Page 21 of Brage & Dinah

"But Roar wants to—"

"Now isn't the time to argue with me." He stepped through the open door.

The silence from the members should've warned her about the seriousness of her being brought indoors. His muscles tensed and he made it all the way to the stairs without her questioning him.

She turned and opened her mouth. He ground his teeth together and gave her a look not to say a word. The more she talked, the worse it would be for her. She'd have every man around after her.

Slag protected their own. Betrayal was a severe crime. Dinah not only put the club in danger but every member. The men, the women, the children.

At the top of the stairs, he opened the first door on the left in the large U-shaped second story of the clubhouse. He kept his hand on her, pressuring her to walk forward.

Once he had her safely inside his room, he said, "You need to stay in here until I come back."

"What?" She stepped forward. "Why?"

He blocked the door. Knowing himself well enough to know that he couldn't deal with her at the moment. He battled between knowing he'd been inside Dinah and knowing what he witnessed at the boardwalk. For the first time as a Slag member, he was torn in two different directions.

"I want to go home. If Roar needs me, have him call. He has my number. If you want to work on my Jeep, fine. I'll pick it up later." She frowned, and her mouth stopped moving as if she swallowed her gum. "What's going on? Why do you look like you're upset with me?"

His throat spasmed. He'd wanted her loyal to him, and she was anything but.

"I can't deal with you right now." He stepped back, shut the door, and held it closed.

On the other side of the door, Dinah tried to turn the handle. His fingers tightened around the knob, keeping her inside. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, sensing the panic in her attempt to leave the room.

"Brage," yelled Dinah. "Let me out. This isn't funny."

He swallowed and braced his free hand on the doorframe. A flashback of her eyes tormented him. Put any man in front of him who'd gone against Slag, and he wouldn't blink while dishing out punishment, but he wasn't used to going up against a woman.

"We need to talk," said Roar behind him.

He opened his eyes. "Ja."

"You can't let her go back to Moroad. They're looking for a way in to take us all out, and she's their trojan. She came through me, hiring her at The Fire Ring. And, you."

He looked over his shoulder. "I'll take responsibility for her."

Roar's gaze intensified. "You're too close."

"I want no one touching her." The muscles in his arms tensed. "Find someone to put a lock on the door. I'm not going to stand here holding the handle all fucking day."

"Brage!"

He failed to recognize the high-pitched yell inside the room. The only thing he'd heard out of her mouth was seductive pleasure.

"You're scaring me." She beat on the door. "Someone...please...let me out."

"Damnit," he muttered. "Get one of those lazy motherfuckers up here now."

His head pounded. He'd let her out if he couldn't walk away. She was a woman.

He had a sister in Seattle. Back in Norway, he had a mother, a sister, aunts, and if any man treated them with anything other than respect, he'd kill them.

Roar's hand landed on his shoulder. "Viktor is coming with the lock and tools."

He breathed through his teeth, his arm cramping. Dinah wasn't giving up. She waited longer between tries at the handle, trying to catch him off-guard.

"Change places with me." Roar stepped closer. "I'll take over."