Eric smirked, finding that amusing, while Drew remained stony-faced, his hands tucked into the depths of his jean pockets, his chin raised in defiance.
“We need your help.”
Howard spread his fingers and peeked through them, glancing at Drew with worry dripping from his every pore. “Do I get a choice?”
“Sure you do.” Drew rocked on the heels of his feet. “You can leave. You don’t have to be a part of this if you don’t want to be.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?”
It was Drew’s turn to smirk now, and standing side by side, it was clear to see just how alike he and his father really were. Their faces mirrored one another’s, their stances strong and assured in the midst of a raging battle going on all around them.
“Ah, come on, brother. You know you’re part of the pack now in some weird, twisted way. There’s no but. Just a little bit of judgment if you walk out that door without helping us get rid of our nasty vermin problem.”
Sutton turned to look at me, dropping his hand to histhigh.
I met his glance head on as he studied me, looking for some semblance of my being the rational one, but I knew the moment he saw I was on board. When he finally realized that this was my life, that this club was and would always be the choice I made from now, his shoulders fell in resignation. Maybe what he saw in me was a reflection of his own feelings, too.
These guys weren’t the bad guys. They never had been. He saw the evidence of that with every passing day, and he’d already known his answer the moment he’d walked through that door. The moment Drew saved his life in that warehouse.
I gave him a small nod, and he reciprocated, turning his glance back to Drew and Eric.
“I’m in,” he said firmly.
The din of chatter in the bar relaxed me. I’d spent hours with Drew, Eric, and Sutton talking about what we needed to do to move forward. We were forbidden from talking about the situation with anyone outside of the four of us. The truth was, I didn’t want to talk to anyone else about what we’d discovered, anyway. Though we were pretty damn sure, we still needed a full confirmation before we decided what to do about Owen completely. There was so much to think about that my head had begun to hurt, and I had a full headache by the time Drew and Eric left with Sutton.
I chose to go into the bar, where Deeks was giving Kenny a hard time about locking doors, and Tate and Rubin were talking smack to one another as they played pool. Moosewas content behind the bar in his usual, quiet stoicism, just watching and laughing like the friendly giant he was. He slipped me a beer over the counter, and he winked when he pulled his other hand away, revealing a pile of headache pills.
These men looked after me as much as I looked after them, and after a day of hell, I finally started to settle down again and feel happy surrounded by my unconventional family. Especially as Owen was nowhere to be seen.
Kenny finally got tired of Deeks’ constant ribbing and dropped into a stool next to mine, grabbing the beer that Moose slid over the surface to him.
“I’m never going to fucking live it down, am I?”
“Nope.” There was no point in sugar coating it. The guys still made the ‘V’ with their fingers and flicked their tongues in the gap when he entered a room, and I couldn’t see an end to that. At least not until someone did something more stupid.
“You can’t help me out?”
I swung my head in his direction and raised my eyebrows in question. “And why would I do that?”
“C’mon Ayda. If not for me, for Sloane.”
“Kenny, I don’t think you really get it. Every guy in here had his face buried between a woman’s legs at some point during the night. Believe me, I know because I’ve seen it. Your problem started because you boasted about being able to wait until she’s eighteen. Bragging on how you’re a gentleman.”
“We haven’t fucked,” he said, draining half his beer. “I’m still waiting.”
I shook my head. “That’s like saying women can’t get pregnant if you pull out.”
Kenny started to laugh. The look of guilt on his facetelling me he’d used that line more than once in his lifetime. That didn’t surprise me in the slightest. He was a smooth talker when he wanted to be.
“You men,” I grumbled playfully. “Have you ever told a woman that being taken anally doesn’t mean she’s losing her virginity, too?”
“No, but thanks for the tip.” Kenny polished off his beer and made a three-point shot into the closest trashcan before holding up his hand to Moose, who quite happily obliged him. “Hey, Moose! You ever told a chick anal ain’t the same as losing her virginity?”
Before Moose could respond, a hand came from nowhere and slapped Kenny on the back of his head, forcing his body to rock forward.
“You’re in the company of a lady, you ignorant little dipshit.” Deeks huffed, pushing Kenny from his stool and parking his ass there. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t see any ladies around here, Deeks. Just Ayda.” Kenny punched Deeks in the arm and danced out of reach before Deeks could smack him back. Not to be outdone, Deeks grabbed an empty soda can from the bar and flung it at Kenny as he retreated to the boys over at the pool table.