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“Maggie,” I holler, noting the side-eye she gives me before she turns her attention to the pain in my ass.
“What she said,” is all she has to offer, and I smirk before Emily appears at my side with a frown tainting her forehead.
“No, you get in with us.” Her words are softly spoken, a heartfelt sentiment tingling through my veins as I shake my head at her despite the fact that she’s worrying for my safety.
“I’ve spent all of my life hiding. Now isn’t the time for that, not for me at least.”
I sense the protest on her lips, but before she can verbalize them, the sound of the door swinging open behind me gains everyone’s attention.
Old ladies sag in relief as they see their men step into the room, while the Ruthless Bitches start wailing again. What those whores won’t do for some needy attention. It’s exhausting.
Turning on the spot, my eyes instantly clash with Ryker’s as he clears his throat and forces a smile to his lips. “They’re gone. Pack up your old ladies and kids and go home,” he announces, dividing the men as some take care of their families, while the others head straight for the bar.
Deciding that means I can slip back into my room, I take the opportunity. I need a fucking minute of calm to get past the fact that the Brutes have made their presence known.
Fuck.
I barely take two steps when Gray calls out my name, rooting me to the spot. “Not you, Scarlett. Church. Now.”
My nostrils flare at being publicly summoned, my eyebrows pinching at the order, but despite my irritation, I get on with it. The quicker I deal with their bullshit, the quicker I can get to handling my own.
Turning for the Church doors, I hear Emily’s voice over the chatter of the crowd. “Why do you guys have an issue with her, Emmett? She…”
Her words trail off as I turn to glance at her at the same time Emmett envelops her in his arms, squeezing her tight, and she melts in his hold. Her eyes find mine as she tilts her head to the side, listening to him murmur in her ear as I continue toward the room. A moment passes before she’s nodding along with her brother and being escorted away by Euro, leaving Emmett to follow after Ryker, Gray, and Axel.
“Hey, Prez, do you need us for this?”
“No, Duffer, you keep an eye on everything outside and man the bar for me.”
I glance over my shoulder to see who Duffer is, finding him nodding eagerly in acknowledgment as he sits at the bar with an older man beside him. Once I step through the double doors leading into Church, the atmosphere instantly changes as Ryker shuts the doors behind him.
I assess each of the four men before me. Not one of them is giving me anything to go off of as they each find their spots at the table and drop into their seats. I don’t need telling this time as I make my way to the other end of the table and sit as far away as possible.
When none of them instantly begin to talk, I sigh, giving them an exasperated look. “Am I supposed to know what this is about?”
“Yes.” Axel glares at me, fingers steepling on the table top as his jaw tightens.
“Well, I don’t.”
A beat passes, then another, and another, before Gray clears his throat from his spot beside Emmett. “You warned us about the Devil's Brutes and when we don’t listen, they suddenly show up… Is that your doing?”
I scoff at the absurdity falling from his mouth as I shake my head in disbelief. “If there is one thing you should hear me on when I speak, it’s the fact that I would never,ever, reach out to a single member of the Devil’s Brutes, even if my life depended on it. Especially Kincaid.” The taste of his name on my tongue is like acid as a shiver runs down my spine.
“I’m assuming that’s the prez,” Ryker states, and I nod.
“He knew who you were,” Emmett adds, leaning back in his seat as he drags his eyes over my face.
“Believe me, I’m very aware that he knows who I am. It saddens me every fucking day that he’s still breathing.” I instantly wince at myself for letting my feelings show so effortlessly, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by the Ruthless Brothers.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s nothing to worry about,” I reply, shrugging the stress from my shoulders, before I lace my fingers together in my lap.
“Was he a regular?” Axel grunts.
“What’s it to you?” I bite out.
“Look, you’re supposed to be helping us right now,” Ryker interjects, and I roll my eyes.
