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“Sticky pork spare ribs.” My mouth watered just thinking about them. “God, you are going to love them. Gran makes them the best I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll have to get that recipe off her if it makes you this fucking horny.”
I tightened my arms around his neck. “Careful,” I warned. “I’m falling.” Truth be told, I’d already fallen. Hard.
“I’m counting on it, baby.”
At the sound of a car pulling up, he turned, and I saw Aaron parking on the street in front of the house. He stalked our way, his face an angry mask.
“We’re done, Devil!”
Devil put me down and stepped forward to meet Aaron, his shoulders tense.
Aaron’s eyes met mine. “Go inside, Hailee. This is between us.”
I straightened. “No, anything you’ve got to say to Devil, you say to me, too.”
He shook his head and swore under his breath before turning back to face Devil. “I’ve just chased up that number plate from today. Those guys are tied to Marx.” His voice hardened as he added, “They’re the kind of guys who don’t fucking mess around, Devil. They’ll be back.”
“And when they come, we’ll be ready for them.” Devil’s tone was just as hard.
“Exactly how do you see that playing out? Because from where I stand, I see my sister being put right in the middle of danger here.” He jabbed his finger in the air at Devil. “And that is the reason why I told you to walk away.”
I frowned. “Wait. You two know each other?” A vague memory of the day we met in the back of Aaron’s car drifted into my mind, and I realised that they must have known each other back then. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t connected the dots.
“Yeah,” Aaron said, “We do.”
My mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts. I looked at Devil. “Why is he running plates for you?”
Devil scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck, it’s complicated, Hailee.”
My eyes widened, and I turned to Aaron. “You’re running plates to give Storm information, aren’t you?” The sinking feeling I had in my stomach made me feel ill.
“Yes,” Aaron admitted, and everything I knew about my brother was suddenly muddy.
He’s a dirty cop.
“How long have you been dirty?” I demanded, as I wondered what else I didn’t know about him.
“That’s not important. What is important is that you stay away from Storm.”
He reached for me, but I pulled my arm away. “I don’t need to stay away from anyone, Aaron. All I need, right now, is for you to answer my question. How long?”
“Hailee—” he continued to argue with me, but I cut him off, not wanting to hear it.
“No!” I yelled, “You stood there the other day and judged bikers as if you were better than them. I have no issues with bikers. What I have an issue with is someone pretending to be something they’re not, and then lording that over others.” I took a step away. “I need a moment to get my thoughts together.”
With that, I left them to it and walked inside the house to find a quiet space to think. I loved my brother unconditionally, but sometimes those you loved did stuff you didn’t agree with. I hated that he’d treated Devil so badly, acting as if he were the better man because he was a cop. I believed people were equal. Well, unless you deliberately hurt people or animals.
“Hailee,” Gran said, a frown on her face as she found me sitting alone in the lounge room. “What’s wrong?”
“I just need a moment, Gran, and then I’ll tell you. Can you please go and make sure Aaron and Devil aren’t trying to kill each other out the front?” They’d been projecting that vibe when I left them. I hoped they could both be man enough not to act on it.
She nodded and did as I asked, leaving me alone again. I’d been sitting there for a good five minutes or so when I heard shouting from the front yard. Aaron’s voice.
I made my way out there again, horrified to find them fighting. “Gran! Why are you just standing there doing nothing?”
She grabbed my arm as I tried to push past her to go to them. “Leave them be, baby girl.”
