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You couldn’t fucking trust people.

Unfortunately, that was a lesson I had to keep learning over and fucking over—from the day I was born to today. This time the lesson came from a man I’d trusted with my life, obliterating any desire I might have had to ever put my faith in anyone again.

I’d dedicated almost a decade to Jethro, believing him and blindly following his directions. After I’d ended my relationship with Ivy, my focus had been completely on him. I’d descended into the pits of hell for him, taking care of the filthy shit he didn’t want to.

I used to think Jethro was everything. He’d been Storm’s president for fifteen years and had taken me in when I’d shown up at the clubhouse with a friend who wanted to join the club. I’d come for a drink and left with a burning desire to be part of a brotherhood unlike any I’d known before. Jethro taught me everything he knew about life and the club. Or so I thought. Turned out he’d only shown me the side of himself he wanted to. He’d kept hidden the fact he stole from the club and harassed members behind closed doors to get them to do shit he wanted. Shit that benefitted him, not the club.

Jethro sneered at me. “Giving up the presidency to you wasn’t enough, huh, King? Now you’re gonna kill me?”

I clenched my jaw. “You gave up the presidency because you’re a lying, thieving motherfucker and wanted to keep the money you’ve stolen from the club more than you wanted to remain president. If you ever thought I’d simply allow you to make me president in return for my silence forever, you were mistaken. That shit will come out in the open tonight. But this between us now, this is for what you did to me and Ivy.”

“What the fuck did I do to you and that bitch?”

I sucked in a deep breath and stopped myself from punching him. Why, I wasn’t fucking sure. I had no reason to contain my need for revenge anymore. Tonight I would finally do what I’d been planning for the last week. “You pushed me into leaving her.”

“Fuck, that was seven years ago. You’re still holding onto that shit? And besides, I didn’t push you into doing anything. That was all on you.”

Rage breathed down on me. It threatened to smother me with its need for retribution. My skin crawled with anger until I finally snapped and allowed my darkness out to play.

Taking the few steps between us, I grabbed Jethro’s shirt and yanked his body against mine. Our eyes met, and I showed him the thunder roaring in me. He may have thought he’d witnessed the depths of my crazy, but he hadn’t. I kept the extent of my madness carefully concealed. Jethro would wish he’d never met it. Would fucking wish he’d never crossed me.

“You manipulated me, Ivy, and half the fucking club so I’d think leaving her was for the best. I bought into what you were selling. And what the fuck for?” I gripped his shirt harder. “What the fuck did you get out of Ivy leaving?”

Distaste painted his face. “That bitch was your one weakness. I simply helped you see that and deal with it. She was fucking tenacious, though. I’ll give her that.”

His words shattered my focus. “What did you do to her?” I demanded on a harsh breath. I would kill him slower for this. I’d find a way to draw his blood so it hurt ten times more than I had planned.

He only hesitated for a moment. Jethro liked people to know the shit he’d done. “No matter what I did to her or what I had club members do to her, Ivy never fucking ran to you and dogged on anyone. That bitch told me that even though she hated me and half the club, nothing would force her to leave your side. She said you two had been through everything together and she’d be there until the day you died.” His lips flattened. “That was why you needed to get rid of her. She would have dragged you and the club down because you would never have been able to put the club first.”

I saw fucking red. Without another thought, I smashed my head against his nose. As he reeled back, I roared, “No one makes decisions for me!”

Before he had a moment to recover and get his mind back in the game, I punched his face. He continued stumbling backwards, towards the brick wall in the filthy alley where I’d met him, while I continued punching him.

I’d unleashed my demons, and they weren’t retreating anytime soon. They would see this through.

I lost myself to the violence. After being raised on a diet of brutality and cruelty, this savage fury was ingrained in me. It lived deep in my soul. In my fucking bones. I dedicated effort to keeping it locked up, but Jethro had hit the trigger, and I was helpless to stop it.

The one thing I knew without a doubt in life was that you should take the time to identify the monsters that walked among you and then do everything in your power not to wake them. If you did disturb them, that shit was on you.

By the time I was done with him, Jethro lay at my feet, a bloody mess of slashed skin, broken bones, and damage I hardly recognised as coming from my hands.

I took a few minutes to get my breathing under control and my thoughts back in focus. It’d take me hours to come down from this, but I needed to concentrate enough to call Hyde.

Hyde answered straight away. “You’re done?”

“Yeah, brother, I’m fucking done. Just need your help getting rid of this body.”

“Text me the address. I’ll be there.” He paused for a moment. “And King, you did the right thing. I’ve got your back on this.”

I’d told Hyde of my discoveries regarding Jethro, and he’d helped me investigate to confirm. He’d wanted to watch the motherfucker die, had wanted to help, but this was something I needed to do on my own. That he’d taken my back wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.

While I waited for him, I crouched down next to Jethro and allowed the memories of the shit we’d done together to come. I needed to do that. Needed to remember so I wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Promises made flashed through my mind, and I noted them too.

I wouldn’t go down this path again.

I would never hand the gun to someone and load the bullets for them.

I’d rather aim that gun at myself and blow my own fucking brains out.

Betrayal was worse than death, and the only way to avoid it was to never trust anyone but yourself.