Page 8 of Condemned Soul

“You can’t leave me, Jimmer, I know too much. I could have your whole club taken down, with just one slip of my tongue.” I feel my jaw clench when I realize what she’s saying is true. “So, what will you do now? You gonna break your own club rule and kill me?” I wanna swipe the clever smirk right off her face but I manage to hold my restraint.

“What do you want?” I grab a kitchen chair for myself and straddle it in front of her.

“All I’ve ever wanted… is to be your old lady. I want respect from those nasty, little sluts that think sucking your dick makes them special. When did we turn into this, Jimmer?” She shakes her head and almost looks regretful.

“When you fucked one of my club brothers,” I remind her, watching Brian’s eyes widen in shock because there ain’t no one, not even him who knows about that.

“You know Cliff put it on me, he made me feel special, and he?—”

“I was faithful to you.” I point my finger at her face. “Right up until I found out what ya did. You were the only woman I took to my fuckin’ bed. I had that respect for you.”

“Are you really gonna make me pay for something I already regret?” Mary-Ann cries out at me.

“You're hardly doing much to build my trust back up,” I point out.

“Don’t act like you're a saint, Jimmer, you’ve had more than your fair share of whores.”

“Since you lost my loyalty, yeah, I have, and that ain’t ever gonna change.”

“Jimmer, I’ve told you so many times how sorry I am.”

“Yet you don’t show it.” I gesture my hand to the dead piece of crap behind me.

“You can keep callin’ yourself my old lady, you can strut around my club and pretend that you're someone important if that’s what's gonna keep your whore mouth closed and my little girl close to me. But no more threats, no more makin’ a fool outta me, and no more usin’ Hayley like she’s a weapon.” I wrap my hand around her throat and force her to look up at me. “People will get hurt,” I warn before slashing my knife through the ropes and letting her weak body slide off the chair onto the floor. “Jimmer, wait up.” Brian chases me outta the house as I head for my bike. I feel like I have the strength of a whole army trapped inside me and now's not the time for him to be attempting a discussion with me.

“Jimmer!” he yells and when I spin round I let him see the anger on my face.

“That’s why ya sent Cliff to Long Beach, ain’t it?”

I swallow my pride but I still don’t answer him. I don’t have to.

“You should have killed him.”

“Thought crossed my mind, but he’s one of the original Dirty Dozen, that's gotta count for somethin’.” I twist the ring on my finger that all twelve founding members got when we started this club. “If anythin’, it taught me a lesson. I trusted her.”

“Jimmer, I’m sor?—”

“Don’t do that.” I point my finger at him. “Don’t be sorry for me, ain’t like I got my heart broken. She wanted too much from me, she wanted to be loved. I just figured me bein’ faithful to her would have been enough.”

“And Cliff?” Brian looks at me.

“Cliff thought I was gonna kill him. He got on his knees and he begged for my forgiveness.”

“So you gave him a charter?” Brian looks at me as if I’m crazy.

“Ain’t no man gonna work harder than a man with a point to prove. Besides, I got people watchin’ out for me,” I assure him.

“Whoa, now… you got brothers watchin’ on brothers? Is that why Davy transferred last year? Prez… that’s not how we do shit.” Brian doesn’t look impressed.

“Cliff’s doin’ a good job. He’s takin’ the second chance I’ve given him by the balls, but that don’t mean I can trust him. Davy came with me from Montana. He wears my family brand. I know I can trust him.”

“But ya can’t trust me.” My best friend shakes his head and looks disappointed as he backs away from me toward his bike.

“Brian. I trust you more than anyone in this world. But I couldn’t tell ya.” I hang my head and swallow my pride. “I was too ashamed.”

“We’re fuckin’ brothers! We fuckin’ ride and die together and you were too ashamed to tell me your old lady cheated on you. I’d have ripped the cunt’s dick off his balls and fed it to the bitch.”

“Which is another reason I couldn’t tell ya. You’re as loyal as they come and you got no fuckin’ tolerance for bullshit. I got the same problem with Cliff that I do with her.” My head gestures toward the house. “He knows too much, if I’d banished him and stripped him of his cut he’d have either gone to the law or a rival. You know how the sayin’ goes. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, it’s a classic for a reason.”

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