Page 19 of Jaded Soul

“You’re safe, Rowan. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“I know, it’s just…”

“It’s a lot to process,” I finish for her, stroking my fingertips down her back. She nods and takes a few deep breaths.

“I’ll do it,” Rowan murmurs. “I want to be free from them. Free from my past. Free to think about my future.” Those purple eyes lock onto mine, and I know exactly what she means. Mywoman wants me, she wantsusto build a future together. But first, we need to close the book on her past.

10

ROWAN

“It’s still a work in progress, but we’ve done a ton of work since buying the place,” Jett tells me as we walk through the Deviant Souls’ clubhouse. He has an arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me tucked into his side.

“Are there any projects you’ve helped out with?” I ask, trying to distract myself from the conversation I’m about to have with a bunch of big, burly bikers.

“Of course. I helped install those booths on the back wall.”

“So you’re telling me to avoid those, got it,” I tease, looking up at Jett. He grins down at me and nudges me with his hip.

He’s about to say something witty in response, but then Domino walks into the room. I know him from Gracie May’s, as well as a few other guys. Domino is the president of the club and that’s about all I’ve been able to gather.

Domino tips his head toward the back of the large room where there’s a hallway. I assume there are more private rooms back there.

By the time we enter the smaller conference-style room, my hands are clammy and my breathing is a bit shaky, along with the rest of me.

“I’m right here,” Jett whispers, the hand around my waist tightening slightly.

I nod, then look around the room where three other men besides Domino are sitting, waiting for me. Talk about anxiety-inducing situations.

“Rowan,” Domino says, addressing me. “Jett tells me you have some important information you’d like to share.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” I say, fighting the urge to bow or courtesy or something.

A few of the guys chuckle, making me feel stupid. Domino smiles, which softens the hard lines on his face. Jett growls at the other men, silencing them.

“You can call me Domino,” he says, motioning for me to sit down. Jett scoots a chair right next to mine and we get settled in. “Now, we’re all grateful for your willingness to offer up sensitive information. We don’t take that lightly. I can already sense that Jett is going to protect you from every damn thing, but now you have the rest of the club officially behind you as well.”

“Th-thank you,” I stutter out.

Jett rests his arm around my shoulders and leans in to whisper in my ear. “You got this,” he encourages. “I’m right here.”

“My father has always been… prone to violence and mood swings,” I begin, wringing my hands together in my lap. Jett places his much larger hand over both of mine, silently reassuring me I have nothing to worry about. “He’s always skirted the law and at times, outright broke laws. I wasn’t surprised when he chose to join some kind of gang a few months ago. He’d been hanging around a new group ofassociates,as he called them. These men were different from the petty criminals he usually hung around. I don’t know how to explain it. They were… hardened. Soulless. Monsters who only lookedafter themselves. That must be a requirement to join Hell’s Scoundrels.”

Jett grunts while Domino nods. The Prez leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He’s invested, I can tell.

“For my father’s initiation into the MC, he had to…” I inhale deeply and then exhale before continuing. “He had to kill someone. I stumbled upon the crime scene by accident and have been running ever since.”

“Jesus Christ,” Domino grits out. The other men around the room grunt and swear under their breaths. “Can you describe the people you saw that night? Your father, a few other members, and the man who was murdered… any details or information you have would be a huge help.”

One of the guys pulls out a laptop. I think I remember him from the diner as Diesel. He types away while I give the physical descriptions of each man, pausing to collect myself before talking about the broken body of the victim.

Thirty minutes later, I’ve given the guys names, addresses, descriptions, and everything I know about Hell’s Scoundrels from my short interactions with them. Domino confirmed there are multiple chapters of Hell’s Scoundrels around the country. From the information I offered, he was able to track down which branch my father joined. He also let everyone know my father’s particular chapter of Hell’s Scoundrels has been looking to recruit members along one of the major drug routes through Texas. That’s why they accepted the former Prez and ex-Deviant Souls members so easily.

“Thank you, Rowan,” Domino says, standing up and offering his hand. I stand up as well, shaking his hand and nodding my head. “We will use your testimony and the information you gave us to bring these fuckers down for good.”

Jett is right behind me, his hand curling around my hip as he draws me to his side. “Goddamn right we will,” he agrees.

With that, my man turns and whisks us out of the conference room, each step away from his MC brothers more urgent than the last.

---