I knew for a fact Rex wanted me to go into law enforcement. We’d had a couple conversations about how ‘good men’ like me were what ‘the country’ needed.
I didn't disagree—that was why I was enlisting and not becoming a pig.
Harlow rubbed his hands together, letting the flames heat them. “Can you fight for people’s freedoms as a soldier then inhibit other people’s on your home turf?”
“What do you mean?”
Harlow cast me a look. “They run guns and drugs, don’t they?”
Pretty much. Not that I said that.
“People’s freedoms involve being able to bear arms and to smoke whatever they want…” My lips twitched. “Nothing freer than being on the road.”
“Why not just go straight into the MC?”
I shrugged. “Got things I want to do first.”
“Like what?”
“Prove shit to myself. What about you? What were you before you came here?”
“Broken?”
I thought about that. “Lots of broken folk in the MC. Seems to be what puts people back together again.”
“I don’t think anything can put me back together again.”
Nyx sprang to mind, but I didn’t say that. I wasn’t supposed to know that he hunted pedophiles in his spare time. It was one of the major reasons I wanted to be a Sinner.
Theirs was a righteous cause.
“Then why are you here?”
“Because at least I’d be around like-minded men.”
“Not sure any of the brothers would be camping outside at the beginning of January. They’re not fucking crazy.”
Harlow’s lips quirked up. “I’m one of a kind.”
Jumping to my feet, I muttered, “I gotta get going.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
No, he wasn’t.
But… there was something magnetic about him.
I fully admitted that I wasn’t a leader. Neither was I a follower. I was a team player; I guessed that was the best way to describe me.
Harlow gave off a weird vibe, but it didn’t seem right, leaving him here.
“Want me to intro you to the brothers? Get you set up on the compound?”
“They already know who I am.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I want what I want and, to get it, I need to Prospect. I guess my principles are the problem.”
Confused, I asked, “What about them?”
“Carry on with your training, soldier boy. My problems and my freedoms aren’t something you can solve.”
While that annoyed the living fuck out of me, I couldn’t let the dick stay out here. Not when he could end up dead.
And it wasn’t just because the last thing we needed up on the hill was more cops roaming around, sniffing over the compound.
I couldn’t think of a worse way to goddamn die than being slowly frozen to death.
Shuddering at the thought, I asked, “Are you a cop?”
He barked out a laugh. “No.”
“You wouldn’t tell me if you were undercover though, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” he agreed with a smirk. “The MC helped my little sister out. That’s why I’m here.”
Our eyes clashed and held, and his phrasing rammed its way home.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I whispered.
“Thanks.” His gaze darted back to the flames.
“You want…” Jesus, how did I say this without getting the Sinners into trouble? “They’re good people, Harlow. Might do shit that’s technically not approved of by certain members of society, but they’re good people. They save lives. They just do it in their own way.” I hesitated. “My conscience won’t let me leave you out here. There’s a spare bed at home. Tonight, you can sleep—”
“What makes you say they’re good people? Don’t they live up to their names?”
“Sure they do. Not saying they’re not sinners, but isn’t to be human to invite sin?”
“You go to church?” he asked flatly.
I scoffed. “No. Rach isn’t the type. The Sinners aren’t the type either. More likely to sleep in on a Sunday than go to church. That doesn’t mean you can’t though. So long as you do your shit, I’m sure if you wanted, they wouldn’t stop you.”
“Are you trying to sell them to me? This sounds like a sales pitch.”
“Mostly I’m just trying to get you inside and out of this cold,” I admitted. “But I’m not lying. I don’t do lies." Especially with him and those weird eyes of his that seemed to see everything.
“Why not? Everyone lies.”
“Because lies can be caught out. Rachel, she’s a lawyer, she taught me that. Better to say nothing at all than to lie.”
“Good philosophy.”
“She’s smart.”
Harlow hummed as he got to his feet. “It really bothers you that I’ll be sleeping out here?”
“Yeah. It really does.”
“You’ve never slept on the streets before?”
“No. I couldn’t imagine anything worse—”
“Oh, I could,” Harlow rasped, his voice breaking.
Shit.
“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t think—”
“It’s all good.” He raised a hand. “I’ll put the fire out and head to the compound.”
“You will?”
He rocked his head back to look at me, and in the firelight, his eyes burned even hotter than before. “I will.”
I felt like a kid, but I asked, “You swear?”
“I swear.”
I didn’t realize that would be the first of many promises I’d ask of this man.
And I sure as hell didn’t realize it would be the first he’d live and die by.
Unknown Sender: Tell me you don’t think those fuckers should die.
Nyx: Plenty of people should die. Just don’t feel like serving a murder one.
Unknown Sender: What if I could guarantee you wouldn’t get arrested?
NINETEEN
SIN
“Fancy place for a fancy outfit,” I mocked, watching as Declan O’Donnelly shoved his sleeves further up his arms and ran his middle finger along the length of his nose so he could flip me the bird. “That’s what I have to say to that, Padraig.”
I sniffed to hide a smirk. “Sin.”
“Sin. Padraig. Dual personalities—that a problem for you?”
“Not really,” I drawled as I took a deep sip from the bottle of beer in front of me. “Schizophrenia’s never really been in my bloodline. Just anger problems.”
“Why am I here, Sin?” he groused as the waiter made an appearance. “And how the fuck did you get in looking like that?”
“I charmed the hostess.”
“I’ll bet.”
“I’m here for the personal touch,” I answered honestly.
“I’m taken.”
I snorted. “Yeah, so am I now.”
“The female population of Hell’s Kitchen is in mourning, I’m sure.”