“Last one,” I call out to the guys as we pack for the next shipment the club is handling. It’ll only be a day trip for this one, and Tug and Jacks are fulfilling it.

Screwing the screws on top of the crate, it’s finished and ready to roll.

“On it.” Cooper comes up with Nox not too far behind. They lift the crate and take it to the box truck out front.

It was by sheer luck I found the Ravage MC. Living on the streets was hard, but I found myself a job and a place to live. The problem was, I still wasn’t happy, and being pissed off at the world doesn’t help a man.

GT and Dagger were in a bar I attended regularly. They started bullshitting with me in a way that was comfortable, like I’d known them for years. We got to talking about the club, but they were pretty vague. They reiterated how it was focused around family. It was a time in my life when I needed that one thing—family.

And that’s what the Ravage MC is, and it’s what they have given me. Men and women who stand by each other through thick and thin, who have each other’s backs, who give a shit, who truly care. It’s more than I’ve had in years.

I hopped on my ride and never looked back, following GT and Dagger to a family worth a damn.

I reach in and grab a smoke, pulling one out and tapping the end of it. The tip rests on my lips as I light it, inhaling the tobacco and nicotine as Rhys comes by and takes a seat next to me at an old picnic table.

“How ya doin’?” he asks, folding his hands in front of him, not looking at me.

Rhys is one badass motherfucker. Seeing him in action makes everyone else look like pussies. He’s a great man to have at your back, which is the only place you want him.

Exhaling the smoke, I tell him, “Same shit, different day, brother.”

“You got anything?”

Immediately, I know what he’s asking, and I fucking hate that he has to ask.

Anger stirs in my blood, pulsing and awakening. He’s the man who kidnapped Austyn from her own damn home and hurt her. Dickhead will pay for that.

“Airport outside of Dunham, JK has a plane, but it hasn’t moved since he went under. Tapped all the phone lines of his family, and the only one I can tell he talks to is his mother, but not often. He’s withdrawing money, but somehow the only paper trail for it is the amount of the withdraws. There is no location or precise bank information.”

Rhys rubs his thumb over his lip. “Smart fucker.”

Inhaling another drag, I say, “Yeah. Buzz and I went and wired up the house, but he hasn’t shown up there, either. Wherever he is, he’s in deep.”

“Time to get the rat to come out of the hole.”

I’ve been busting my ass to find information on the man who took and hurt Austyn. He fell through my fingers. When we found her, I was more concerned with her as blood ran down her body to the floor. It’s a vision I wish would leave my memory banks, yet it has embedded itself there like a static movie that won’t end.

She’s made it her mission to turn me away every time I go to visit her. Instead of wasting my time on her parents’ porch, which is what I did for weeks, I put it to good use by trying to find this man. That was after a little conversation with Deke that ended up with us both pissed and me needing to find some direction to channel all of it.

“And how do you suppose we do that?”

A sinister smile plays on his lips. “Don’t know yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

I take another drag and blow out the smoke. “We all need to figure this shit out. It’s been months.”

My first thought was he left the country, which is still a possibility. What changes my mind on that scenario is the money withdrawals. If they were done in a foreign country, there would be more of a paper trail. Slight, but still there. This makes me think he’s still in the US.

The door swings open and Cruz walks in, striding to us. “We all set?”

I stub out my smoke. “Yep. Coop and Nox are loading, and it’s ready.”

“Good.”

“I’m out,” Rhys says, standing up and tapping once on the table. Goodbyes are called out as he disappears. That’s Rhys. He comes in, gets the information, and then he’s smoke.

Cruz parks his ass on the bench in front of me, bringing his finger and thumb to the corners of his mouth and then down. “Tell me again why I didn’t beat your ass for sitting on my porch, waiting for my little girl?”

A chuckle escapes. Leave it to Cruz to make it into a joke. “Because you loved seein’ my sexy face every day.”

He scoffs. “My ass.”

“Is there a point to this conversation?” Because normally, he doesn’t bring up his daughter with me. At least, he hasn’t for a while now.

Cruz lifts his brows. “Yeah. Just lettin’ you know I notice. I see. I hear. My eyes are wide fuckin’ open when it comes to my baby girl.”

I reach in for another smoke, tap it out, and light it up. “And this has changed since I joined?”

Cruz loves his kids. He’d lay down his life for any of them, no questions asked. He’s also protective as fuck, especially of his little girl.

“Nope, just thought I’d remind ya.” He taps on the wood then rises from the table. “Gotta head out. We’re movin’ Austyn and Emery into their new place.”

This catches my attention, and I rise with him, meeting him eye for eye. “What?”

Austyn is safe in her parents’ home, not out on her own when I don’t know where this fucker is.

“Wants to get her life back in order.”

“And you let her move out?” I’m stunned and shocked beyond measure. At least while she was there, he and Princess could keep tabs on her. Now … fuck.

“She’s serious about it, and I want her straight again. She’s been locked up inside herself for months and is now coming out.” He sighs heavily. “Buzz went and wired the place last night. We have cameras on the outside that are monitored all the time.”

“Fuck, I don’t like this.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and a menacing, determined look comes across his face. “Yeah, and why do you have a right to not like somethin’ when it involves my daughter?”

The man is fishing. I’m surprised it’s taken him this long. He’s a man who needs to be in the know and makes no qualms about it. Thing is, I’m a man, too, and it’s time.

Looking him square in the eye, I say, “Been mine for a long damn time, brother.”

“Hurt her and I kill you.” He taps the table two times then walks out of the building.

I collapse back down, letting out a deep breath.

I’ve never made a play for a woman. Never had to. However, with Austyn blocking me out these past few months, I’m going to have to make a play. Probably several of them.

Green, one of my brothers, walks in, holding a notebook and pen.

“Green!” I call over to him, and he makes his way to me.

“What’s up?” He sets the paper down.

“Not that I want to ask you this shit, but I need to.”

His eyes hide a ghost that I was afraid would appear when this topic was brought up. He’s not a dumb man. Far from it.

“Leah, she went through what Austyn did with those fuckers? Or similar?”

Leah is best friends with Bristyl, Cooper’s woman, which is how she and Green hooked up. Bristyl had some guys after her back in Florida who used Leah to get to her. Leah was tied to a bed, and the guys took turns on her, not sexually, but physically, carving into her body. When she was found, she was a bloody mess and in hysterics. The only person who could even get through to her on any level was Green.

After that, she moved up here to Sumner, not wanting to be anywhere near Florida. She has her own place, but Green stays with her pretty much every night.

Green clenches his hands. “Yeah.”

I meet his eyes. “Brother, I wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t important.”

He nods once, saying nothing else.

“Can Austyn get through this? I mean, I don’t know shit about what to do.”

Green shakes his head then rubs his finger and thumb over his lips. “She can. It takes a shitload of time and someone being there for her. It’s shit, all of it, but yeah. Leah is slowly comin’ back to herself. I don’t know if she’ll ever be the same, but she’s claiming her life back piece by piece. Austyn’ll do the same, I imagine.”

“What can I do?”

A slight smirk tips his lips. “Be there for her. Be her friend.”

“Friend?”

“Yeah. Shitty, but that’s what Leah needed, and not some hound dog trying to get in her pants. Be friends, and the rest of it will flow. Be patient and understanding. And demanding things from her will only piss her off more. See, Leah didn’t have any control, so she started to grasp at things she could. It was a coping mechanism. I let her do what she had to do.”

We stare at each other for a moment as he picks up his paper. “Look, brother, it’s not easy, but it’ll happen in time. Gotta go.”

“Right. Thanks.” I hang my head briefly. Austyn has been through so much, but damn if she isn’t always on my mind.

I look at my watch, jump up, and head to my bike. I call out goodbyes as I turn over my ride and take off. An hour later, I’m pulling up to my mother’s house, or what could be called a house. More like a rundown piece of shit shack her “husband” put her in.

The siding is from the nineteen-seventies and probably has asbestos or some shit in it. It’s gray and pieces are hanging off everywhere. The porch is a slab of concrete with parts of it cracked off. Regardless, she tries making do with what she has by planting flowers and shrubs around the place, taking some of the damage away.

Killing the bike, I make my way to the front door that opens immediately.

My mother looks worn down and tired. Her eyes have no spark, and the lines around her face are showing signs of aging.

“Matthew,” she greets, holding the rickety door open for me, and I step through.

The inside of the place isn’t any better than the outside. Holes are in the flooring and walls, exposing wood underneath them. I know if I go into the bathroom, it will be full of mold and mildew. She lives in shit. And she wants to live in shit, which is her choice.

I look around, searching for her husband. It’s more for show than actuality because I wouldn’t be here if he was.

“Whatnot hanging out with wives three, twelve, and twenty-four today?”

“Matthew, that’s enough.” Her scold is nothing to me, though I bet it works on my siblings. They’re stuck, and that is something that scrapes my balls.

A chuckle escapes. “Just stating the obvious.”

“You have no right to dictate my life.” She looks me up and down, the corner of her lip rising. “I mean, look at you.”

Holding my arms out wide, I let her have a good look. “What ya see is what ya get, Ma.”

“Do you have it?” Her question comes out fast as she peers out the window, no doubt looking for anyone who might see my bike in the driveway. She lives in a well-populated neighborhood, but I’d bet my right nut no one knows what goes on behind these closed doors.

“What? No hug?”

Her eyes narrow briefly, but she catches herself, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a long time.”

“Two months, Ma, and you still won’t let me see my brothers and sisters.” There are six of them, and it’s been years since I’ve been allowed to see them or talk to them. Seventeen to be exact.

“James doesn’t feel it’s a good idea.” She moves around her small house, beginning to pick up some magazines and organize them on the small table in front of the couch.

“And we always do what he says, right?” That’s just a small part of it. My sperm donor is a piece of shit in every sense of the word. I can’t fucking stand him, yet my mother seems to love him. Truth is, I think she’s brainwashed to do so.

She’s been with him for over thirty years. That does a lot to a woman’s mentality. Considering she’s only forty-nine, that’s some sick shit right there. She had me at eighteen, her first.

“He’s my husband. It’s ordained. It’s faith. God chose, and this is the path we are meant to take,” she protests, pulling up to her small height, her chin up.

Not a lot I admire about my mother anymore, but her determination is still there. He hasn’t completely destroyed that yet, but it will happen in time. If only she’d just change her mind and get out.

“Yeah, you and what is it, four, eight, twelve? It’s been a long time since we’ve had this conversation; his numbers have to be up there.”

“How many sister-wives I have isn’t your business, Matthew. I appreciate your help—we all do—but you can’t come in here and dictate our lives.”

Crossing my arms, I stare at the woman who brought me into this world, took care of me, worked three jobs, and still does to put food on the table, and who read me stories before bed when she could.

Her tired eyes droop, and I can’t help wondering when was the last time she had a good night’s sleep. She’s probably up worrying about her asshat and what he’s doing with his other “wives.” He’s not really married to them. Instead, he says they are “spiritual soul mates,” whatever the fuck that means. He only has one wife who he’s legally bound to, and it isn’t my mother, who’s number two.

“You know, I don’t give a shit how many women want to put up with that fucker. Hell, the more the merrier. What I care about is the fucked-up mess you’re putting my brothers and sisters in. When your biological father is also your uncle, that shit is fucked up and twisted.” That’s just one of the fucked-up things going on in this cult. Yeah, that’s what it is. I don’t give a shit who says any different. Living it, I have a right to my opinions.

My biological father’s, mom’s husband, first wife is my aunt, my mother’s sister who is two years older than her. Yeah, so my fucking cousins are also my half-siblings. That shit is wacked. I’m down with a lot of stuff in this life, but that isn’t one of them.

Tears pool in her eyes, but she doesn’t allow them to fall. Another thing is, she’s strong.

“Breanna turns sixteen in a couple of months,” she reminds me.

Anger burrows as the bottom of my stomach falls to the ground like a brick. Fear has hit me a few times in my life. Seeing Austyn tied up was definitely one of them. Breanna turning sixteen is another.

Taking a step closer, her eyes lift to mine.

“Don’t let it happen, Ma. I’m serious as a heart attack. You’re the only one who can stop it and make this right.”

My heart feels as if a machete is having a fun time piercing through it as the past comes back to rock me on my heels. Guilt lays at my feet and eats me from the inside out.

I’d lost touch with my mother for a while because I was pissed as hell at her. During that time, shit happened that I can never change. That’s on me. I can’t let the same thing happen to Breanna. Not remembering her birthday is on me too. The weight on my shoulders gets heavier.

“It’s already in the works, Matthew, and you have no say.”

The robotic way she says those words eats at me. That’s him talking, not her. After this long, she just thinks it is. That pisses me off. She may as well be one of those zombies on that damn television show Cooper’s woman likes to watch.

“No. She deserves to choose who she wants to be with in this life. Not the other way around, and definitely not a fucking cousin, uncle, or what-the-fuck-ever-else he concocts. That shit is not right, and you know it. You saw Samantha go through it. You can’t want that for Breanna. You can stop this.”

She gives out a loud sigh. “No, I can’t. It’s time for you to go.”

“You want me to take my money with me?”

Fear and panic crosses her features as her hand goes up to her neck. I know she needs it. She always needs it because her piece of shit husband doesn’t provide for her and my siblings. It baffles me why she stays, why she puts up with his shit. But, at this point, there’s nothing I can do. She continues to work her ass off for nothing; that’s her choice.

“Please, Matthew.” Her words are whispered, and I hate that, as well. If I could give her a fucking backbone, I would.

Reaching in my pocket, I pull out the wad of money and hold it out to her. She takes it quickly, as if it’s a mirage and if she doesn’t get it that moment, it will disappear. Truth, I’d give it to her, anyway. She needs it. My siblings need it.

I’m the oldest. Then there is Samantha, who is twenty-five and married off. Breanna, who’s turning sixteen. Ashley, who’s eleven. Brian, who’s nine. And Adam, the youngest, is seven. It’s a huge age gap, and with my mom’s age now, she doesn’t need to be popping out any more.

“Right. It’s been fun.” I turn and walk through the door, knowing my time here is done.

It always ends this way, because she chooses it to. Once, I thought she might just have the balls to actually let me see my brothers and sisters, but that was just hope, the one thing with my family a person should not have.

“Thank you,” she says as I face her again.

“I’m fuckin’ serious about Breanna. You can do something. You’re not helpless.” My look turns icy. By her small gasp, she sees it.

Saying nothing else, I get the fuck out of there.

It’s the fucking truth. I’ll do whatever it takes to get my sister out of that shit. Samantha was already gone before I could, but Breanna … she won’t live this shit if she doesn’t want to.

My phone pings with a text.

Carley: I want to party.

Me: And …

Carley: Pick me up.

Me: And do what with you?

Carley: Take me to the clubhouse, idiot.

I chuckle, sending her a text about the party coming up and that I’ll pick her up for it. My cousin got out of this cult life a couple of years ago and looked me up. It took her a while to get her head on straight after being with all those fuckers for so long, but she’s adjusted well and loves to party.

Personally, I don’t give a fuck. She wants to screw my club brothers, so be it. At least I know she’s safe.

Funny how life decides to toss shit in your face, but keeps right on moving. At least Carley was able to shake it off her and live a life that she wants. It’s my job to make sure Breanna gets that chance too.

I’ll do whatever it takes for family.