Damaged and the Cobra Read Online Free PDF Page A

never had, but brothers grew apart over time.
    The Johansson family business was something I kept at
a distance as we grew up. Years earlier, Cooper asked me to join the club and
get my hands dirty. While I was his friend and would keep his secrets, the life
his family led wasn’t for me. For one thing, I was just a natural born outsider.
I got along with everyone, but I liked being my own man. This was something
Cooper would never enjoy. He wasn’t merely a husband, friend, or college
student. He was the heir to a business built in blood.
    Normally, I didn’t think about Cooper as anything
more than the showoff smartass man I knew since he was a showoff smartass kid.
Today, he seemed bothered in a way that wasn’t about college or marriage. Farah
giggled nearby with Tawny as they struggled to make pigtails in seven year old
Sawyer’s long wavy hair. Laughing at their attempts, Jodi Johansson smiled at
Bailey who rested against her mother’s shoulder. The family appeared relaxed,
but I noticed Cooper wasn’t the only grumpy one. As Kirk worked the grill, his
jaw was tight and eyes unfocused.
    “What’s up?” I finally asked Cooper as we walked
over to the corner of the deck.
    “Business shit.”
    “Don’t get pouty. Just fucking tell me.”
    Cooper grinned. “You’re an asshole. How’s your love
life, Romeo?”
    “Don’t change the subject. What’s making you grumpy?
Marriage problems?”
    “Fuck you,” Cooper growled, really trying to out
alpha me and everyone in a ten mile radius.
    “Spill.”
    Exhaling hard, Cooper glared at the sky. “The
Devils hit another of our suppliers.”
    “I thought you got the mole.”
    “We did. The people they hit were out in the open.
In a way, it’s worse. They’re mocking us,” Cooper said then glanced at Vaughn.
“They want Harlow now too.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s a bargaining chip. They really just want
Vaughn, but having him know they’re after the girl will make him edgier. A
tense Outlaw makes mistakes.”
    “They won’t come here though.”
    “No. I don’t think so. It’s hard to know why
they’re pushing so hard on this, but I think it’s ego. They couldn’t have cared
about Playboy that fucking much. It’s about Vaughn making them look weak or
maybe they’re fucking nuts. Who knows, but they said they want the girl now. If
we give her and Vaughn to them, they’ll back off. Oh, and they promise to kill
her quick. Vaughn needs to bleed though.”
    “Fuckers.”
    “Those fuckers wouldn’t kill her either. She’s a
pretty girl and they’d make her work. Sick bastards can’t be trusted. Even if I
was willing to hand over the girl and let Vaughn die, I can’t give into the
Devils without looking weak.”
    “What can do you?”
    “I need to hit them back,” Cooper said, his voice
dropping. “I think it’s what Pop would do. He’s keeping quiet on the issues. If
I can’t get it handled, he’ll take over and that shit can’t happen. I will
never get respect if I need him to fix my problems.”
    “Hit them back how?”
    “Two ways. I could send my top guys, but I don’t
want to rely on Pop’s guys. The old timers aren’t loyal to me like Judd and
Vaughn. Of course, I can’t send my guys because Vaughn can’t be trusted to go
without losing his shit. I also can’t send Judd.”
    We both looked at where the enforcer stared out at
the woods. Whatever he was thinking about had put him in a dark mood. However,
Tawny laughed at Sawyer’s hair and the sound brought Judd out from his gloom.
    “If he died,” Cooper said in nearly a whisper, “it
would end Tawny. She’s a tough broad, but she wouldn’t survive without her man.
As the boss, I shouldn’t care. I should focus on what’s good for the business
and club, but…”
    Cooper didn’t finish and he didn’t need to. We both
understood how his heart belonged to Farah. Like a domino effect, Judd’s death
would destroy Tawny which would destroy Farah which would weaken Cooper.