Page 19 of Ripper's Redemption

The moment I open the doors to the clubhouse, the roar of laughter and the clinking of bottles greets me.

The clubhouse is alive tonight, celebrating Bama’s return from the hospital.

It’s good to see him standing tall again, surrounded by our brothers.

Blackjack picked him up from the hospital about an hour ago while I was out running an errand.

“Ripper!” Bama’s voice cuts through the noise, pulling me toward him.

I make my way through the crowd, dodging Jugs, who’s been paying far too much attention to me lately.

There’s only one woman who’s garnered my interest, and it’s not her.

“How you feeling, man?” I ask, clasping Bama’s shoulder.

He looks thinner, but there’s a fire in his eyes that wasn’t there when he was in the hospital.

“A hell of a lot better since I’m back home,” Bama chuckles, taking a swig from his beer. “You have no idea how sick I was gettin’ of that damn hospital food.”

“God, I can only imagine. Were the nurses at least hot?” I reply, leaning against the bar beside him.

The scent of whiskey and leather fills my lungs, grounding me in the moment.

I take a look around the club, at this place, at these people. It’s more than just a club—it’s a chosen family.

“Some weren’t so bad. Others were fuckin’ horrible looking.” Bama says, his gaze shifting to the room, scanning familiar faces. “Enough about me. Everyone’s makin’ tonight about me. How are things goin’ with you and Tara?”

So far, everyone has bought the fact me and her are a couple—which is going according to plan.

I am surprised Gears hasn’t made a scene yet, but I’m sure that’ll happen in time.

“Taking it slow,” I say, shrugging. Inside, my gut twists. Yeah, we’ve got something going on, but it’s all for show. No one will ever know the truth except me and her. “I really like her. She’s a cool chick.”

“Well, yeah, she’s always been pretty cool. You know, I—” Bama starts, but then Gears strides over, his presence impossible to ignore.

His eyes lock onto mine, dark and serious.

“Ripper,” Gears growls, his voice low. “We need to talk.”

I know full and well where this is about to go. “About what?”

“Don’t play coy with me—it’s about Tara,” he snaps. “Just don’t hurt her, all right?”

Oh, he doesn’t get to tell me that without a smart ass response.

“Don’t hurt her like you did, right?” The words come out before I can stop them, sharp and cutting.

Gears’ eyes narrow, confusion flickering across his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demands, his voice rising.

Inhaling sharply, I’m not in the mood to play games. “You know good and well exactly what I’m talkin’ about.”

Gears clenches his jaw. “No, I don’t.”

Licking my lips, I grit. “You had her brought here under false pretenses instead of letting anyone tell her the truth. You ever think how being truthful could have benefited her?” I shoot back, anger bubbling up inside me.

I really don’t like the fact he lied to her like that.

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