Free Clear (Storm's Soldiers MC Book 3) by Paige Notaro Page A

on it alright?”
    “That ain’t good enough.”
    “No? Well what the fuck else am I supposed to do? I’m trying but that doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna slip up here and there.”
    “Vaughn…the way you looked. The way you spoke. I’ve never seen so much acid in a voice. It’s like he was less than human to you. It was like you wanted that word to destroy him.”
    He’d started to sip at his coffee, but he slammed the cup down. “He is a piece of shit to me. He beat you, Meagan. You forget that? That’s why you called me here. Cause he’s subhuman garbage.”
    His entire face had gone dark with anger and I reeled back. “Fine, but not in the way that word implied.”
    “It was what I had locked and loaded. Did you forget that I was standing up for you ? That I was angry for you ?”
    “I know, but-”
    “You’re right, I would have loved to destroy that spineless yuppie asshole. I would have loved to give him a taste of his medicine. But instead, I came here and sat quietly sipping at this shitty overpriced coffee-” He crushed the paper cup and let the coffee stain him like blood. “I drank and I stayed quiet so you could have a nice friendly chat about moving next to him.”
    I snorted. “Really? You were listening and that’s what you got? Don’t tell me you’re the jealous type.”
    “Oh, sorry if I got a little overzealous when I see a man lay hands on my girl.” He snorted.
    “Stop changing the topic. I’m not angry cause you stood up.”
    “I raced over here, you know,” Vaughn said. “My brother needed me, but I left him because you needed me. That’s what I did for you.”
    Something in my mind hardened. “Well, you can just head on back to them now.”
    Vaughn’s mouth tipped down. “That’s cold.”
    “What? I’m not taking you into my bed tonight. Isn’t that what you came here for?”
    His eyes crinkled. Sweet Jesus, why had I said that? I knew it wasn’t true. The silence ticked on though, and I couldn’t press the apology through my lips.
    “Alright,” he said. “I’ll head back. I came here to keep you safe, and now you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
    He stood and shoved the chair in roughly. “I got what I wanted,” he said. “Did you?”
    I watched him pass through the two sets of doors, out and onto the street, until his dark jacket disappeared behind some cars.
    My eyes teared up. I sat blinking in the dimming light. Yeah, I sure got what I wanted. What a perfect fucking night.
    *****
    The gym echoed with shouts and muffled thuds. I sat on the bench, watching as a lanky kid half my brother’s size tried to land a gloved hand into his stomach.
    “Twist when you punch, Tyrell,” Darryl shouted.
    The boy punched again, but he was trying to beat down a wall. A couple of the other boys seated on the mat coughed foul names under their breath, and more snickered. Darryl stopped the practice and called up the two instigators. He made them practice on each other. They were no better than they guy they were making fun of - just maybe twice as insecure. That’s what it usually amounted to.
    Darryl paired the kids off to practice putting their hips into their punches then came and sat by me.
    “You ever worry that you’re just teaching them to be better gang members?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “Na, not really. Street gangs are an alternative to discipline. Besides, maybe if they can throw a solid punch, they won’t go reaching for their piece instead.”
    “Teaching them to fight nicer. I guess that’s a start.”
    He played it off casual, but I knew he cared about these kids. This program had an effect and he kept a constant tab on his graduates.
    “You want to take a few shots?” Darryl asked, in between chugs of a sports drink. “I can lace up some gloves, get you in there.”
    “Pass.”
    “Damn, thought you had a change of heart coming here and all. You hate my gym.”
    “I don’t…hate it.” I forced a smile at the bleak windowless