Ruin (Hawks MC Next Generation #2) - Lila Rose Page 0,2
this trouble to your doorstep, but I will be safe with my brother.” It did sound like she trusted her brother, but there was still a situation with her family.
Talon shook his head. “Mimi, girl, you’ve been here for a while. You know how this works. You walked into this compound and became a part of Hawks. No matter where you’re goin’ or what type of situation it is, we’ll have your back. Take Ruin. He can stand away while you talk. But I’d feel better with a brother there.”
Before Mimi could say anything, Wolf did. “Thank you for protecting her. Ruin is allowed to accompany us.”
“Ruin?” Talon called.
“I’ll follow behind,” I said.
“Keep us posted.” Talon hit me with a solid look, making his expectations clear.
“You got it, Prez,” I replied and patted Coyote on the back before I moved off to my ride.
Chapter One
Ruin
The situation was fucked.
I’d do anything for Mimi because she was a sweet woman. The problem was she just wasn’t mine, and it made me feel like a heartless jackass since she’d made it clear she wanted me for more than just the one-night stand.
While we had our personal shit to deal with, I hoped it didn’t mess with her other crap we were heading into. I followed Mimi and her brother as they drove to a nearby diner that was always open in the early hours. Once parked, I slipped off my ride and went inside after them.
Sitting a couple of booths away from them, I rested back and waited for the server to come and take my order. I needed a damn strong coffee to keep me going, and the day was just getting started. I hoped, with being far enough away but still in earshot, it would give Wolf a sense of comfort that I wasn’t listening in, which I totally was.
“As I was saying in the car, Mimi, Father is on his deathbed. He wishes to see you, and you’re telling me you do not want to come home?”
She winced and shook her head. “No, Taro.”
“Mimi, I would not have come if I didn’t believe I could take care of you.”
“I know, brother, but you know what our uncles are like.”
“They are not in charge. I am. They will listen to whatever I say. I will make sure of it.”
“Taro, I trust you, I do. Leaving you has been the hardest decision in my life, but I knew you were strong, not like me. Women in our family aren’t respected. We’re ordered.”
“I will change this.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I hope you can, but it has been this way for decades.”
The waitress approached them, and they asked for coffee. When she stopped at my table, I ordered two extra hot, double-strength coffees.
“Under my ruling, it will. Please, Mimi, come home with me this final time. I know you will regret this if you don’t see him one last time.”
“Taro….”
“Please. I will protect you. You could even bring him along for extra security.” He thumbed over his shoulder my way.
Her nose screwed up as she shook her head. Mimi drew in a deep breath. “Are you certain the uncles can’t force this marriage on me?”
What the fuck?
“They won’t. I will not allow it.”
“My intended was fifty, Taro. Fifty to my nineteen years. Father was going to give me away to an old man for an alliance. Why would I want to see him?”
That was so messed up, I didn’t even know what to think about it. Her father, the man who was supposed to take care of her, wanted her to marry an old fucker. I had a shit dad who beat my mum, but then Declan Stoke came into our lives, became my dad, and he was a man who loved with every fibre of his body. I goddamn looked up to him in many ways. He wouldn’t stand for this shit if it was happening to anyone he knew. I wasn’t going to either.
If Mimi was heading home, I’d go along for the ride and make sure no one screwed her over, since I didn’t completely trust her brother. I’d feel better for having her back.
“Do it for you,” Wolf said. “Tell Father exactly what you think. Be there for Mother. She will need you.”
“She is the one who told me to run in the first place. If Father found out, he would have killed her.”
“I wouldn’t have allowed it. I have control over the family, the faction. I have