Page 56 of German

“Because he’s already in hell,” German retorted.

I didn’t ask any further questions about the matter.I figured if German wanted to share his story, he would.However, there were other questions I had for the man I’d like answers to.

“German, why do you go by your last name for your road name?Everyone else seems to have a moniker of some sort.”I’d asked him about this before, but he’d kind of brushed off my question then.I was hoping tonight, as sated and comfortable as he was, he’d be in the mood to talk.

The water lapped peacefully around us before German answered.“I used it in the Marines.That’s where I met Reaper.”

That didn’t really explain anything.“You’re being deliberately vague,” I accused, gently kissing the side of his neck to soften him up.

German sighed.“It was my mother’s maiden name.My sperm donor’s surname was Park.When my mother died, I got rid of it and took hers.”

“How did she die?”I asked, feeling like I could because I’d lost my own mother so young and knew the pain of it all too well.

“Breast cancer,” he briefly answered.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, rubbing his back to soothe the pain, though I knew nothing ever could.

German’s arms tightened around me.“I’d been overseas when my mother died.She’d never even told me she was sick.”

My breath hitched in my throat.“That must have been so difficult for you.”

“It was.My one request when joining the Club was taking my Mother’s surname as my road name.Luckily, the president at the time, a really decent guy, understood and let me keep it.It was the best way I knew how to honor the woman who’d raised me, put food on the table, and worked herself like a dog just to keep the lights on.Lord knew my father never gave a single fuck to try and help.”

“That’s a beautiful tribute to her,” I said, my cheek against his chest.

“I’m thankful to her, too,” he teased, lightening the mood some.“I could have been named something stupid like Bishop, poor fucker.”

I laughed, despite the intensity of the moment.“It is a strange nickname.Who named him that?”

“I did,” German said with a chuckle.“That little shit always had women falling all over him.When he was a Prospect cleaning up trash after a Club party, girls would line up and beg to do it for him!Ox and I were drinking one night, watching this shit go down, and I said,Bitches literally fall to their knees and worship the kid like he’s a visiting Bishop leading Sunday service or something.After that, the name just stuck.”

I erupted into a fit of giggles then.“I see now.”

He pinched my rump under the water.“You’d better not,” he jested.

Liking his possessiveness, I cuddled closer.“With a name like Ox, I’m assuming the Club Enforcer got his nickname due to his size?”

“Yeah, that dude is fucking strong!I swear, he must have been raised near toxic waste to grow so big.”

“What about Hammer?”I queried.“Is that because he’s the Club mechanic?”

German pushed off the lake floor with his foot and started to float, resting me atop his chest.“Yes and no.For someone with such a good sense of humor, Hammer has a temper.He was at a scrap yard picking up some shit for a bike restoration when he saw the owner beating his pit.Well, Hammer broke the guy’s fingers one by one with a hammer for his blatant animal abuse, and told the bastard he’d kill him with it if he ever found out he got another dog.”

I was shocked but strangely touched.“Another dog?What happened to the pitbull he beat?”

“Hammer took him and kept him as his own until he passed away a few years ago,” German said.“He was a great dog.We all missed Thor when he passed.”

“Thor?As in, Thor’s Hammer?”I said with a giggle.

“Yup.I told you Hammer had a good sense of humor.”

“What about Reaper?How did he get his road name?”

German propelled us through the water as he stared up at the moon.“Like I said, Reaper was in the Marines with me.He was a good shot.A really good shot.”

Enough said.“What about Hawk?You’re VP.”I’d heard him talking about these men so much, I felt like I knew them personally at this point, though we’d never actually met.

“Hawk’s father was in the Club, and he’d had that nickname since he was a kid.Hawk’s grandfather was Shoshone and said his grandson had the vision and ferocity of the great bird of prey.The nickname stuck and he kept it as his road name because it fit him so well.”

---