Sinful Longing

“Hey! Watch it. We’ll move up someday.” Rex turned back at Colin and pointed his thumb at Tyler. “I gotta look out for him. Mom’s working too many jobs. She’s never around.”

“That’s why she makes sure you’re here instead of wandering the streets,” Colin said, passing the ball to Rex. “And if you study business, you’ll have a hell of a better shot at growing a money tree than you would by chasing after some get-rich-quick scheme. Invest, nurture, grow, make more. That’s what I do. That’s my job. That’s my passion.” He held out his arm, showing the tattoo there. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.

Rex tucked the ball beneath his elbow and walked closer to see.

“Hey, Rex. I’m hungry,” Tyler interjected.

“Give me a second, Ty. I’ll make you mac and cheese when we get home. My man Colin is training me to be a venture capitalist. Get over here and join us.” Rex turned his attention back to Colin’s ink. “So that’s your mission at work or something? Nothing ventured, nothing gained?”

“Yeah, but in life, too. Means more to me than just work.”

“Like what?” Rex asked.

“It means take big chances. It means stay away from drugs,” Colin said, talking bluntly to the boys as he always did.

Rex sneered. “What do you know about that, Mr. Richie Rich? You probably bathe in Cristal.”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Dude. You think I was born rich? You think I was rolling in cash as a kid? Wrong,” he said, as if he’d just slammed a buzzer on a game show. “My family was fucked up, and I was the most messed up of them all. Painkillers, tequila, and speed in college. I was a mess. All this,” he said, gesturing to his arms, covered in ink, “they’re my reminders. Eight years clean.” He pointed to the art on his body, naming each one. “Lotus, new beginning. Sunburst, truth and bravery. This Chinese character—it’s for strength.”

Rex raised his chin and peered at an infinity symbol with four interlocking circles on Colin’s wrist. “What’s that one?”

“Me and my brothers and sister. The four of us. Our unbreakable bond, no matter what.”

“That’s like us,” Rex said, patting his arm where the sleeve of his T-shirt hit.

“What do you mean?”

Rex pointed to his little brother. “Him. I always look out for Tyler. That’s why I have this.” He pulled up his sleeve to his shoulder. At first Colin saw only a few letters of the word protect. His hackles rose, remembering what Ryan had told him a week ago. The guy who’d been following Shannon around had some ink on his arm that said Protect Our Own—the tattoo of the Royal Sinners.

Colin spoke sharply. “Do not even. That better not be what I think it is.”

Rex furrowed his brow. “Way to freak out, dude. What the fuck do you think it says?”

“That better not be Protect Our Own.”

Rex laughed deeply, clutching his belly, letting the sound resonate through him. “No. No. No,” he said, catching his breath. “No way. No how. Our ink says Protector. We got ours together.” Rex stepped closer to Colin and showed him the full wrap of the word around his bicep. Tyler yanked up his shirtsleeve, displaying matching ink.

“I would whip him good if he messed around with that gang.” Rex draped an arm around his little brother.

“Whew,” Colin said, wiping his hand across his brow in exaggerated relief.

“I saw some of them a few blocks away the other day.”

“Here?” Colin asked, pointing to the basketball court.

Rex nodded. “Nearby. We made sure they didn’t come any closer.”

Colin didn’t like the sound of gang members hovering so close to the community center. He was well aware that it was a risk—this center was located in a section of town that had been a hot bed of crime years ago, but the surrounding neighborhood was improving now. Still, he wanted the center, the kids, and Elle as safe as could be.

“Who’s we? What is Protector?” he asked, returning to the ink.

“A group of us who are trying to look out for others,” Tyler said, chiming in proudly. He seemed to idolize his older brother.

Colin arched an eyebrow. “Like the Guardian Angels?”

Rex nodded. “We model ourselves after them. We’re all volunteers. We do safety patrols. Walk the streets. Keep an eye out. Elle inspired me to do it. Rise above, as she would say.”

“Did someone say my name?”

Colin turned in the direction of the sultry, sexy voice. She wore tight jeans and a little white summery blouse. The outfit did wondrous things to her fantastic tits and her fabulous ass. Her long, dark hair spilled down her spine, and she gathered it up, creating a makeshift ponytail, then fanned her face with her free hand. A small part of him wished the woman wasn’t so damn hot. As Rex and Tyler snapped their gazes to Elle, he could see it in their eyes—she’d featured in their whack-off fantasies. A primal, territorial instinct licked through his veins, and he wanted to pounce on Elle, wrap his arms around her, and claim her.