Chapter 22 Bane
Bane
I sit on a stack of tires that need to be recycled and watch Slade work with her brothers and Badger in the shop. I’ve been here since I returned, watching through the big open door. Her clothes and hands are dirty with grease, and her hair is messed.
And I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman.
She’s in her element in the shop, and another piece of the mysterious Slade Kowal is revealed to me. But it brings more questions.
I know she spent a lot of time working on bikes and vehicles when she was younger with Badger and her brothers. Watching her now, moving with such confidence, it’s clear this is something she’s kept up with in all the years she’s been away from the MC.
Ash drops his fist down on my shoulder as he comes up beside me, and I see he’s looking into the shop as well. He’s tense.
“Glad to see Dom didn’t kill you,” I joke to lighten the mood.
I wanted to go with him to meet with Dom, but Ash insisted this needed to be one-on-one, leader-to-leader.
Dom is the head of the Saints, the strongest gang in the city, and is a close ally of ours through the Chamber.
Along with the cars—to buy or move stolen ones—the Saints run the contraband racket in the city. One of their shipments was hijacked last night. Two of the crew are dead, and the third is clinging to life in the hospital, and had mumbled ‘Guardians’ to Dom.
“My gut is saying it was Cutt, but of course, there’s no proof,” Ash says darkly.
“Let’s just kill the fucker, then,” I grit, but know that we can’t do shit without rebellion in our ranks because the old guard still holds a lot of weight even if they aren’t leading the MC.
Ash makes a noise of frustration. Before I can say anything further, Tyr’s raised voice distracts me. “Turn it back on, Slade.”
I look back into the shop and see Tyr towering over Slade with his fists clenched. I’m on my feet and stalking toward him without conscious thought.
While working with them, she had shown the slightest bit of life to her emotions, but now she looks like a beautiful, cold marble statue.
“Turn it back on,” Tyr demands again.
Sten shoves Tyr. “Her emotions aren’t a fucking light switch.”
Badger is about to intervene when he sees me storming through the big open overhead door.
“Back the fuck away from her.” My tone is menacing and lethal as I’m on the verge of going nuclear on Tyr’s ass.
When he whirls to face me, I bump into him, using my body to push him away from Slade. I refrain from grabbing him because if I lay my hands on the kid right now, I don’t know what I’d do.
Rage flows through me. I know Slade isn’t in physical danger from her brothers, but I’ll be damned if anyone causes her any more mental pain.
“What’s going on?” Ash asks, the voice of reason to my brewing wrath.
Breaker and Sten flank Slade, who pinches the bridge of her nose.
Grease from her hands transfers to her cute little nose, and I have to fight the urge to haul her over my shoulder.
I can’t decide if it’s to get her away from this to protect her.
Or if it’s to steal her away, all for myself, wanting to ravage the fuck out of her.
Lust and something else I can’t name roil within me.
She looks at me, and a jolt hits, like that one look tangibly connected with me. Her beautiful green eyes—so flat and closed off when she first looks at me—spark with something.
As we stare at each other, I marvel at the transformation from the numbed, almost lifeless state to a flicker of light at first, but then it blooms brighter and bigger. It’s like emotion rises from deep within her, and her cheeks flush.
“Why will you react to him?” Tyr demands, and I hear the pain in his voice.
Whatever was happening within Slade dies, and the flat, expressionless state returns. I’ve never wanted to pummel someone to their bloody death as much as I do right now.
“Why will you show anything that resembles an emotion to Bane, little sis, but not us? Your brothers?” The pain is deeper in Tyr’s voice. “I know we failed you—”
His words cut off when Slade reaches up and cups his cheeks. “I’m not punishing you.” Her hands fall, and she looks away. “It’s just how I am now.”
“You don’t need to explain, little one.” My pet name for her slips past my lips without my permission. I inwardly curse when her brothers snap their heads to me, and I can feel Ash stiffen behind me.
Slade’s lips press together. I’ve gotten her to react and respond again, even if it’s the beginnings of anger.
So I double down. “Let’s go get something to eat, baby.”
The threatening protectiveness rolls off Ash in waves, and her brothers tighten in a half-circle around her. Badger stays off to the side, silent and observing the show.
“Don’t. Call. Me. Baby.” Slade steps to me, her small hands fisted and teeth clenched. But before I can respond, she snarks, “Daddy.”
I know she says it as a taunt, that’s clear from her expression and tone; likely having heard that it’s something the Bunnies try to call me and that I hate it.
But coming from her? From her sweet, lush mouth? With that tone and look of sass and anger.
Daddy kink. Unlocked.
Fucking hell.
My dick jerks in my jeans, and I have to do everything in my power not to get a raging erection right now.
Breaker puts his hand on Slade’s shoulder, a gesture of protectiveness, and looks at me warily.
There’s a hierarchy of power in the MC, and ultimately, I’m only surpassed by the Prez; however, I know Breaker, Tyr, and Sten will protect Slade, refusing to repeat their mistakes of the past. But they have nothing to fear from me; I’d take a shotgun blast to the chest before I hurt her.
The absurd truth of that thought punches me, but I lean into it, even though I don’t fully comprehend what the hell is happening.
“How about we just cool our jets?” Badger finally steps in.
“What happened?” Ash demands to know what instigated all this.
“Wolf,” Slade says flatly. “My brothers seem to think I’d benefit from a visit from our dad. I disagreed.”
“If she doesn’t want to talk about Wolf, then it’s dead in the water,” Ash tells Breaker, Tyr, and Sten.
“You can’t do that.” Tyr flares, always the more hot-headed of the three brothers. “This is family business.”
“You’re right; this is family business,” I say. “And Slade is Havoc Guardian family.”
She doesn’t look pleased but stays quiet.
I take a step toward Tyr, and I have to give the kid credit, he doesn’t back down. “If you speak like that to our Prez again, you’ll be out before you can ever get your patches. This is your only warning.”
Slade sighs and grips Tyr’s cut, yanking him back. “Stand down, Tyr.” When he resists, still looking like he is contemplating being a shithead, she says, “Don’t throw this away. The MC is your life, and I’m only here temporarily.”
“You’re staying,” I growl.
Her green eyes snap to me. “For now.”
“For. Good.”
And two words have never felt so utterly right, even though the descending sun catches the glint of the simple, gold band on her ring finger.
I can’t have Slade, but that doesn’t mean I won’t protect her with my life.
She’s somehow gone from being a threat to the MC—someone I wanted gone—to someone I need to keep close to keep safe. She’s been added to that small list of people I’d forfeit my life for, without question or hesitation, if it meant theirs would be spared.
And I’d gladly live an eternity in hell if it meant I could save her.