AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not this guy,” Autumn pipes up, all the cockiness has dropped from his face, and the way he’s dragging his hand back through his long wavy hair has me worried. “Kullolli’s only been in the country for a year, he’s been fighting east coast.”
“You’ve heard of this guy?” Prez focuses his attention on Aut.
“Yeah, I've heard of him, and I don’t wanna knock your confidence, bro, but he’s good.”
“Unbeaten good?” Jessie leans forward.
“Far as I know,” Autumn nods.
“Shit.” Jessie slams his hand hard against the table, then rubs his brow.
“We don't know it’s him for sure,” Nyx points out, though the look he’s giving me is doubtful.
“What sort of fighter is he?” I ask my brother.
“A dirty one,” he responds.
“That’s not what I meant.” I’m starting to get impatient.
“I’ll look into it,” Autumn says, and I really hate the look I’m seeing on his face.
“Now while we’re all here, just thought I’d warn ya… Roswell called this morning, he’s got Hawker breathing down his neck.”
“Shit,” moans and sighs, come from my brothers when they hear the news.
Roswell’s, been struggling since the murder of his deputy a few months ago, he still hasn’t managed to nail down who did it, and the town’s been getting more attention than usual since the murder of a cop. Hawker is ATF, and as straight as they come, there ain’t no payoffs with him. Having his attention on our town is the last thing we need right now.
“Troj, you're looking tired, get some sleep,” Prez orders, looking concerned.
“I’m fine, honestly.” I look back at him reassuringly.
“No, you're stretching yourself too thin, if you ain’t at the gym, you're rebuilding that village. Resting up is as important as training, you know that.”
“I hear ya, Prez,” I tip my chin at him.
“And as for the rest of you, keep ya hands clean, do nothing that ain’t necessary. We got a lot of heat on us right now. Everyone needs to keep their cool.” He slams down the gavel and we all pile out.
Damn stupid nail. I twist the hammer and wedge the bent nail that's stuck in wood between the claw. Wiggling and pulling to try and remove it from the chicken coop that I'm attempting to patch up. My body jumps when I feel two arms crush around my waist, and the flash of a memory captures my breath and makes me shudder.
“There’s a party down at the club tonight for Maddy’s birthday, she wants you to come.” The voice that whispers against my skin has me breathing steadily again.
“Troj,” I sigh, making a quick scan of our surroundings to check no one’s around before I twist my body into his and throw my arms around his neck. I hold on to him for a moment, savoring the comfort that comes with being close to him, while my heartbeat slows back down.
“What are you doing here?” I giggle, “and you're soaking.” I pull back and look down at his drenched T-shirt.
“Just finished my run, thought I’d pass through.” Troj’s fingers slide over the feather that I’ve woven into my braid.
“Do you ever stop?” I smile at him, though I am concerned at how much he’s been doing lately. He’s always in the gym or out running and if he's not, he’s helping us. How much can one body take?
“A guy can’t rest when he’s got a village and a club to save.” He winks as he flicks the end of my nose with his finger. He’s trying to make light of it but I know he’s feeling the pressure, I just wish I could take some of that burden from him.
“So, you coming? You can bring your friend along if you’d like, some of Maddy’s friends are coming too so it’s gonna be a PG event. Squealer swore to be on best behavior.” Troj’s boyish grin calls at me to kiss him, and because we’re hidden from the village behind the coop, I sneak a quick peck at his lips.
“I’ll be there, just me though. I don’t think it’s Dyanni’s kinda thing.” Imagining Dyanni sitting in the crowded bar among the outlaws makes me smile to myself.
“Cool, I’ll see you down the club around eight,” he tells me, peering over the top of the coop to check the coast is clear before he steals another kiss and sprints off up the hill, back toward the compound.
“Cover for me again tonight?” I shake Dyanni awake when I get back to our cabin.
