"We like having you here." Axel plopped beside her on the couch and kicked his boots up on the coffee table. "You belong to Romeo."
"I don't belong to him." She exhaled in frustration. "Just call him or give me his number, and I'll use my phone."
"He should be here any minute." Turner walked into the kitchen. "I passed him on my way home.
Resignation settled over her. She couldn't leave before he got home with his brothers forcing her to stay in the house. She'd do what she tried to avoid and deal with Romeo before hitting the road.
She crossed her legs. Axel's gaze followed the line from her thigh to her ankle. She stopped swinging her foot and held it stiff out of pure stubbornness. He couldn't act mean and then look at her that way.
"Don't you have something better to do?" she mumbled.
Axel leaned closer. "Not until four o'clock, and then I will get cleaned up and hit the bar."
"What bar?" asked Sander.
"Lila's Bar." Axel swung his arm over her head and rested it on the back of the couch behind her. "It used to be called Lilacs Bar, seeing as Spokane is famous for its Lilacs, but the C fell off the sign years ago, so everyone calls it Lila's Bar."
She shook her head in confusion. Axel could talk himself hoarse. No wonder Brody enjoyed the quiet breakfast with her that morning.
Turner swung around and looked through the window. "Romeo's home." He opened the front door. "About time."
She jumped off the couch before Axel could pull her back down and rushed outside, feeling a moment of victory for reaching Romeo first. She whirled her finger at the motorcycle, urging him to shut off the Harley.
As soon as it was quiet enough to speak, she said, "Tell your brothers I'm leaving."
"Where are you going?"
She groaned, tired of explaining herself. "I don't want to stay at your house anymore. I put money on the coffee table. I want to leave."
"What happened?" He looked toward the house. "Which brother pissed you off?"
"No one..." She pursed her lips. "All of them. Including you."
He got off the motorcycle, looped his arm over her shoulders, and chuckled. "Well, it won't be the first time we make you mad. You'll get used to us."
She stopped walking. "You don't get it. I'm leaving."
"No, you're not."
She pushed him. "Now, you're doing what they were doing. Stop it."
"Let's talk." He urged her forward. "Come on."
Mentally exhausted from dealing with the Muel brothers, she stepped into the house, went directly upstairs to the bedroom, and slammed the door. Better than dealing with them was not dealing with them.
Even if that meant staying one more night.
Chapter Twelve
Timber slid the plate in front of Romeo. He caught her wrist. Two days ago, she tried to leave and skip town.
He would've let her go if she had talked to him. But considering she pouted up in the bedroom, barely coming out, except to eat and wash her clothes, she wasn't any closer to telling him what the problem was with her dad.
Dice wanted to see her.
There was trouble surrounding Dice.
And she wanted nothing to do with her dad.
That left a hell of a lot of questions unanswered. There was no way he would let her leave without knowing what was going on. Far as he knew, she could walk out into danger.
Dice had his ass handed to him by Sparrows. Timber wouldn't survive if the same people got ahold of her.
He'd had enough experience within Killere to know women needed protected.
"Take a break," he said.
"I'm working and don't get a break for another hour."
"Timber. I'm Killere. If I tell you to do something, you do it." He motioned with his chin. "Now sit."
"Ordering me around like a dog isn't going to make me like you." She jerked her hand out of his clutch. "All you've done since I moved into your house was boss me around."
"You can leave." He paused when her back stiffened, and she stared at him. "As soon as we talk about a few things."
She turned around and spoke with Starla, then slipped into the booth, sitting opposite him. "Okay, talk."
"No, you have to talk to me." He leaned forward. "Tell me why you won't see your dad."
"That's none of your business."
"Okay, so tell me why you came to Spokane and wanted to work for Killere," he said.
"I wanted out of Seattle and thought going as far east as possible was a good plan. I hitched a ride with the first trucker that would pick me up and got lucky when Clyde brought me to Spokane. Of course, I recognized the name Killere MC on the patch of your vest and used my dad's name to get me a job here. I've never once kept any of that a secret." She leaned forward. "As soon as I have the means, I'll move on. It was never my plan to stay here or be near where my dad hangs out. It's the last place I want to be."
"Why?"
She pressed her lips together and glared, refusing to answer. He tapped his thumb against the table. She'd given him more information than he had. There was bad blood between her and Dice.
He studied her. Despite talking, she seemed more at ease being in front of him.
"Are you hooked up with Swallows?"
"I don't know who that is."
"It's not one person. It's a group. You might've heard the name Yesler Street Gang. " He leaned back in the booth. "They're the ones who beat the shit out of your dad."
She shrugged. "He probably deserved it."
"Maybe." He stroked his beard. "Or maybe you set him up, and that's why you weren't expecting Dice to show up at Killere."
"You're sick." She wrinkled her nose. "I told you, I didn't know he would be here. If you let me go, I'll leave, and you don't have to worry about why I'm here. I've already told you the truth. If you don't want to believe me, that's your problem."
Caught up in listening to her, he was amazed. Timber had a mouth on her. A pretty, soft, full mouth.
"Ever since I got here, you've bossed me around. You never had to let me rent a room if I bothered you so much."
"You bother me," he retorted. "But I believe you about why you showed up here."
She scoffed. "Then why hold me prisoner here?"
"I didn't."
"Your brothers did."
Amusement made it impossible to keep his cheek from twitching. "They think you belong to me."
"I don't belong to anyone."
"I think that's your problem." He knocked his knuckles against the table. "Maybe you need to belong to someone."
Her neck straightened, and she pulled her chin back in shock. "Who? You?"
"What's wrong with me?"
"I don't have enough time to make a list. My break is only ten minutes long." She pursed her lips. "You're putting me on the spot. I don't know."
"Give me one reason."
"You're old."