Free Warlord (Anathema Book 1) by Lana Grayson

go
back.”
    “No!”
    “Don’t argue,
Bud.”
    “Don’t call me Bud! ”
    “It’s not safe
for you here.” Keep shrugged at the busted door. “Especially now. We’re going
to keep you hidden for a while.”
    I stayed still
and tried to prevent my heart from exploding. Counting to ten never did a damn
thing for me, but I used to play some Hendrix or Santana to stifle my family’s
inherited temper. Too bad I pawned my only form of anger management.
    “You want to hide me?” I ground my teeth. “After I tell you I want out, that I want nothing to do
with the MC, and that I want to live my own life, you decide to hide me in Anathema?”
    “Gotta keep you
safe,” Brew said. “I’m not taking any chances.”
    “And what if I want
to risk it?”
    “Not gonna
happen.”
    “Why?” I pitched
the pillow at him. “What gives you the right—”
    Brew stood,
towering over me and the couch. “I am your fucking brother. Dad told me to keep
an eye on you. What I say goes. You’re coming with us.”
    “No.”
    “Club voted,”
Keep said. “They agreed.”
    “I’m not even a
part of the club!” I ran my hands through my hair. “You can’t vote on someone’s
life who isn’t in Anathema!”
    “We did. Majority
rules.”
    “You’re all
insane,” I said. “Good God, no wonder Mom was always high. It’s the only way
anyone can handle this.”
    “Hey,” Keep snapped.
“Leave Mom out of this.”
    “Right.” My eyes
fell to his arms and the bruised tracks near his elbow. “I know how sensitive a
topic it must be.”
    Brew ignored me.
“Pack a bag. We’ll keep you in hiding until this all blows over.”
    The cell
practically burned my hand. I groaned. “I can’t go into hiding. I just got a
callback. They want me to play at Club Sanctuary.”
    Keep grinned, but
the expression faltered as Brew shook his head.
    “That club is on
the other side of the river. No way.”
    Now he declared
war. My insides chilled, shattered, and impaled me on every last bit of ice
flushing through my veins.
    “You can’t stop
me from doing this,” I whispered. “You aren’t that cruel.”
    Brew rubbed his
face. “You aren’t listening—”
    “How could you
do this to me!”
    “You have no
idea what trouble you might have caused.”
    “This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted!  Since I was a little girl!”
    “It’s just one
gig. There will be more.”
    “Not if I flake
out on this!  This is my reputation we’re talking about.”
    “There’s more to
life than music.”
    “You sound just
like Dad.”
    “Good.”
    “It wasn’t a
compliment.”
    Brew pointed a
thick finger in my face. “You better resolve whatever problem you have with Dad,
because I’m tired of it. He did everything for this family, and he’s still
protecting us, even behind bars.”
    “Dad never
protected me.”
    “Do you want to
die?  Is that it?” Brew’s words cut like a profanity. “You’re in trouble, Bud. You
fucked up. You went where you weren’t supposed to and blundered into the war. Suck
it up and listen to me. I’m trying to help you before your brains get
splattered all over the goddamned town as a message.”
    For as dearly as
I loved my brother, there were times I didn’t like him much. Keep took my hand
and squeezed.
    “We’re just
keeping you safe,” Keep said. “We’ll have fun. I’ll let you reprogram Pixie’s
jukebox.”
    My shoulders
shrugged, a weak surrender. Brew swore as he stalked to my bedroom. I followed,
tripping over shoes as he turned with a darkening glare. “I won’t even ask why
your bag is already fucking packed.”
    I swallowed. “At
least I’m ready to go?”
    “Finish.”
    “I will…as long
as you promise you’ll let me go to the gig. It’s only for two hours. I swear,
you can tie me up and leave me in the supply closet the rest of the time. Just
please let me do this.”
    I stuffed the
last bit of my clothes in the suitcase and yelped as Brew stole the bags from
my