Page 70 of Raze

Tawk says nothing back, just nods his head, and gives me a good firm shake of his hand.

“I hear you’ve been out lookin’ for Cliff’s daughter?”

“Willow. Her name’s Willow.” His nostrils flare.

“Well, you got everyone here’s support. Findin’ her and bringin’ her home is high on my list of priorities, and I know it means a lot to Wrath.” I look around and when I don’t see him I figure he’s still talkin’ to Dev. It’s a shame he ain’t here to welcome home the guy who’s been out lookin’ for his sister.

“Every lead I had turned out to be a dead end. I swear Cliffs fuckin’ with us.” He scrubs his hand over his face and takes the stool Peyton was using. Polly places a shot of tequila in front of him and he knocks it straight back. “I’ve ridden, day and night. I’ve been to nearly every fuckin charter tryin’ to find someone he might still be connected with.” He shakes his head and stares into the space in front of him like he’s drained. “She’s vanished, gone. For all I know she’s already dead.”

“Don’t you fuckin’ say that!” I hear Wrath's voice come from behind me, and when I look over my shoulder I see him standing in the door frame with Dev behind him. He marches over to Tawk and takes a firm hold of his shoulder, and for a second I wonder if he's gonna land one on him. Instead, he shoves him back so his head lifts up.

“There ain’t no way that Willow’s dead, she was a fighter when she was a kid and she’s a fighter now. We will find her.” He points his finger in Tawk’s face. “Then once she’s home and safe, me and you are gonna talk about your intentions,” he warns.

“I’ll tell you my intentions right now.” The barstool scrapes across the floor when Tawk stands up and Wrath’s finger presses into his wide muscular chest. “I’m gonna make her my old lady, take care of her, and never let her out of my fuckin’ sight again.” He shows no fear, as he barges past Wrath and heads back out the door.

“You sure showed him.” Griller pats Wrath on the back sarcastically.

“You always have somethin’ to say don’t ya?” Wrath swings around and Ruckus immediately grabs hold of him.

“You care so much about your sister, why ya here? Why ain’t you the one out there lookin’ for her? I heard that your thirst for your daddy’s blood was untenable, yet he’s still out there.” Griller continues and when Wrath nearly breaks free of Ruckus’s hold I quickly put myself between them.

“Don’t let him get to ya.” I press my hand into his shoulder and feel him push against it despite Ruckus’s attempt to pull him back.

“Griller.” I calmly turn around to face him. “Your mouth runs too freely, the day you become perfect is the day you get to judge another brother.” I purposely let my eyes roam over to the corner of the room where Alicia is sitting with Rocco and her brother.

Alicia quickly looks down at her hands and blushes while the smirk on Griller’s face falls flat.

“Wrath is here because I asked him to be. That’s all you need to know.” I turn back to Wrath and tip my chin at Ruckus to let him know he can let him go.

It only takes a few seconds for everyone to get back to their business and when I feel Wrath’s eyes burning into the back of my head I wrap my arms around Peyton’s neck and draw her in close.

“Why don’t you take Alicia back to our place and check on Reggie?” I whisper into her ear, before placing a kiss on her temple.

“Is that code for get out of here?” She looks up at me over her shoulder.

“I don’t like the atmosphere here right now, and I’d feel a lot more in control if you weren't here.” I give her an honest answer, and she shows how mature she’s become when she kisses me and heads over to Alicia.

I wait until both girls have left, then look at Wrath and gesture my eyes toward church so he knows to follow me.

I figure it would be in bad taste to take him into his father’s office given the mood he’s in.

“You wanna talk?” I ask, closing the door behind me, and although we’re alone and all the seats are empty he still takes the chair that belongs to him.

“Griller’s right, I know it, you know, the whole damn club fuckin’ knows it.” He rests his elbows on the table and buries his head in his hands.

“If you need to leave to find her–”

“I can’t.” He looks up at me and shakes his head.

“I let her down, I’ve done it her whole life. I should have never left her, or Freya, behind when I went nomad. Come on, Raze, we both know that Tawk lookin’ for her is pointless. Cliff will have her hidden somewhere no one will ever find her. He has this sick idea that his kids owe him their loyalty. He’s lost me, he lost Freya, there is no way he would lose her too.”

Hearing what he says makes me even more understanding of Stacey's decision to keep her little boy a secret.

“I wanted to come here and make a change. I wanted to do that by your side, the way we used to be, but you’ve made it very clear that you ain’t ever gonna forgive me for what happened to Eden.”

“We’re not talkin’ about her now, we’re talkin’ about your sister. We need to find Cliff, and when we do, we’ll find her too and you can start being that big brother she needs.”

“And when are you gonna be the brother Eden needs?” He doesn’t even look mad at me anymore, just fuckin’ helpless.

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