Page 33 of Danger

I almost smile.

“I stopped wanting you to be anything a long time ago.”

The words land how I hope. For a second, something flashes across her face. Then she recovers.

“Really?” she says. “Because I know you better than anyone.”

I shrug. “Believe whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Her gaze drops to my hand on Winnie's waist.

“If you think some random apron girl is going to play house with my son?—”

There it is.

I stick my tongue into my cheek. “Now he'syourson?”

“Don't do that,” she snaps.

“If you want to talk about him, fine. Not here. Not now. When I decide.”

Rylee's nostrils flare. “If you think?—”

I cut her off. “How much longer you wanna embarrass yourself tonight, Rylee?”

She glares at me, then looks around at the suddenly silent bar. Judging by the way everyone is staring, we're tonight's entertainment.

“Fuck this,” she says, and throws her cup at the wall before she storms out. It slides down and hits the floor. Somethin’ red splashes everywhere.

“You still doin’ okay?” I ask.

Winnie smiles—a real one, or close enough. “I think it’s the first time I haven’t felt so small around her.”

Before I can say anything else, a hand claps me on the shoulder. It’s Rogue, my brother, face grave.

“We got a problem,” he says.

Of course we do.

CHAPTER TEN

danger

I followRogue to the main bar and see Honey squinting at the security monitors. She quickly yells out, "Kennedy's out front. They got a damn golf club. Doesn’t look good.”

Fuck me.This is exactly why I shouldn’t have listened to Mama and should have kept my ass at home.

I fling the back door open. There’s three—two Kennedys and one new guy I haven’t seen before—clustered around Rogue’s truck, moonlight shining off the back window where my fist accidentally cracked it last month.

Rogue tries to slip in front of me, but I pin him back with one arm. My brother has a death wish, always been that way. I catch the new guy’s eye.

He’s got the golf club propped on his shoulder, and he points it at Trouble, who hangs behind us with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a toothpick floating between his teeth. “You tryin’ to have another go? Heard that one’s still healing.”

The bullet Trouble took has taken its toll on him, but he’d die before showing it.

“And who the fuck are you?”

“I’m their new ranch hand,” he says, puffing up like he’s somebody. “They call me Copper. Replaced the last one that… passed away after you Stetsons got messy.”