Heidi shudders and wraps her hands around her lemonade glass. “I never, ever want her around my kids.”
“Damn right.”
“What the heck happened?” She wrinkles her nose. “Did they date?”
“He remembers her but not a whole lot more than a few bits and pieces.” I gag. “I don’t think it was what you’d consider dating.”
“What’s this mean for you…and for the club?”
“Don’t know, yet.”
“It shouldn’t matter. Lots of clubs are legacy clubs,” Heidi says as if she’s ready to go to battle for me. “That one we met in Texas, Savage Dragons? Remember Blaise? He took over the club for his father.”
“Didn’t think you were paying that much attention.” My lips curve. My sister may pretend to be a carefree ol’ lady when we’re around other clubs, but she’s always observing and taking in information. “The Demons too. Chaser took over for his dad. I have no intention of running the club, though.”
She grins at me. “That’s because Alexa and Grace are going to run it one day.”
Thinking about the sheer volume of dirtbags in club life brings an immediate no to my lips. “Then I’d have to kill a whole lot of bikers. And I sure as shit don’t want them hooking up with one.”
Her smile slips. “Easy on the overprotective vibes.”
“You’re dreaming if you think I and every single one of my brothers won’t look out for the girls.”
“Looking out is great.” She drops her gaze to her feet, studying her boots. “It’s the whole no-dating-until-she’s-thirty vibe that’s tired.”
“Heidi—”
“No,” she says firmly. “All that overprotective talk teaches girls that it’s okay to be controlled by the men in their lives. As long as it’s done out of ‘concern’ or ‘for their own good.’”
Without thinking through what she’s saying, I blurt, “That’s bullshit—”
“Can you really not see the difference?” she interrupts in a firm but calm voice. Obviously, she’s thought about this a lot. “Can you close your mouth and actually listen to what I’m saying?”
It rubs my ass but she has a point. I snap my mouth shut.
“It’s not ‘cute.’ I don’t want to teach my daughter to not think for herself.”
While it rubs against thirty or so years of personal beliefs, feelings, and experience, what she’s saying starts to sink in. “It’s not because I think you can’t take care of yourself or that the girls won’t be able to when they’re older. It’s because I love you and them. I worry all the time. I know what it’s like out there. A lot of men are fucking scum, and I want to protect all of you from the bad ones.”
“Then teach them about the good ones,” she insists. “Help them develop and listen to their gut instincts.” She presses her hand to her stomach. “Not to rely on a big strong uncle all the time.”
“I can do that.” I rest my hand on her shoulder and draw her closer. The corner of my mouth twitches. “But I’m still gonna fucking murder anyone who hurts my family.”
Finally, she laughs. “Fair enough, big brother. Just give us a chance to do it first.”
My sister has cracked a few skulls on her own. Saved our asses more than once. “Alexa already has a pretty badass mom.”
“It took a while to get there,” she says with the limited scope of youth.
ROCK
Relief spread through me as soon as Murphy and Heidi showed up at Marcel’s house.
They’re safe. They both seem calmer. Heidi’s willing to talk to Marcel.
I glance at Murphy. Hunched shoulders, tight posture. Leaning against the side of his truck, like he might bolt any minute.
He’s not ready to talk.