Hart

by Monroe, Evie

  I didn’t have to be a genius to know that Charlie was mortified. So I did the only thing I could do. I turned tail and chased after her brother.

  My cock was hard as a rock by then, so I adjusted it in my pants as I tore after him. He was a fast little thing. I didn’t catch up with him until he’d reached his bike, and even then, I had to call after him.

  “Wait. Joel. Chill out for a second,” I said as I reached the curb.

  “Fuck you. I don’t have to listen to you anymore. You’re a fucking asshole.”

  He jumped on his bike, but I reached for the keys and twisted them out of his hand before he could stick them in the ignition. He made a grab for them, but I yanked them away and backed up to the curb. “Come on. Just listen to me.”

  He scowled at me, breathing hard. “Why the fuck should I? Is that what you were planning, this whole time? To fuck my sister? Is that why you’re doing all this?”

  I shook my head. “You know that’s not true. I didn’t even know you had a sister until yesterday.”

  He blew out a breath of air. “Yeah. You wasted no time trying to get in her pants.”

  “Hey. Sorry to break it to you, kid, but I didn’t really have to try that hard.”

  In retrospect, that was the wrong thing to say. He pushed off his bike and came at me, fists clenched. He got off one punch, barely connecting with my shoulder before I grabbed his hand. I wrenched him around, twisting his arm behind his back, and shoved him to the ground so I was standing over him. He fought me, but I had at least fifty pounds on the kid, and a shit ton more muscle. There was no match.

  I didn’t want to have the kid sprawled out on his stomach on the concrete, cheek against the ground, arm bent up behind him, but he left me no choice. He wiggled to get free as I gritted out. “If you calm down so we can talk about this, I’ll let you go.”

  He spit on my boot. “Go to fucking hell.”

  I let go of him anyway, just because I deserved it. I’d have probably been pissed off too if someone was trying to fuck my sister. Good thing I didn’t have one.

  He pushed up onto his knees, then staggered to his feet and shoved my chest with both hands. “You fucker! You fucking disgusting motherfucking piece of shit!”

  I pushed him back, just once, not hard, but firmly, and he staggered a few steps backwards, whatever rage in his eyes melting away to defeat. Oh, the hate was still there, but at least he’d learned not to mess with me.

  He held a finger up, in defensive position, like I was the one attacking him, even though everything I’d done so far was in self-defense. “Listen to me, fucker. Hear this loud and clear. Get the fuck out of here, and don’t come back. You, and all of the Cobra pieces of shit. You all can stay away from me and my sister.”

  “You said you didn’t like your sister messing in your business. Well, maybe you should stay out of hers,” I said calmly.

  “You are my business,” he seethed, his fists closing again as he raised them to chest level. I stood there, braced for the onslaught, but he didn’t come at me. “I don’t know. I thought we were . . . I thought you were my . . .”

  He stopped, and his face trembled a little, like he might break down.

  Before he could, I said, “Look. I am your friend. Okay? But that has nothing to do with Charlie.”

  “What the . . . Charlie?” He paced away from me, then rounded back. “What the fuck? So how long have you and Charlie been fucking? You get her into bed the second you met her? That’s how you guys operate, right? The more women, the better. I should’ve fucking known.”

  “It’s not like that, kid. Listen, I got to thinking about the way the Fury operates, and if they get wind that you’re dealing with us, they’d fuck you up. You made a mistake when you told them all about her. So I went to her job to check on her, and it just happened.”

  His lips turned up into a snarl. “It just happened,” he mocked. “I don’t believe that shit. My sister doesn’t need anyone looking after her, least of all, you. She’s tough. She can hold her own.”

  I shook my head. “No. If the Fury sees her as a threat, there’s no telling what they’d do. She can’t defend herself against them, and you can’t defend her, either. They’d kill you and kill her . . . or worse. Put her on the street to make them money and own her.” I crossed my arms. “Is that what you want?”

  “You’re lying,” he said, his voice cracking.

  “No. I’ve seen it before. That’s the way they treat women. They nearly killed Drake’s girl, Cait. Cait is Slade’s daughter. If Slade nearly killed Cait and her mom, the Fury’d think nothing of killing your sister.”

  He scoffed, until he realized I was dead serious. “You mean it?”

  I nodded.

  “And the Cobras treat their women better?”

  “Yeah. That might be how the Fury works, but that ain’t how we work,” I said to him. “And Charlie’s different. I like her.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you like her? So that makes it all right.” He blew out a breath of air, raked both hands through his hair, and crouched on the grass, staring at the ground. “Jesus. You better do a hell of a lot more than that, asshole.”

  “She’s not just some girl to me. And regardless of what you think about the Fury, I don’t fuck around. I’m not going to fuck her over, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Oh, you’d better not. I’ll fuck you up. If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

  I doubted that, but point taken. After all this, I had to admit, I was actually starting to like the kid. He didn’t fit in with the Fury, not one fucking bit. The way he was willing to protect his sister? To me, he seemed like a Cobra, all the way.

  I lifted my hands in surrender. “If I ever do hurt her, I’ll let you.”

  He pressed his lips together, thinking. “After all this time she’s spent trying to warn me away from guys like you . . .” He let out a sour laugh. “It figures. It figures she’d fall for one of you. You understand, she doesn’t do this, normally.”

  I was glad he sounded a little more rational. “What do you mean?”

  “She doesn’t date. She doesn’t even talk to guys. She’s like a fucking saint. I used to think she was a nun in another life.” He leaned over and picked at a blade of grass . “So she must really like you. Just . . . really. I meant what I said. She’s the best person I know. Hands down.”

  “I got it.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think you do. I don’t think you can, unless you know . . .” He trailed off, and his eyes clouded over. “Doesn’t matter. Just . . . you’ve been warned. I’m a shit to her, I know. But if you don’t put her on a pedestal where she belongs, fuck you.”

  It did seem hypocritical for him to give me these warnings when he hadn’t treated her so great lately. But I ignored it. I reached my hand out to him to help him up.

  He stared at it for a long time, as if deciding whether or not to take it.

  “What would you say if I told you I wanted you to be a Cobra?” I asked him.

  His eyes widened for a split second before narrowing in suspicion. “Why? That because you feel guilty for fucking my sister?”

  I shook my head. “It’s because I think you’re one of us. Not one of them. I’ll sponsor you, if you want.”

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and when he closed it, the corner lifted up into a smile. “Yeah?” He grabbed hold of my hand and I pulled him to his feet. “Then all right.”

  “Good. I’ll get you all the info you need to get on board with us, okay?”

  “But . . .” His eyes drifted toward the apartment complex. I was sure Charlotte had her eyes on us, but in the darkness all I could see was the light in the window. “What about the Fury? Won’t they be pissed?”

  I nodded. Pissed was the understatement of the year. “Oh yeah.”

  He kept his eyes on the apartment. “I don’t know . . . maybe Charlotte’s right. What if they find out? I don’t care about me . . . but what about her? I
can’t have anything happen to her.”

  We walked toward the apartment. As much as I wanted to be with Charlie, I’d made the decision that I wouldn’t go back inside, just for the kid’s sake. He’d been through enough. “You don’t need to figure it out tonight.”

  He stared at the ground. “I don’t know. I’m fucking up where Char’s concerned. What I need to do is get a good job. Something to help her pay the bills. Make it easier on her.”

  “Well . . . we’re looking for a guy at the garage. You know anything about oil changes?”

  “Yeah. A little.”

  “It’s mostly just keeping the place clean. The pay’s shit. But it’s a good way to start.”

  He considered it. “Yeah. Thanks. I might be interested.”

  “Look,” I said to him. “If you’re seriously in to this, and the guys agree, you have the Cobra’s word that we’ll protect you. All right?”

  He nodded, but something in his expression said he wasn’t sure.

  “Just trust me, okay?” I said, clapping him on the back. “Go inside, get some sleep. I’ll text you later. Just keep doing what you’re doing with the Fury in the meantime. All right?”

  “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”

  “Everything go okay with them, tonight?”

  He nodded. “I don’t think they suspect anything.”

  “Good.”

  As I got back on my bike, saw Joel jogging up the steps to his apartment. I wished I was a fly on the wall to hear the conversation he had with his sister, but I figured I was already skating on some pretty thin ice as it was.

  So I strapped on my helmet, started my bike, and lit out of the parking lot toward my place.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Charlotte

  After I got over the stunned feeling of shame over what I’d just done, my thoughts automatically turned to making sure my brother was okay.

  I pulled on my shirt, ran for the door, then heard him unleashing a string of curses into the night air. Curses meant not just for Hart, but for me, as well.

  I crept over to the balcony and looked over the rail. Hart had him on his stomach, on the ground, trying to subdue him, but the second Hart let him go, Jojo was up again, shoving him. Again, Hart stopped it, but that didn’t stop Jojo from shouting at him, calling him a motherfucker.

  Hart spoke so calmly; I could barely hear him. As I strained to listen, doors on either side of me opened and people started looking out. It was after one in the morning.

  One of my neighbors, a fifty-something man who lived alone and spent most of his time with a bottle of beer in his hand, slurred, “What the fuck’s going on here, for fucksake?”

  “Nothing,” I explained as he looked over the balcony. “Just some guys talking.”

  He looked me over, head to toe, winked at me, and went back inside, slamming the door.

  By then, Jojo had crouched down on the grass to listen calmly to Hart. He nodded his head like he understood. I couldn’t hear most of it, but I heard Jojo say, “If you don’t put her on a pedestal where she belongs, fuck you.”

  My heart squeezed. There was the little brother I knew and loved.

  I moved closer, wanting to hear Hart’s answer, but I couldn’t. I wanted to hear more of what Hart thought of me, and what we were doing here. I mean, we barely knew each other. Of course it was just sex. But with my little brother involved, it was complicated. Clearly, he respected Hart. And Hart didn’t seem all that terrible a person anymore.

  Jojo and I were both starting to fall a little bit in love with Hart. Which would make it doubly hard for Jojo, if the relationship went south. I could probably deal with it, but for the first time I’d found a guy that Jojo could look up to. And I didn’t want to ruin that.

  I listened as Hart offered to sponsor my brother as part of his club. I thought he’d jump at the chance. I thought I’d have the urge to go out there and tell Hart to take his invitation and shove it up his ass.

  But something strange happened. I found myself glad that Hart made the offer to sponsor him, to be the big brother he never had. It was Jojo who hesitated.

  He shook his head and looked up toward the apartment. Something was bothering him. I wasn’t sure what it was, but when he mentioned the other motorcycle club, it hit me just why Hart had come over here.

  If Jojo broke his promise to pledge a different club, and went with Hart’s club, there’d likely be hard feelings. Or maybe something more than that.

  Were we in danger?

  Hart helped Jojo off the ground and headed to his bike. I was glad of that, even though all the while, my body still ached for him. I needed to talk to Jojo first. Explain myself.

  After Hart’s motorcycle roared into the distance, Jojo came climbing up the staircase. I tried to make myself busy, cleaning out the litter boxes. When he appeared in the doorway, I met his eyes. He looked tired and beaten. He crossed the room and sat on the sofa, and Opie crawled into his lap. He didn’t say anything for a long time.

  Finally, he said, “Well. He’s not an asshole.”

  I supposed that was as much of a blessing as I could expect from him. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, Jo—” I swallowed back his nickname. “Joel. I swear, I thought I hated him. But he’s been so good with you, and he’s the first guy that’s really been nice to us. I just—I just like him. Is that so bad?”

  He shook his head. “You don’t have to explain it, Char. You don’t owe me anything.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. After the life he’d had, I felt like the world owed him some sense of stability and security. But the world was never going to pay up, so as the person closest to him, I’d have to take its place. I replaced the litter box and sat on the coffee table, across from him. “You’re not mad at me?”

  It took him a while, but eventually the corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile. “I kind of am.”

  I tweaked his knee, like I used to when he was a kid. “So, baby brother. Are you going to tell me what’s going on? With these two motorcycle clubs?”

  He yawned and started to shuffle in his seat, preparing to get up. “Aw, Char, I—”

  I lunged toward him, took hold of his shoulders, and pushed him back down onto the sofa with all my weight. He nudged me off of him, but I ended up in corralling him on the couch so he couldn’t move. “Don’t tell me you’re too tired. What’s going on? Are you, like, working as a spy against the other club or what?”

  He hung his head lower and nodded.

  “Tell me,” I urged. “Everything.”

  He let out an enormous sigh. “Fine. The Cobras—that’s Hart’s club—saw that I was a prospect for the Hell’s Fury, and they took me in. They were making me act like a spy for them, yeah. But the two clubs are in a war and the Fury doesn’t play so nice.” He rolled his eyes, like he was worried, or worse. “Hart offered to sponsor me as a prospect for the Cobras but if I do that, I’m in deep shit with the Fury. And Hart doesn’t want them coming after me. Or you.”

  I blinked. My heart stopped. My eyes immediately went to the door. Had Joel locked it? “They would do that?”

  “Supposedly, yeah.”

  “All of this, to join a stupid motorcycle club?”

  “Yeah.”

  I threw up my hands. “Great, Jojo. Tell me why joining a club was so important to you, now?”

  “I don’t know!” he said, his voice so loud and broken that it cracked. “I guess it was a stupid fucking idea. I want brothers. Brothers like the Cobras have. They all have each other’s backs. They get together and they rely on each other and they’re . . . family.”

  “I’m your family,” I said softly. Then I reached over and tried to ruffle his hair, but he flinched away. “But I know. I know you want more than that. You want what I can’t be for you.”

  He swallowed. “You’re not so bad.”

  I smiled a little. “Well . . . what if we left Aveline Bay? What if we just moved away? Went somewhere no one could find us?”

&nbs
p; “Yeah. I hear there’s a private island off the coast of Fiji we could hide out in.” He snorted. “With what money?”

  I lifted my shoulders in an attempt at optimism. “I don’t know. We’d figure it out. We always have, haven’t we?”

  “Yeah. But it just means starting over again from scratch. Hart told me he could probably get me a job at the garage. We have connections here. You have a good job.”

  That was true. Hart had Jojo thinking about a job, now? It was a big step up, considering only a few days ago I saw him as nothing but a lazy ass. I also hated the idea of uprooting us. Still, it could be worse.

  I laced my hands in front of me and looked at my lap. “Jojo . . . I mean, Joel . . .I’d rather live out of our car than for you to get hurt.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, we could live in a car, with all your pets. We could be a traveling zoo.”

  I smacked him. “I mean it, Jojo. I couldn’t take it if I lost you. I really couldn’t.”

  This time, he reached over and touched my arm. “You won’t. Hart said the Cobras protect their own. I trust him.”

  I was afraid to admit it, because that was usually when the floor dropped out from under us, but I trusted him, too. I barely knew him, but he made good on his promises, which was more than most people in our lives had done.

  “All right,” I said to him, checking the clock again. I cringed at the late hour. “I guess we should go to bed.”

  I went off to my room, feeling good about things with Jojo, despite how disastrous I feared they’d be. But I didn’t like the can of worms we’d opened with these rival motorcycle clubs. It kept me awake all night, wondering how much danger we were really in.

  I could understand why Jojo found the Cobras and that brotherhood so attractive, but still . . . that wasn’t him. He was a sensitive kid, a good one. He might have seen Hart as the kind of guy he aspired to be, but this life wasn’t something he’d bargained for. Jojo couldn’t handle the kind of danger he’d fallen into. He wasn’t cut from the same cloth as people like Hart.

  By morning, I knew I needed to talk to Hart, as soon as possible. I needed to see what he could do to keep my brother and me safe.