Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(124)

“This isn’t about Lanie,” Hopper bit, not happy his old lady was dragged into this discussion.

“I’m makin’ a point,” Rush bit back at Hop.

“We’re gettin’ your point and it’s not the same damned thing,” Hop returned.

“It fuckin’ is and you know it,” Rush shot back. “With those two women, sisters of their own kind of patch, you know it. And you also know, time went by, she wasn’t feelin’ you but she was feelin’ Dad, Dad felt like goin’ that way, he wouldn’t blink before he took what he wanted.”

Hop’s jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth, because Hop knew Tack found what he wanted in Lanie (even though he wouldn’t, she was slim, and Tack was a tits and ass man), and it meant something even with what she meant to Tyra, he wouldn’t blink.

Rush turned again to his old man. “And say a bullet tagged you and we lost you. Tyra didn’t even have your ring then and Chaos would still have moved in. We’d have taken her on. We’d have protected her forever like she was one of our own.”

“Yeah, you would and she’d have earned that by then, because ring or not, she was mine,” Tack ground out. “And bein’ mine, a brother moved in on that, I would not be down, Rush. Not ever. Not even close.”

Rush’s voice dipped when he said, “By then, Dad, you’re right, she was yours. She was also ours. Now tell me, who could look after her like we could?”

“No one,” Tack gritted.

“Yeah, and she made that play, that was what she wanted, Chaos was who she was and the only thing she could ever again be. If that was what she needed to make her happy, who could come after you but a brother?” Rush asked then kept at his old man. “Who would you want to come after you to give her what she needed to make her happy but a brother?”

Tack shut his mouth so fast Hound could swear he heard his teeth clack together.

And Hound stood against the wall, shaken, because he’d never thought of it that way.

But Rush was right.

Keely was Chaos.

If he’d thought about it, there could be no one else for her but a man whose blood ran wind, fire, ride and free.

“This is fuckin’ insane. I can’t even fuckin’ believe I’m hearin’ this shit,” Dog growled.

Rush stood, his focus on Dog. “There’s love and there’s love. My father taught me the right kind of love. It’s unrelenting and selfless. There’s nothing you won’t give up to show it. There’s nothing you won’t do to protect it.” Keeping his eyes on Dog, Rush speared a finger at his father. “Dad taught me that.” He speared a finger at Dog. “Black taught you that.” Without looking Hound’s way, Rush speared a finger at Hound. “And Hound’s spent two decades showin’ us all he’s got that.”

He moved free of his chair and trained his eyes on Shy sitting to Tack’s left.

“You got my proxy. The vote comes up to make Hound stand the gauntlet, my vote is no. But I’m not gonna sit here and be a party to this shit.” He finally turned to Hound. “They make you stand, brother, and you fall, I’ll be there not to pick you up but to stand in your place.” He swept his gaze along the table. “You take your fists to him and bring him low, next up you’re taking your fists to me. Now you get done with this bullshit, I’ll be at the bar. I need some fuckin’ tequila.”

Delivering that, he slammed out of the room.

Tack watched his son leave with an intensity that beat even his most intense, and the man could be intense.

Then he drew in an audible breath.

“Shy, you got my proxy too,” Brick said, and Hound looked his way. “And it’s a no.”

“Are you fuckin’ serious?” Arlo asked.

“Yeah,” Brick clipped. “I don’t know where you been for the last two decades but most a’ the time I’ve been here seein’ Hound step up for Keely, for those boys, for Black. But I was in that room, Arlo, and so were you, so we both knew just how far Hound went to step up for Black.”

“To earn himself brother pussy,” Arlo retorted, and that, only that made Hound’s neck start itching.

“You know that ain’t right,” Brick whispered. “You know it.”

Arlo moved his head in an awkward way that got Hound’s full attention.

“We all know it,” High put in. “Whatever we got here, don’t go there, brother.”

Arlo turned his eyes to the table, looking uncomfortable, and kept his mouth shut.

“We all know Black too,” Brick went on.

“And he’d not be down with this shit at all,” Dog said.

“You sure about that?” Brick asked.

“Fuck yes, I’m sure,” Dog answered furiously.

“Well I’m not,” Brick returned. “He loved her. I spent years chasin’ that kinda love, brother. That gold-plated love that’s so fuckin’ rare it’s almost like it doesn’t exist, even when you can see it right in front of you. Love that shines so bright, blinds you but it’s so fuckin’ beautiful, you can’t take your eyes away. Black felt that for Keely. And lookin’ back, what I see now is, Hound felt that same thing.”

Brick pushed away from the wall and kept at the men at the table.