Page 37 of Property of Yak

“The troublemaker?” Yooper asks.

“None other.” I rub my hand down my face.

“She is causing a stir in the club. We don’t need this heat right now. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I wasn’t going to let the girl get fucking raped in our clubhouse. I know you do things differently here, but that’s where I draw the line. If that’s a problem, I’ll head back home and take the girl with me,” I growl.

Yooper holds up his hands. “That’s my line too, but you could have handled it differently. Aragon already hates you. You are giving him more ammo against you.”

I snort. “To do what? What is he going to do?”

“He’s a legacy member. His father might be retired, but he is still part of the club in his own way. He says you unfairly claimed dibs on a woman. You took a willing woman from his arms.”

I cross my arms. “She wasn’t willing. She was there for me. She wanted to see me. So yes, I claimed her.”

“You claimed her as your old lady? You meant that?”

I pause but nod. “I did, and I do.”

“Are you serious about this? I can pass it off as you needed to get laid, but if you keep the claim, it’s going to make shit a whole lot harder for us. You’ll have something to lose.”

I shrug. “I will, but she’s worth it. She doesn’t deserve the heat she’s going to get being mine, nor would she deserve him hunting her down and hurting her just because he can. I don’t know what put her in my path, but she’s mine now. Even if she decides later on that she wants nothing to do with me, I will still protect her.”

“Is this some sort of savior complex thing?” he asks.

I think about it. Is it?

I don’t think it is. I didn’t feel the need to hunt down her friend and save her.

No, I think this is all about Julie and the connection we unbiddenly formed.

“No, it’s not. I sent Poutine to check on her and arrange with her boss for security.”

He gives me a long hard look before nodding. “Good. He’s the only one we know for sure we can trust.”

It’s true. We brought him in personally and let him in on some of the issues. He’s our eyes and ears that no one would suspect because members don’t tell prospects shit. He’s the perfect mole.

“Sap is good too,” I tell him.

He seems surprised. “How do you know?”

“It’s a gut feeling. Some things he has said. He covered for me with Aragon once. If he were working with him, he would have tossed me to the wolves,” I admit.

“So that’s two we can trust. What about the others?”

“We go through them one by one. Aragon is for sure doing shady shit. I just need to find the proof. I can’t figure out who he is working with, though. He changes who is with him a lot. I don’t know if that’s a way to keep us off his trail or if all of them are working for him.”

“I’ll dig a little deeper. See what I can find on my end. Try to clear Predator next. He’s a wiz on the computer. We could really use him if he can be trusted.”

“On it, boss.” I nod and start to walk away.

“Yak,” he calls out, so I stop and look back. “I’m happy for you. We will keep her safe. I won’t let you lose anything else.”

I snort. “Stop worrying about me so much, big bro. I can handle it. You worry about your club, and I’ll worry about my woman.”

I keep the silly smile on my face until I know he can’t see me. Then I let it fall away.

This inquisition into the members of the club is wearing on me. It’s tearing me down piece by piece. This is supposed to be a brotherhood, and instead, I feel like I am inside the beginnings of a mutiny.