.Sliding in, I fastened my seatbelt and put the truck in gear.Minutes later we were on the road.
“Is it far?”Lily glanced over at me, one hand stroking the kitten whose head was just visible above the edge of the backpack.
“Nope.Should be there in fifteen minutes or so.It’s just outside the town limits.”
“Okay.”She sounded tired.Tired and scared.And young.Much too young for the way my cock was reacting to her presence.
I slanted a look at her.“How old are you?”
She frowned.“Old enough, why?How old are you?”
I felt my lip curl up in a wry smile.“I’m thirty-two, and I didn’t mean to come off sounding like an asshole.You just don’t look old enough to be running from so much crap already.”
“Well, I feel old enough.”She wrinkled her nose.“I turned twenty-one last month.Old enough to do whatever the hell I want as long as no one catches up with me.”
I had to laugh.“That about describes most of us on the planet.You made a good choice when you came looking for Riptide, though.Your brother was one of us, even if he hadn’t quite joined yet.We won’t let anyone mess with Jack’s little sister.”
Her expression softened.“Thank you.He said you were good guys.”
I wasn’t about to tell her that my last vision of her brother was the land mine blowing up the truck he was driving.They’d had to scrape pieces of him off the ground and send him home in a sealed box.She sure as fuck did not need that picture in her head.He’d been in the lead vehicle, and Ace and I had been assigned to bring up the rear of the convoy.Too far back to help, not that there was much we could have done if we’d been closer except die with him.It was over in an instant.At least he didn’t suffer.Here one minute, knocking on the fucking pearly gates the next.
Life in the SEALs didn’t come with a guarantee.
Given my respect and admiration for her brother, my reaction to her wasn’t exactly appropriate, but shit, I was a man and she was a woman, if barely legal.A damn fine one who woke up every protective instinct in my body as well as a few lustful ones.Lucky for me that stack of cupcake boxes between us blocked her view of my crotch.
“What do you do for Riptide?Other than fetching cupcakes?”
“Umm.”Shit.How was I supposed to answer that one?Most of what we did was classified.“Security details mostly.Play bodyguard to rich people.Or whatever needs done around the clubhouse.I’m pretty handy with tools.”
“Like a mechanic?”
I shook my head.“Nah.I leave that to Ghost.I’m more of a builder or reno kind of guy.Fixing holes in walls, plumbing, electrical.That kind of shit.”
She raised her brows.“Holes in walls?”
“Put a couple dozen guys in the same house, sometimes things get rough.Parties can get pretty wild when the guys get drinking.Ace has rules but they don’t always get followed.”
“Who’s Ace?The boss?”
“Sort of.He’s the President, but we all get a say in things so he’s not really a boss.”Damn.We all understood the rules.Someone had to be in charge, but trying to explain it to an outsider was tough.
“Like a democracy.”She shifted position, and her shirt sagged open just enough to let me see the swell of her breasts.
Shit!The girl had curves on her.Woman, not girl, I reminded myself.She might be way too young for how my body reacted to her presence, but she was definitely a woman.Not that it helped with how tight my damn pants were getting.My cock didn’t care how young she was.I tried not to look at her breasts.“Yeah.Like that.Something comes up, we all get to vote on it.”
She looked thoughtful.“Are they going to have to vote on me showing up?”
“No.That’s not a thing that we’d put to a vote.We protect our own, and by extension you’re one of ours.”I didn’t mention that I was already considering her mine.
We rounded the last curve, and the gates of the compound came in sight.The prospects manning the gate recognized my truck and waved us through.A grove of trees hid the clubhouse from sight until we rounded the curve in the driveway.Perfect setup for us -- no chance of a drive-by shooting or anyone spying on the club from the road.
The clubhouse itself was an old mansion with a huge porch spanning the entire length of the front.Thor came out the door as we pulled up.I hopped out and went around to open Lily’s door for her.
“I sent you for cupcakes, not entertainment.”Thor grinned.
My eyes narrowed at the implied insult to Lily.“Watch your tongue.Lily here is the sister of one of the guys who didn’t make it back.Your cupcakes are in the truck.”
