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“Thought I made it clear Dana’s off limits? Same as my sister and cousins,” Hawthorne snapped.
“Dana’s off limits to be messed around with. You said nothing about a relationship,” Ezra shot back.
“You are telling me the playboy of Rage is looking to settle down?” Hawthorne sneered.
“What do you assume you know, dude? I haven’t screwed anyone. And if you take note, considering you’re a PI and supposed to be observant, you’ll find I’ve been with no one. Casual sex, bunnies, and bar flies ain’t for me. I got a rep. Fuck, I made one mistake by getting hammered after Lindsey’s attack and slept with a club whore. Next thing, the way that bitch ran her mouth, everyone thinks I fuck anything with a pulse. That ain’t the truth, and you know it.”
“Do I?” Hawthorne challenged Ezra.
“Yeah, you fuckin’ do. Don’t make me out to be a playboy,” Ezra snarled and caught his temper before he lost it. That was what Hawthorne was looking for. An excuse for a brawl. Ezra wouldn’t back down to anyone else, but causing trouble between him and Hawthorne would put Dana in a bad position.
“Dana isn’t built for a casual relationship,” Hawthorne said, going another route.
“Good. Because she’s mine,” Ezra stated.
Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “Yours?”
“Yes, I’ve been interested a couple of years, but pinning Dana down is a nightmare. Dana’s like a shadow. Every time I made a move, she fuckin’ disappeared. The other night, she played into my hands, giving me the opening I wanted. I’m going to woo and then marry her before some schmuck comes along and she realises she can do better than me,” Ezra said.
“Don’t like it,” Hawthorne muttered.
“Ain’t for you to like. I’m here out of respect for both of you. But if you assume that you can chase me away, then no. I’m going nowhere.”
“Oh, I could make you disappear,” Hawthorne grumbled, but Ezra noticed there was no heat in it.
“Same goes here.”
“I don’t like you,” Hawthorne complained.
Ezra allowed a smile to cross his lips. Hawthorne was now simply being petulant.
“If you hurt her, Rage will never find the body. Dana is mine, too, she is family. And Hawthorne’s won’t stop coming for you if you cause her pain. Dana needs to be loved, and we adore her, but she has never been interested in one of us. Believe me, if she’d shown the slightest interest, my guys would have swept her off her feet.
“Rage may be the big bad MC, but Hawthorne’s can be just as dirty. So, treat Dana like the treasure she is. Patrick shit all over her; we investigated what happened when she turned up without her ring. Dana doesn’t know we checked up on him and then intercepted him several times when he tried to reach out to her,” Hawthorne said, rubbing his chin.
“Even though he had married her sister?” Ezra believed Hawthorne.
Patrick’s words the other day had merely proven he was in it for himself. As soon as he realised what connection Dana had, he’d fallen over himself. The problem was, for a guy like Patrick—with his sense of entitlement—no didn’t mean no. Ezra knew Patrick would keep harassing Dana until he got his own way. That was what men like him did.
The world, according to Patrick, revolved around him. Now Dana had something to offer him. And he wanted her back. Ezra was still tickled that Patrick had announced he was going to divorce her sister so he could marry Dana. Dana had been appalled. Ezra thought the asshole was funny, but he did not underestimate him, either. No, Patrick was dangerous because Dana had what he desired.
That meant Dana had trouble heading her way—and speaking of complications. Ezra held Hawthorne’s eyes. “How much danger was Dana in?”
Hawthorne didn’t bother to ask when or where. He knew what Ezra meant.
“A shitload. They were clearly after her and tried to force her off the road. My men can’t find out if it’s because she’s linked with us or they discovered her role in rescuing Irish. London and a few of us reached Dana in time, but we lost the Fangs. On those fuckin’ bikes, they go where cars can’t.”
“Fuck, I knew she was downplaying it. Rage has heard nothing about a price on her head,” Ezra muttered, dropping his chin and rubbing his neck.
“No. Neither have we, and we have shaken down every snitch we have; we can’t find out why they targeted her.”
“They’re not gonna have her,” Ezra swore, and Hawthorne nodded in grim agreement.
“No.”
“Is Dana aware she’s in danger?”
“Yes and no. She believes it was a one-off, but we’ve got her changing her routes into work every day, and she does the same going home. If someone’s in the office, we follow her to make sure she is okay. Dana’s alert but not feeling overly threatened. She’s talked herself into believing they were after her because she worked here.
