Page 132 of Down & Dirty: Rage

Over the top? “How d’you think Crow’s gonna feel when he hears about the risk you women took?”

“He doesn’t need to know,” Lyric whispered.

“The fuck he doesn’t. Maybe he’ll talk some fuckin’ senseinto you. Just like Nash and Cross should talk some fuckin’ sense into your goddamn roommate. And Jag needs to get Ivy’s mini-me under control.”

“We’re not children.”

“No, you ain’t. But everyone I just mentioned lived through the bullshit of what the Warriors did. The Souls are doin’ the same goddamn shit by taking pot shots at you women. That meanstheythink you all are our weakness. If it’s up to me, the sisterhood’s goin’ on fuckin’ lockdown.”

She blinked. “What? You can’t do that.”

“Oh yeah? Watch. We fuckin’ can’t risk you women gettin’ snagged, beaten, or…even worse. Ain’t gonna sleep ‘less I know you’re safe.”

“Did you forget we all were forced into self-defense training?”

He didn’t. And if he had to admit it, which he wouldn’t, what Bri, Lyric, and Avery left behind on Fisher Road was damn impressive. They took on four big bikers and basically got away scratch free. The Toyota being the big exception.

While that was impressive, he would’ve rather they hadn’t had that run-in in the first place. They were lucky all three of them weren’t in a morgue right now.

“Gotta be smart, baby,” he said in a softer tone. “Doin’ what you three did wasn’t smart.”

“We simply should’ve given up?”

“Fuck that. Meant going to the goddamn Pink Pearl in the first place. If you go out, you stick to where you’re safe and surrounded by us or the Knights.”

“We can’t live in fear all the time.”

“Don’t gotta live in fear. Just gotta be smart ’til we get a handle on this shit with that MC and their puppet masters.”

“You also need to keep us apprised so we’re prepared.”

Rage happened to agree with that. To a point. While theydid need to be better about sharing info in the future, there would always be limits, whether the women liked it or not. “Yeah,” was all he said. “Wanna tell me how that all went down?”

“Which part?”

“How many fuckin’ parts are there? How ‘bout the part where one Soul was laid out cold and the other three were hurtin’ big time?”

“Did you ever think maybe our badass sisterhood isn’t an actual weakness?”

“Fuck no.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, Avery and Bri went all badass biker bitches on them.”

Rage dropped his head and scratched the back of his neck. After a few forced breaths, he lifted it again. “And you?”

“I helped where needed.”

“Great,” he muttered. All he knew was that he could’ve lost her a second time.

The fuck if there would be a third.

“You have blood on you.”

He glanced down to see a few smears on his jeans. Probably from dragging the bodies and piling them up in the woods. “No shit.”

“What did you do?”

His eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead. “Me? They were goddamn bloody when we got there. We simply finished the job you women started.”