“I gave you my word that I would never hurt you. That includes not putting you in danger.”
“But you—” She clamps her mouth shut and shakes her head in dismissal of her thought. I was gearing up for a fight, but she just backed down. How disappointing.
“I have something to take care of real quick, and I need you to stay in the car,” I say. Mindy’s head snaps around from side to side. Realization dawns on her face as her eyes scan her surroundings. She stares at Trigger’s and Duke’s bikes as they roll down the street and block the driveway of the fucking crack den she tried to buy from the other day. They climb off their Harleys in unison and remove their helmets.
“What are you doing?” she asks on a desperate plea.
I bring the SUV up to the curb and park in front of the fire hydrant in the red zone. With the Suburban in park and the keys in hand, I open my door and shake my head as she reaches for her door handle.
“Business meeting. Stay in the car, Melinda.”
She says nothing, but her eyes practically bug out of her head as I exit the car and lock it up behind me and set the alarm. She can still get out, but at least I’ll hear her if she does.
“Ready for s’mores?” Trigger asks as he shakes the bottle of lighter fluid at me with a leather-gloved hand and a huge grin on his face. He walks down the driveway and eyes the house\.
Duke heads past me with a simple nod as he tosses his lighter in the air and focuses on the other side of the house. He catches sight of Mindy in the SUV and gives her a friendly nod. I take my eyes off the house long enough to see her smile and give him a big wave. I know she was staying with Duke and Nic for a few weeks before her attack, but how fucking close did they get? I fight back the urge to shoot her a dirty look. She doesn’t smile enough these days, and if this asshole is her friend and he can make her smile, then fuck it. It’s fine. Besides, Nic would cut his balls off and feed them to him afterward if he fucked around on her.
The creaking of the front door draws my attention away from Mindy and Duke and toward the house where Clarence, who prefers to be called Smirk, stands with his hands in his pockets. He’s expecting me, but two of my brothers flanking the sides of his house is probably a surprise. With quick strides, I walk up the cement pathway and take the stairs of the porch two at a time until Clarence and I are face to face.
He lifts his arms beside his head and takes a step back saying, “I didn’t give her nothing and I called you right away, just like I told you I would.”
“I know.” I eye his skinny as fuck frame and the scabs that have formed on his chin and the inside of his arms. He’s got tracks up and down the inner curve of his elbow, and his teeth are various shades of yellow with tinges of brown at the gums.
“We square?”
“You’re selling shit drugs in my town after you were so politely asked to stop.”
“Man, you said that shit was cool. Said I’d catch a break if I keep you clued in about your girl.”
“And I’m keeping my word. Is there anybody else home right now?”
“Why?”
My eyes narrow and I make a tsk sound with my tongue as I shake my head. Duke, who’s in earshot, leaves his post and walks to the SUV. I unlock the car with the remote from my pocket.
“Because I’m here to teach a lesson, not deliver a message. Now, it would be wise of you to answer the question.”
“Nah, man. It’s just me.” Smirk shifts awkwardly on his feet, hopping around uncomfortably.
From behind me, Duke clears his throat. He and Mindy are standing at the foot of the steps. She’s close to him but not touching. She has her hands shoved in his jean pockets, her eyes volleying between mine and her former dealer’s uneasily.
“Mindy, Clarence here is under strict orders not to sell to you.” I keep my face firm, refusing to soften under her wide, fearful eyes. She tears up and her chin wobbles, but she doesn’t break eye contact. This has to be fucking humiliating and painful for her. As much as I hate to cause her any pain, she needs to know that I won’t let anything hurt her—including herself.
“He didn’t sell me anything.” Her eyes close slowly, and she scrubs at her face with shaky hands. When she returns her attention to me, she slumps her shoulders like she’s all out of fight.
“I know,” I say. She seems to relax a little. I can’t look at her as I say this, so I turn back toward Clarence. “Or he’d already be dead.”
Trigger swings himself up on the porch using the railing and tosses Clarence the bottle of lighter fluid. My brother hasn’t looked this happy since the last time he and Grady got into it. “Instead, he’s just going to burn down his own house. Aren’t you, Clarence?”