Renny (The Henchmen MC 6)

"But it felt right now? When there's a real danger involved? And when, for all intents and purposes, you guys have a good, crime-free life going?"

It wasn't normal for grown men with decent jobs and their shit together who had grown up with a strong and law-abiding mother to just suddenly decide to become arms dealers.

"Our little sis just moved off on her own about a year ago so we didn't have to worry about her anymore. It just seemed like a sign, y'know? And we did some research and found out that Reign had kinda turned shit around to be less twisted. Figured it was now or never. A bucket list kinda thing, I guess? Besides, I work at a damn coffee shop. Not like I am giving up a whole hell of a lot by prospecting here."

"You guys have a sister?" I asked, surprised it was the first I was hearing of it.

"Yeah, Wasp is a little..."

"Wasp?" I cut him off, smiling. Granted, Reeve and Cyrus weren't common names, but they're weren't off-the-wall either.

"Nickname," he explained. "She's a hellion. My mom once told her she acted like a queen bee and she objected and said she wasn't a bee because bees died after they stung you and that she was a wasp instead, because they just kept on stinging all they fucking wanted. It just stuck."

"She sounds like a character."

"Yeah, she took after Pops earlier than we did."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning she got herself a fucking converted school bus and some female friends and she runs fucking cons across the country. She'll likely drop in sometime now that she knows we finally bit the bullet. She's been encouraging this since we were teens, said if it wasn't a sexist place, she would prospect herself. She would have too. And her ass would have gotten in. In a weird way, she'll be proud of us."

Seeing as I worked in a criminal organization, I could understand that. It was always a big deal to get accepted. Especially when the organization was as old as The Henchmen MC.

"Have you ever done anything even remotely illegal? Or are you just jumping in?"

"Does all the typical teenage shit count?"

"What typical teenage shit?"

"Smoking, fighting, illegally downloading shit, drinking, maybe even a B&E or two, but nothing got taken. It was just to fuck with these assholes that were always yelling at us to stop hanging out on the street."

"No rap sheet, no crime," I offered.

"Then I'm a regular mother fucking boy scout. Think that works against me here?"

"I think it's important to not have the law looking too close at you. If you had already had a bunch of charges for arms, they would start looking at you closer. Clean slate might be just what they need around here."

"Good to know. Where is everyone?" he asked, gesturing around to the mostly-empty room.

"Reign went to see Wolf and Janie. Cash and Repo are entertaining the kids with some kind of hoverboard thing he ordered. The women are likely taking a much-needed nap."

"And Duke?"

I felt my lips curve up a little wickedly at that. "He and Penny just met a couple months back so whenever they get the chance..."

"Gotcha," Cyrus said with a smile that was leaps and bounds more devilish than mine. "So you and Renny. That's an interesting matchup."

"Why's that?"

"Because you both have this lightswitch thing."

I felt myself stiffening at that. Renny was the one with a lightswitch. Not me.

"How so?"

"You both turn hot and cold in a blink. He's warm, you're usually cold. He's cold, you're warm. Both of you walking outta that kitchen a bit ago, it was like the fucking North Pole up in here. But, I guess that must mean when you're both warm, it's fucking hot as hell, right?"

"Right," I agreed, sitting there a little dumbstruck by his declaration.

I had never considered myself a hot and cold person. Mostly because I generally accepted that I was mostly cool most of the time.

But either I had been wrong about myself my whole life, or I was suddenly becoming warmer at times.

And, really, I knew exactly what and who caused that.

Which put me excusing myself with a supposed headache and going back to our room, remembering right then that I was going to have to share a bed with him. But there was nothing I could do about that at that point. So I grabbed my duffle bag and made my way to the bathroom to realize that there was a reason Ashley had been in such a rush to pack my bag.

Because she left out some essentials.

Namely, anything that could be worn as pajamas.

I suddenly got the impression that everyone in my life was on some kind of mission to push me and Renny together. When the hell did I become that pathetic friend that everyone wanted to set up?