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“Good. Need you to come to the clubhouse with me.”
She wrinkles her nose.“Your MC clubhouse? Really? What for?”
“Gotta talk to my prez about this situation.” I finish drying off and toss my towel aside. “I ain’t leaving you here by yourself. You’ll be safer with me until we figure out some protection for you.”
Kat purses her lips but doesn’t respond. I take that to mean she finally understands how much potential danger she could be in.Good. I don’t want to have to fight her on this, but if I have to I’ll tie her up and keep her under guard to keep her safe.
We take my pickup to the clubhouse. When she climbs down out of the cab, I grab her hand, then lift her face up to mine.
“Keep close to me,” I tell her. “Especially until all the men get the message that you’re with me and you're off limits. Understood?”
Kat gives me an arch look. “So basically, the way you’re protecting me from my brother’s asshole friend is to bring me to another club with a bunch of men who are probably just like him?”
I shake my head. “It ain’t like that. These men don’t mistreat women. The Royal Bastards don’t take what doesn’t belong to us. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have red blood coursing through their veins. You’re a beautiful woman, Katrina. Sexy as hell, and damn near irresistible to any straight man with a pulse. Of course they’re gonna notice you. They’ll probably do more than that. But once they know you’re with me, they’ll back off. Count on it.” I gesture toward the door. “Now, come on. Let’s introduce you to the club.”
I lead her inside. At first, she hangs back, clearly a little intimidated as she looks around and takes it all in. But it doesn’t take long before a familiar face recognizes her.
“Katrina Bergland!” Mack’s voice booms across the room as he strides toward her.
“Mack!” she squeals. “Oh my gosh!”
“Jesus H. Christ. Look at you!” My best friend grins, holding out his arms to her. She slips into a hug that sends a hot spike of jealousy through me for a second. But then he lets her go and she instantly turns to me with shining eyes. I slide an arm around her and pull her to me. Mack catches it and suppresses a snort. I can read the look in his eyes.Message received, brother. She’s yours.
“Dad’s around here someplace, too,” he says to Kat. “He’ll be glad as hell to see ya.”
Mack takes off in search of Choppa. A couple minutes later the two of them come back into the room.
“Well, hello there, young lady,” Choppa half-shouts, grabbing her in his bearlike embrace. “Good God almighty. Where’ve you been keepin’ yourself, then? It’s been a helluva long time.”
“I was away at nursing school for a while,” she laughs. “Just moved back a few months ago.”
“Well, it sure as hell is good to see you.” He lets her go and looks at me. “You didn’t mention the two of you were back together, ya little shit.”
I stifle a laugh. “It’s pretty recent.” I slip a protective arm around her. “But yeah. We are.”
“Shit, Reenie is gonna want to see you, girl.” Choppa pulls out a phone to call his wife. “She’ll have my ass if she finds out I didn’t let her know right away that you’re back in town. She is gonna lose her shit when I tell her.”
I ask Mack and Choppa to keep an eye on Kat and keep her company for a few minutes. Then I go to find Magnus. He’s in the weight room, pumping iron. He’s got earbuds in, and I can hear the metal music pumping through them as he does chest-presses on the bench. I wait for him to finish his set. He racks the weights, then sits up and notices me. He yanks the earbuds out of his ears.
“You checkin’ out my form?” he jokes. “Or you need me for something?”
“Prez, I gotta talk to you about something.”
Magnus’s brow furrows instantly. He can tell whatever I’m coming to him with is serious. He grabs a towel to wipe his sweating face, and motions toward another bench. “All right, you got my attention. What’s up?”
I try to make it as brief as possible, hitting all the major points of what’s going down. Magnus listens without a word, as is normal for him. When I’m finished, he sits silent for a few moments, then grunts and says, “All right. I’m callin’ church. Half an hour. We’ll take it up as a club.”
Knowing I’m going to have to leave Kat out in the main room of the clubhouse while the other Royal Bastards and I are in the chapel, I decide to take her around and introduce her to any of the women who are here. I find Slap, Tickle, and Suck in the kitchen. “Girls, do me a favor and keep Kat company for me, will ya? You treat her right, you hear?”
They all giggle in unison and promise to do just that. I lean close and brush Kat’s lips with mine. “I’m gonna be in church for a bit — that’s what we call having a meeting. Just hang tight, okay? I’ll come find you just as soon as I’m done.”
Kat gives me a slightly nervous smile. “Okay. Will do.”
16
FURY
In the chapel with all my club brothers assembled, I give them the rundown on Kat.
