Page 47 of Out for Blood

Killian patted me on the back as he got up. “He’s as good as dead, my man.”

The clubhouse was loud and obnoxious as the party raged on. Hawk, Bear and I were all partying hard when we heard the bunnies arrive. Viper and Razor were both headed their way to knock some pressure loose before we took on our enemy. I was long past those days. Even when I hadn’t been too old, I stilldidn’t have much need for them. I preferred a release, sure, but I never wanted to wake up next to any of them the next day.

None of them could compare to my Sheridan.

That was why I needed this shit to be done and dusted so I could spend the next few years learning all about Ryleigh and Shauna and to be a dad they deserved before they went to university, and then I could have Sheridan all to myself.

The bunnies all filtered throughout the clubhouse, trying to find their next victim as I headed toward the bar. Shona saw me and started pouring my drink before I got there. A cool hand landed on my arm, and I looked up to see a familiar face.

“Amanda,” I replied, moving my arm away from her to take my drink. “It’s been a while since we saw you around. I thought you were still up with the Nomads.”

“I was,” she hesitated, as if she were trying to see if I remembered her in her drugged out state. I did, but I didn’t want to embarrass her. She looked sober enough, so I was cool with her being here. “I came here because I really missed the girls.”

“That’s fair,” I said. “Well, you’re welcome here any time. Have a good night.”

Her hand moved back to my arm, and I felt her nails drag across my skin. “Did you want to play a game of pool, or we could go and listen to music in your room?”

I saw the flame of desire in her blue eyes and I sighed, moving my arm away from her again. “I’m off the market, Mana. There are plenty of other men wanting some company tonight.”

She made a move to block my exit. She had always been a feisty, persistent woman.

“Take the hint,” Shona called out. “Prez is taken.”

Amanda moved her eyes over to Shona, a woman you didn’t want to mess with, and she stepped back.

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Like hell,” Shona glowered before she moved off. I headed in the opposite direction, away from Amanda, and toward church. It was our room where we conducted meetings that we couldn’t let anyone else hear. It used to be my favourite room of the place before I caught my father in here with one of the bunnies. She’d been crying, and I knew it was because he’d probably taken her in the ass without her permission.

I’d lost my trust for the man that day, and made the decision to take off with the Nomads. It was the same week I had said goodbye to Sheridan. I’d hoped she would stop me, that she would tell me to stay. I would have…for her.

But she didn’t.

I wanted nothing more than her to jump on my bike and give me every reason to stay in Kilkenny, for her, for us, but she’d wished me well and told me she thought it would be a great adventure.

My heart had broken in pieces that day, and for years, I hadn’t touched a woman. I couldn’t. Even when I started to take lovers, I knew my heart still belonged here with her.

“It’s been a while since you called church here,” Hawk said from behind me. He pushed past to take his seat in the VP position. He hated being VP, loved the thrill of being Sergeant at Arms but when Dog betrayed the club, I knew I needed someone I could trust. Hawk had been at my side for as long as I could remember. There was no one I trusted more.

“What’s eating you?” Hawk asked me. I moved over to the President seat and looked at it, remembering how my father would covet this seat. “You’re not him, you know.”

I chuckled. “You always could read my mind, brother.”

I sat down in the chair and looked over the carved table in front of me. It had the names of all our members that came before us carved into the wood.

“I mean it, Cooper, you are everything good about this club. He was what was wrong with it. He’d gotten drunk with power.”

“The last thing I remember in this room was him sodomising Celeste in here. That’s when I chose to leave. I couldn’t stay here and watch him rip apart this whole damn club.”

Hawk sighed. “Fuck, I wondered what happened to her. She lost her way around the time we left. I remember. Got into drugs and shit.”

I nodded. “I should have reached out and helped her after, but I was too heartbroken after saying goodbye to Sheridan.”

Hawk nodded. “It was a massive change. Did you tell Sheridan why you were leaving?”

I shook my head in response. “No. She never knew how much of a deviant my father was, thankfully. I’m glad she stopped coming here, even if I didn’t understand at the time.”

Hawk didn’t respond, but he ran a hand down the back of his neck and looked away. He only did that when he was nervous or worried about something. Immediately, I felt off with the reaction.

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