Page 4 of Bruiser's Reckoning

“It’s not something I can simply just go and get. He . . . damnit, Gweeny, it’s a woman he wants back. This shit is deep, and he doesn’t just want her. Now, he wants another woman as well.”

Oh shit, this is not a good thing. Not even the slightest. I surely wasn’t expecting this bomb to be dropped on me. “Why does this man want those women?”

“I don’t know his reasons. Only that if I don’t do what he asks, he’s coming after you.” Tears swell in Simon’s gaze, and I can see that this has been hard on him.

“Have you tried to do what he asks?” I hope to God he hasn’t. More than that, I’m hoping he went to the cops about it.

Simon clears his head and gives me that sheepish look he gets when he’s guilty.

“Tell me you didn’t,” I mutter, chastising.

“I was trying to protect you, and Dad was ready to sign you over. I couldn’t let him do that to you,” Simon says hastily.

“Right.” I nod and brush my hair out of my face. “Who was it and where? Whoever it is, they need to know what’s going on.”

I watch as Simon’s face pales further, and he looks ready to puke as he answers me. “Both women belong to members of the Devil’s Riot MC.”

Great. Perfect.

Just what I needed to hear.

Sighing heavily, I get out of my seat. “Come on,” I tell my brother and start toward the exit. Neither of us is going to be eating lunch. Not until we get this matter handled first.

“Where’re we going?” Simon asks, rushing to keep up with me.

“To get this situation sorted.”

“You can’t just go and speak to this guy. It’s not safe.”

“Oh, we’re not going to the man our family owes a debt to,” I quip. “We’re going to the Devil’s Riot MC, and you’re going to talk to them. This issue doesn’t just involve us, it involves them.” Plus, I have too much respect for those guys. Well, more like Avery and the other women who work at Rise-N-Shine Coffee. It’s the only place in town to get a cup of coffee that isn’t not only high priced but damn good. Because of my respect for them, I’m going to them and hope like hell they won’t kill my brother in the process.

CHAPTER THREE

BRUISER

“Brother, you’re gonna want to get out here,” Colt shouts from the other side of my door after banging on it, waking me up.

Last night had been one hell of a night, and I needed some sleep. Thank fuck the clubwhores, also known as slobber crawlers, knew the score and got out of my bed when I told them to. I might fuck ‘em in a bed, but they sure as fuck don’t sleep here when I’m done. No damn way am I stupid enough to let them do so. They’ll start getting the idea I want them there. That would be a big nope on the subject.

Throwing the blankets off my naked ass, I get up, snatch a pair of jeans from the floor and pull them on as Colt bangs on the door once again. Colt’s damn lucky I didn’t wake up with a hangover. Otherwise, I might end up knocking his ass out for waking me up.

I stalk over to the door, yank it open, and demand, “What the fuck is so damn important?”

Colt lowers his arm and shakes his head. “You’re not going to believe this shit. Hurry up and get to the main room.” He doesn’t wait about for me to ask further questions. Instead, he pivots and all but runs.

Throwing my door closed once again, I move to my dresser and grab a shirt from the top. I need to seriously put my clothes away but haven’t had time. I make quick work of getting dressed and head out of my room, making sure to lock it behind me.

I’m hoping I’ve got time to get a cup of coffee before finding out what the fuck has Colt coming to get me. Unfortunately for me, it’s not the case. The moment I step into the main room, I’m met with the shocking sight of that fucker Simon standing just behind a woman who’s sitting and talking with Avery and the other women.

What the fuck is going on here?

With a quick shake of my head, I move toward where my Prez and VP are standing near the bar, eyes focused entirely on the women. “Why is he here, and who’s the woman?”

“The woman is his sister, Gwyneth, and is a frequent flyer at the coffee shop,” Hammer grumbles. “Avery demanded a moment with her before we barged into the damn questioning.”

“Of course, you didn’t say no.” I grunt and motion to the prospect for coffee.

“Avery said she’s a first responder. She’s a good person,” Hammer remarks as I’m handed the mug.

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