Hatch
I WALKED INTO the Dogs of Fire compound and stalled. My sister sat at the makeshift bar by the pool table, her hair falling around her face, and a shot glass in front of her. I did my best to control my irritation, considering we’d agreed she wouldn’t co here without . "Cricket? Why are you here?"
She raised her head and I saw red. Her bottom lip was cut, and she held a bloody washcloth against her mouth. Her eye was also black and swollen.
"What the fuck happened to your face?" I bellowed.
"First, you should see the other guy," she quipped.
"Not funny," I growled.
One of my soldiers, Flea, walked out of the kitchen and handed Cricket a bag of ice.
"Thanks, Flea," she said, settling the ice against her mouth.
Flea smiled. "No problem, babe."
I growled and stalked to her side. "Cricket."
She sighed. "It’s okay, Con."
"You’re beaten to shit, Christina, it is not okay!" I snapped. "Now tell what the fuck happened."
"I was walking into work and Matt jumped ... and not in the good way."
"Are you shittin’ ?" I growled. "Where the fuck was Pug? Or Mack?"
She grimaced. "Mack’s off tonight and I hadn’t gotten to Pug yet. I didn’t see Matt as I was walking in—"
I raised my hand to stop her from giving so shitty excuse as I pulled out my phone just as it rang. Booker calling.
"Have you seen my sister’s face?" I demanded.
"Yeah, brother." Booker sighed. "I take it she’s at the compound?"
"Yeah." I dragged a hand through my hair. "Her ex was layin’ in wait."
"We know," Booker said. "She doin’ okay? Dani’s worried about her...Cricket was pretty freaked when she left here."
"Seems to be."
"Okay, good."
"She’s done, Book," I continued. "No more workin’ at Blush."
Cricket gasped. "You can’t do that!"
"Yeah, I’m okay with that, brother. I’m gonna have guys tendin’ bar for a while, anyway," Booker said. "We got the asshole here. You okay with us takin’ care of him for good now, at least until you get here?"
I had given my sister a long lead to deal with Matt, but now it was the Dogs turn to take care of the problem once and for all. I glared at her. "Yeah, man. Take him the fuck down. I’ll swing by when Cricket’s sorted."
"On it."
Booker hung up and I slid my phone back into my pocket.
"You cannot dictate my life like that, Connor," she snapped. "I moved out for that very reason. I need that job to pay my rent. And since I’m going to school during the day, bartending ans I can take care of it all. You also promised you’d let deal with Matt."
My blood boiled. "And he fuckin’ hit you. Again. We’re done, Cricket. It’s our turn to deal with him."
"What you failed to ask was what happened to him! I nailed him, Con. Took him to the ground, just the way you taught ! Yes, he got a couple hits in, but I really did make him hurt worse. His balls are probably the size of waterlons right now. You can’t just arbitrarily run my life like that! Aren’t you sick of ddling in my life? Don’t you think you’ve done enough?"
She was referring to my interference several years ago when one of her infatuations got a little too close. I’d dealt with him for her protection, but it would appear she was still holding a grudge. I shook my head. "Not up for discussion."
"You’re worse than having an overprotective father," she complained.
I was the oldest of five kids. Our mother was dead and our father in jail by the ti I was twenty, and since we had no living relatives, I’d taken on the responsibility of raising my siblings, rather than letting them end up in foster care. Cricket was the baby...and the only girl. At twenty-four, she was seventeen years younger than , but she acted like she ran the family. She’d recently moved into Knight’s old lady’s condo.
Knight was a soldier in the Dogs of Fire MC, probably my closest friend...if I had friends. Knight’s wife, Kim, was loaded and had made Cricket an offer she couldn’t refuse. I hated the idea, but I’d conceded because it was a secure building with a doorman, and Knight had reinforced the security system not so long ago.
I shook my head. "You can co work at the shop until you find sothing else."
"Hello. School. Dayti," she snapped.
"Hello. Sumr break. Soon," I retorted.
She groaned. "I don’t want to work in a dirty shop, Con. I want a real job."
"It is a real job. A real payin’ one. And we need the help. You know it helps to have a woman working the front counter. Makes other won feel more comfortable."
She sighed. "Well, I guess I don’t really have a choice now that you’ve blown up the one good job I’ve had in a while."
"You ever gonna not be fuckin’ drama?"
"You ever gonna stop ssin’ with my life?" she countered, and then smiled. "Not every woman’s drama, Con."
"Yeah, ’cause you’re proof o’ that," I droned sarcastically.
"I’m hardly drama," she countered.
I raised my eyes to the ceiling and shook my head. I did not want to have this conversation with my sister... again.
"Jana was a bitch, granted. But you’re too good of a guy—"
"Ti to go," I said, interrupting her grumbling.
She sighed. "Katie’s eting here to check over. We can’t leave yet."
Katie Jason was Flea’s sister and a registered nurse. She was also Cricket’s best friend. The two of them were trouble alone, but when they got together, might as well prepare for sothing to burn down.
I dropped my head back and stared at the ceiling again. "Fuck ."
"Have a drink, big brother," Cricket ordered with a snarky grin. "I can make you sothing."
"You stay put." Resigned to the fate of a sexless, shitty night, especially now that I had to deal with Cricket’s ex, I nodded at Flea. "Whiskey’s good."
Flea handed the bottle and a shot glass.
I ran my knuckles gently down my sister’s face. "Booker said you were freaked."
She nodded, leaning into my hand. "I’m okay, Con."
"You sure?"
Cricket smiled. "Why do you think I’m here? My big brother always makes everything okay."
I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head and then sat beside her. "Yeah."
Two of the club won walked our way, Lila breaking away to sidle up to . "Hey, honey."
"Hey, babe." I took a shot as Cricket slid off the stool and walked over to the pool table.
"You got so ti?" Lila asked.
"Not tonight."
I’d slept with Lila a handful of tis. She was good... up for anything, but I could tell she wanted more and I wasn’t interested in that, so I’d backed off in a big way.
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