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Murmurs of assent could be heard around the room. “Pass this around for me, babe,” he said, handing the photo to Shell. She hopped off the bar and dropped the photograph on Izzy and Jig’s table.
Izzy lifted with photo with a snort. “I could take this guy with one hand tied behind my back. Even knocked up.” She rubbed her belly as everyone laughed. The brief tension relief was greatly appreciated.
Too bad Rocket had to ramp the seriousness back up. “He’s not someone to mess with,” he said, breaking his silence for the first time. All heads swiveled in his direction. There were about a million things he’d rather be doing than sitting under the nosey stare of the majority of the club, including pulling out his own toenails. “Might not look like much, but he’s a lethal bastard. And I mean bastard. He’s not above snatching one of you ladies and blackmailing you to get to me. He runs DarkOps so he’s got the best hackers and contacts backing him. Trust me when I say by now he knows every damn secret you keep.”
His stomach cramped as the look on Toni’s face turned to one of discomfort. Zach’s ol’ lady would be a perfect target for Esposito. She had shit in her past she’d much rather leave there. Things that would be devastating should they find their way onto social media. Zach circled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick kiss to her temple. After pulling back, he whispered something that had her nodding and her shoulders losing some of their starch.
Rocket shifted his attention to Chloe. She was gazing down at him with a look of concern on her face, still clinging tight to his hand. “It’s okay,” she whispered as she lifted her free hand to his face. That soft palm cupping his three-day unshaven face was the last straw. He rose, careful not to send her to the concrete floor.
Being a burden to his club was fucking bad enough. Having them wonder what kind of heinous deeds he’d committed in the past and whether they were going to be the ones to pay for his past sins cut to the bone. Copper was right. He was a protector. As SAA, he looked out for the club. Anticipated threats and trouble before it arose and did what he needed to neutralize it before it touched any of his family.
Being the one to disrupt that family sickened him. And now Chloe felt the need to comfort him.
Fuck that.
“Izzy and Steph picked up some clothes for you. Get whatever shit you might need for a few days and meet me at my bike in ten minutes,” he said.
“Oh. Uh, sure.” She blinked, clearly caught off guard by his sudden command and change of attitude. “Where are we going?”
He needed space from the club. Needed to purge the poison from his mind without feeling like the thousand-pound chain dragging everyone down. But he refused to let her out of his sight, so she’d be tagging along. “My house.”
“Holy shit,” Shell whispered which was followed by Copper’s low chuckle.
“What?” Chloe asked, flicking a glance at Shell.
“Oh, uh, nothing.” Shell’s eyes were comically wide.
Great, now he was bound to be the topic of conversation for a host of brand-new reasons.
Fuck it all. He needed a goddammed break.
“Ten minutes,” he said as he spun on his heel and tromped outside where at least the trees wouldn’t be digging into his private shit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ARMS LIMP AT her sides, Chloe watched Rocket’s back as he practically fled from the clubhouse. The urge to chase after him was strong. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and give back some of the support he’d shown her. But she resisted. The most important thing she’d learned about him in the recent past was his absolute need for privacy. He hated people prying in his business. Went hand in hand with him not loving conversation. If he kept quiet, didn’t draw attention to himself, people wouldn’t ask questions and delve into his affairs. Most likely, he wanted, or needed, some space at the moment.
“All right, you all can scatter now,” Copper said. “Talk to you for a second, Chloe?”
Uh oh. Even though he hadn’t come down on her as she’d expected when she walked into the room, he intimidated the crap out of her. He’d probably scare just about anyone. At well over six feet with a thick beard not too far off her own hair color, bulging muscles, and plenty of ink, he was a threat just by sight. Chloe shivered. Better Shell got to be the one to deal with him on a daily basis than her.
Swallowing her nerves, she closed the ten-foot distance to where Copper stood holding Shell’s hand. “Sure, uh, what’s up?” She shifted, feeling like a bug under a microscope.
