When Viking caught sight of Lilah and me cutting across the yard, he whistled to get my attention. I held up my hand in dismissal.

“Not the fuck now, Vike. I gotta take care of some shit for Styx, and I don’t need to hear fuck all from your stupid mouth,” I snapped.

Vike tapped AK’s shoulder, then smirked at me. “What shit you gotta do? Or is it who you gotta do? You rushing to bust a nut into the blond Amish bitch?”

Catching the shocked stutter of Lilah’s breath, I swung to face her and saw tears of hurt and confusion filling her eyes. I took a deep breath. I was gonna kill that redheaded dick hole.

Shaking loose Lilah’s hand, I turned to storm at Viking, when Lilah suddenly gripped my arm, holding me back. “Please, do not leave me. I am afraid out here… with them. I do not know them… I…”

Exhaling and working on calming down, I nodded my head and retook her hand. I caught her almost silent sigh of relief. My stomach tightened and something strange seemed to burn in my chest. I liked that she seemed to feel safe with me.

Hell. I liked it a lot.

But when we brushed past Vike, I heard him mutter to AK, Cowboy, and Hush, “Fuck, she’s hot. What I wouldn’t give to skull-fuck that mouth.”

I lost it.

Yanking my hand out of Lilah’s, ignoring her terrified cry, I charged at Viking, knocking his stupid ass to the asphalt and giving him two hard jabs in his fuckin’ filterless mouth.

Viking spat blood in my face and jerked his legs, knocking me to the side. Just before the asswipe could strike back, I kicked him in his balls with my left boot, enjoying hearing him squeal and turn blue, squirming in pain as he fell to the ground.

“Skull-fuck that, fire crotch,” I spat and jumped to my feet, immediately searching for Lilah. She was between Cowboy, Hush, and AK. AK was holding her arm. I stormed over to my brothers to see AK smile wide at her and Cowboy tip his Stetson. Hush kinda grunted, and Lilah swallowed hard. She looked as scared as all hell, her eyes firmly fixed on the ground.

AK caught my approach and my hard stare at his arm on Lilah’s. He immediately let go, and Lilah’s eyes fluttered up to meet mine, softening in relief.

“You kill him yet?” AK asked, nodding his head in Vike’s direction.

Wiping my bloodied knuckles on my wet jeans, I glanced back at Vike, still fetal on the ground, cupping his balls. “Nah, not that goddamn lucky. That bastard could survive a fuckin’ nuclear holocaust, Vike and the goddamn cockroaches… and he’d probably attempt to skull-fuck all’a them too. Asshole.”

Hearing Lilah sniff and wrap her arms across her chest, I tipped my head at her. “Let’s go, sweet cheeks.”

“You been catching a midnight swim, brother?” Cowboy asked as we headed away, spitting his chewing tobacco onto the small patch of grass beside his Chopper.

Hush’s top lip lifted in amusement, his leather-clad arms wrapped over his chest.

Groaning, I replied, “Don’t fuckin’ ask.”

I could see AK, Hush, and Cowboy looking at a soaked Lilah, her dripping long blond hair haphazardly stuffed into that god-awful white headdress thing she never took off, and then Cowboy looked over at me. My jaw clenched when he raised his eyebrow in question. I shook my head and they all smirked.

Nosy fucking cunts!

Reaching out my hand, I grabbed Lilah’s arm, pulled her forward, and headed for the back door to the apartment over the garage. As we entered the hallway, I caught Flame sitting at the top of the stairs. He looked down, his crazy black eyes boring holes into me.

Turning Lilah by her shoulder, I pointed up the stairs to her room. “Get up there and lock the door.”

She silently nodded her head and climbed the stairs, only to glance back when I called her name.

“Lilah, I’ll be here in the morning. Be ready.”

Lilah gripped the handrail and nervously asked, “If I could make a request, it would be that I be left alone. I will not leave my room again. I will cause no further problems.”

Shaking my head, I replied, “We’ve been through this, sweet cheeks. I’m gonna be teaching you how to be here in the outside world.” I pointed to my chest. “Ky, remember? Your personal fuckin’ tutor.”

Her mouth opened. “I—”

“You don’t get a choice. You’re doing it. Now get upstairs and sleep.”

Lilah bowed her head at my order, which only served to piss me off even more. She gave Flame a wide berth and rushed inside the apartment, slamming the door.

I ran my hands down my face, leaned against the wall, and groaned. This was gonna be a clusterfuck. I could feel it in my bones. Worst thing was I wouldn’t even be able to touch her or else Styx would go Saudi on my ass and cut off my hands.

Pushing off the wall, I heard Flame sharpening his knives on the strop tied to the waistband of his leathers. I smirked at him, camped outside the pilgrim bitches’ door like an obedient dog. Flame caught me laughing and his crazy eyes snapped to mine, his teeth bared, and I was sure I caught a low growl.

His infatuation with Mae’s little sister was so fucking amusing. I smiled wide and shouted, “Have fun, Fido. I’ll be back later to take you out for your scheduled walk and piss!” I headed for the exit door, still laughing, when a long blade flew past me and sliced into the wall next to my head.

“What the fuck!” I spun to face Flame. The fucker was still staring at me, sharpening his blades, no other emotion but the usual psychopathic hate in his stare. Slamming the doors wide open, I flicked my middle finger at him over my shoulder and a couple of minutes later, entered my private room.