Ryker

In the main room of the clubhouse the entire Sacred Sinners mother chapter, and those from our Texas chapter pop a squat on any available surface, as Brew unloads two cases of beer on the bar. Big Dick decided it was better to have Church in a larger space. There’s not enough room to fit all of us around his table.

Stealing a bottle of Bud, I strut over to the couch and perch myself on its arm, next to my pops. Who’s texting what I assume is his VP, trying to make some sort of amends. Like that’s gonna happen anytime soon. Ghost is probably ready to grind his bones to make his bread. Not that I blame him.

Kade pushes his way into the room, shaking his head, jaw tight. Snagging a beer off the bar, he finds a spot against the wall to lean. I should probably go over and ask how my little Tiger’s doin’. But watchin’ him extract a knife from his cut, I think better of it. Maybe later we’ll get all this shit sorted out. It’s bad enough I had to leave Kat long enough to tend to Vanessa. Apparently, she was a real banshee. Demanding that I see her; I did. She’s staying at one of the members’ houses. That’s one of the differences from our clubhouse and this. They’ve got a gated compound that’s separated between the main clubhouse in the front and an entire village in the back. All the members, their old ladies, and kids live here like one big supportive family. It’s pretty fuckin’ sweet.

The big man himself takes front and center, commanding attention. As if that’s hard. The guy’s bigger than anyone I’ve seen in person. He’s so huge he makes me look like an ant. No wonder he’s our national prez.

Pulling his hair back into a ponytail, Big sweeps the room with his penetrating gaze before he speaks. “We’ve gotta handle this shit. I’ve got our clubs on standby. Support clubs ready to go at a moment’s notice. We gotta get this locked down. No more kidnappings. No more Ghost bullshit. I thought we had this sorted years ago. That’s why I sent his ass down to Texas.” His crystal eyes shoot bullets in our direction. Then they soften around the edges, and he sighs long and hard.

“I’ve got enough goin’ on right the fuck now, with my old lady bein’ gone. The last thing I need to deal with is this small time club, prissy bitch shit. They’re butthurt Ghost took their money. So the fuck what. If they were smart, they woulda let that go. Buried it just like they thought he’d been buried. But no. They gotta piss me off when I don’t have time to be pissed off. So the question I’m askin’ ya is what do ya wanna do? Do we see how they respond to us takin’ out their men, and one of their clubhouses? Or do we mow their asses down and take them out for good? It’s no secret I don’t like war if I can avoid it, too much blood to be spilled. Too many families involved. Kids losin’ parents. Mama’s losin’ their sons. I’m not Boss Man. I don’t like puttin’ people to ground if I don’t have to. Ya got me?”

His dad’s name lingers in the air like a rancid stench. I wasn’t around when his pops was prez. He was well known for killin’ now and askin’ questions later. A real brass-balled asshole from what I’ve heard. At least Big can think before he acts. I respect the hell outta him for that. Carrying the weight of our entire club can’t be easy.

Nudging Pops in the shoulder, I will him to speak up. He’s gotta be the one to make the right decision. Not me. I’m not thinkin’ logically right now. At this point, I’m ready to go Vlad the Impaler on their asses to set an example. But this ain’t the 1400’s in Transylvania. We’ve got laws and clean up to deal with. Thanks to technology, puttin’ someone to ground isn’t as easy as it once was. Brothers go to prison for smokin’ weed for fuck sakes. What do you think the pigs are gonna do if a whole MC is wiped from the face of the earth? And that’s assumin’ we don’t lose a few of our own in the process.

When Pops takes too long to speak, I glance at Kade, who’s two shakes from goin’ ballistic. His cheek twitches as he rubs the blade of his bowie knife up and down the beer bottle. Slivers of label rest at his feet.

Knowin’ we can’t wait any longer to sort this out, I elbow Pops in the bicep. “You got anythin’ to say, old man?”

“I’m thinkin’,” he growls, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “I’ve already gotta deal with Ghost losin’ his shit on me. The last thing I need to do is fuck this up, too.” He lifts his head, making firm eye contact. Silent words are exchanged. He needs my help.

“Right.” I sigh, then lift my chin toward Kade to distract him from doin’ anything stupid. “What do ya think, bro?”

Blinking twice, Kade stows his knife and stands to his full height, strangling that bottle in his fist. “I think we need to protect family first. Bleed who we gotta bleed, but be smart about it.” He sways on his feet, jittery. “I agree with Big. I don’t think war’s the answer. Puts too much heat on us. And after what happened tonight, there’s already gonna be someone breathin’ down our necks. There always is.”

He’s right.

With the wave of my hand, I gesture for Kade to go on. Big and the rest of the crew place all eyes on him, soaking up his wisdom. He’s smart. Much smarter than me about some of this. I’ve got too much at stake. That’s why it’s gotta be up to Pops or someone else to pave the course. ‘Cause all I wanna do is kidnap my woman and kids and force them to stay with me forever, just to protect them. That would mean stealin’ her away from her mom and life here. Something I promised I’d never do because it wasn’t fair to her. None of this has been. She’s gonna be scarred for life ‘cause of me. And that’s after the years of emotional shit I’ve already piled on her by leavin’ and comin’ back. I’m a selfish prick. But when it comes to her, I can’t see anythin’ else. She’s the sun in my universe. Nothing else compares.

Kade, Big, and Gunz trade ideas as my thoughts focus on Kat and how all of this is gonna affect her long-term. It was one thing to leave her high and dry for the betterment of the club—my family. Now here we are. I’m in the same building as her, and my body physically aches to hold her in my arms again, to make sure she’s whole. That might make me a pussy, but I don’t give a fuck. Kat dozed, cuddling on my chest the entire ride to the compound. For those few moments, it felt like the old life we had, before Vanessa and the club. When it was just our babies and us. It was much simpler back then. Happier.

Lost to introspection, I’m jilted from my daydream when Kade yells my name, and Pops slaps my thigh. “What?” I snap, glaring at them.

“We asked you a question.” Pops rolls his eyes.

Shit.

“Yeah? What?”

“Have you been listenin’ at all?” Kade asks.

Like I’m gonna admit I’m not and get razzed for it. “Sure. Whatever. Just ask your fuckin’ question.” I adjust my ass on the arm as Big drops himself onto a stool next to Gunz. Guess he’s leaving this for us to settle. Either that, or he’s tired like the rest of us. I think we all need a good twelve hours and some pussy. Not that I’m gettin’ any of the latter. It’s been a while. Surprised my dick hasn’t fallen off from neglect.

“We want your thoughts on how we should handle Kat, the girls, and Vanessa. Seein’ as though you got two chicks knocked up. One that is pretty fuckin’ priceless to us, and the other’s your old lady.” Kade crosses his arms defiantly over his chest and quirks a challenging brow.

Fuck all that horse shit.

I stand, squarin’ up to my brother for pissin’ me off. I get that he needs to let off some steam. We all do. But fuck … he doesn’t need to take that out on me. We’re on the same side. Pushin’ my buttons is not the way we roll. “First off, the same one who you’re callin’ priceless is my old lady! Everyone fuckin’ knows that,” I snarl, pointin’ a finger at him like he’s an errant child. This always gets him riled up. So what. He already insinuated Vanessa’s my old lady, and that’s bull. I don’t like playin’ games.

“Really? Is that why you tended to your wife when Kat was goin’ through hell, gettin’ stitched by me? You weren’t there. You didn’t see her pain. You left as soon as we got here to go check on your bitch. So, excuse me for assumin’ that you decided Vanessa was your old lady. ‘Cause I damn sure know that I’d be takin’ care of what’s mine before handlin’ some prissy bitch who means nothin’ to me.”

Whoosh… The emotional blow slams into my gut like a wrecking ball as soon as the words are spoken. Air punches from my lungs, and I wrap an arm around my aching middle to keep from buckling. Kade’s right. So goddamn right. I should’ve let Vanessa handle herself and made sure Kat was okay. I shouldn’t have left. Fuck! I’m screwin’ this all up.

He’s not done. “Then we ask you what you wanna do about them and you ain’t even got the decency to listen to us talk. It’s like you don’t give a fuck.”

What?!

“I give a fuck!” I roar, eyes flying wide, taking a step forward. “I give a lot of fuck. I’ve always given a fuck. She’s been mine for years!”

“Then act like it!” Kade returns, shaking his head in disgust, the bottle swinging between his fingertips like he’s ready to chuck it at my skull. “Make a choice on what you wanna do with the two women who’re carryin’ your kids! We can’t decide for you. You should want this power. Power that Pops and Big didn’t have to grant you, but did. If you’d been listening. They’re yours to take care of, Ryker. So do your damn job or we’re handlin’ Kat and feedin’ Vanessa to the wolves. Ya, hear me?”

Fuck! He’s right. Scrubbing a hand down the side of my face, feelin’ all kinds of useless right now, I give myself a mental kick in the ass. I love my bro, even if he can be a prick sometimes. At least he’s lookin’ out for Kat and me.

“Alright,” I reply calmly, lifting my hands in mock surrender to defuse the situation before Kade unleashes himself on me. I don’t have the energy to deal with that right now. “I know what we gotta do. Kat and the girls gotta…