Hammer's Pride by E.C. Land (brene brown rising strong TXT) 📕

For good reason.

Simone had clawed her nails into one of the clubwhores faces when she’d gotten close to her.

“Simone,” Avery calls the woman’s name, gaining her attention as the room goes completely silent. Simone whirls around, and I’m about to stand up to go over there when she curls her lip in anger. This doesn’t stop Avery from doing her thing. “I get it. I understand what you’re feeling. Maybe not to the extent of it all physically, but mentally I know.”

Expression wavering, Simone blinks a couple times and shakes her head. “You don’t understand. You could never understand. You’re too pretty to get it. There’s not a speck of darkness blurring that aura surrounding you,” Simone snaps, pissing me off in the process.

“Come, Simone, let’s get you out to the truck,” Axe urges her, seeing the anger in my gaze.

“You’re not looking deep enough if you think that’s the case. Darkness has surrounded me my entire life. If you think you are the only one to suffer traumas and not able to overcome them, that’s because you don’t want to. Each time you’re sedated keeps you from actually healing. It’s time to move forward and heal the right way. Axe is only doing what the doctors said, and they know what’s best for you right now,” Avery says and turns on her heel and goes back behind the bar.

Her words resound around the room, and none of my brothers miss her words about darkness surrounding her. Simone goes quiet, silently crying after Avery in a kind way put her in her place to get her to stop the tantrum. I’ve never seen a woman her age act the way she just did. Dagger follows Axe and Simone outside. As the medic, I know he’ll go with them to help Axe with the woman.

Soon as the door closes behind the three of them, I shake my head as Gunner and Cy both take a seat at the table. Rogue, Savage, and Bruiser all join as well.

“Here you go, Prez. Figured this is what you were wantin’,” Gunner says, sliding a folder across the table in my direction.

“Thanks,” I grumble and open it up. I glance briefly at the pages and close it while lookin’ between all my brothers. “Gang in town that’s trying to fuck with us is also after Avery,” I announce.

My brothers’ reactions are just as I expected them to be.

“What the fuck?” Malice sneers quietly. “Why are they after her?”

“Because one of them is her brother,” I inform him and then hold the folder up. Gunner had already looked into her somewhat when she’d moved in across the street from him.”

“Creeper,” Savage mutters jokingly.

“Can’t be too careful. But evidently, Cy and I didn’t look close enough,” Gunner utters, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. He’s right about not looking close enough. He’d gotten information on her, and from what little I saw, it confirms her brother’s name is Adam. It also showed she’s worked hard to get to where she is today.

I inform my brothers about the text message Avery received; tension is nearly vibrating throughout the entire room now.

“You think they were the ones who were ratting to those motherfuckers?” Rogue asks.

“No doubt about it. Malice, did the prospects tell you if they’ve put them in the cellar?” I’d love nothing more than to go down there and fuckin’ deal with the issue now, but we’re not ones for killin’ women. Unlike with my nephew’s charter or even the national charter, we don’t have a woman around here to handle that problem for us.

“They’re down there and not happy about it. Evidently, Bunny’s screaming at Cheeks about her dumb plan to get Avery to leave,” Malice states, holding his phone out for me to read what Tap sent him.

“Well, we can confirm that at least,” I mutter, lifting my gaze to find my woman still standing at the bar looking at something on her phone; damn thing didn’t shatter as I hoped it would. Her face seems to go pale. “Avery,” I call out her name as I stand to my feet. She lifts her head and gives me a small smile. Rounding the table, I make my way toward her feeling my brothers at my back. “What’s wrong?” I demand when I’m close enough not to yell.

Instead of answering or even speaking, she gives me a look I’ll always cherish ‘cause it tells me she’s trusting me to protect her. Taking her phone, I peer down at the screen that miraculously survived to see yet again another image—this one of a little girl. Scanning down, I read the text attached to it. ‘Stop fuckin’ around like the whore you are and come back where you belong, or she takes your place.’

“The little girl is Quinn’s daughter,” Avery murmurs quietly.

Motherfucker.

I’ll make these assholes pay. Not just for fuckin’ with my woman but for going after a little girl as innocent as Quinn’s daughter. No child should ever be brought into that. I’m not even that malicious.

Turning to my brothers, I toss the phone at Gunner first since he’s the closest. “This means war,” I declare with a curl of my lip, meaning every last word. These fuckers were wanting a war, and now they have one.

Chapter Fourteen

Avery

Lying in bed, I stare into the darkness of the room, feeling completely numb to everything around me.

Why couldn’t my family leave me alone?

I’ve never done anything to them. I wanted to leave and do something with myself, but they can’t seem to stop rubbing their filth on me. Needing to feel clean, I climb off the bed and head for the en suite bathroom.

Earlier, I’d come to bed after ordering the guys all some food. I lost my appetite after receiving yet another message from Adam. I didn’t know how to handle the fact not only would they come after