Page 18 of Wolf

In the distance, I hear the faint rumble of a car and sigh. I need to go back inside before I’m caught, and this becomes messier than it already is.

“Lilli?” Mercy says and I jump, grabbing my chest before turning to her.

“Mercy? What are you doing out here?” I whisper, pushing her toward my window.

After everything that just happened, I’m worried that Mama or Daddy will come to their senses and realize I was gone, which is why I’m relieved to find the room dark and empty.

“Can I sleep with you?” she whispers, and when I nod, she slides into the bed.

After quickly changing into my nightshirt, I hide Wolf’s shirt beneath the mattress before joining her.

Her tiny body trembles and I hug her close as I stare at the wall. Now that my drug and alcohol induced high is fading, tears fill my eyes, and I rub the ache in my chest.

Miriam is gone. What am I going to do now?

Chapter 5

Wolf

Absently, I stare at Maddox, Joker’s son, pacing next to the wall. When I meet Joker’s troubled stare, he runs his hand through his hair and sighs.

For as long as I’ve known the man, Joker’s had his hair styled in a mohawk. After losing a bet to Romeo, he dyed the crazy strands into a rainbow.

It should look ridiculous, but the man is six feet five inches tall and all fucking muscle. No one would dare laugh in his face and live to talk about it.

Maddox has been acting like a caged bear since Duke brought Miriam home, bruised, and bloody. Luckily, the baby wasokay, but seeing the depths of the reverend's brutality broke something in my MC brother.

It was disturbing for all of us, and I had to ask Duke three times before I believed him when he said Lilli was fine when he saw her.

I can only hope this beating was an anomaly born out of Reverend Abernathy’s hatred for anything MC. Still, my soul burns, knowing that this man beat his daughter for falling in love with my brother.

He may hate us because we’re MC but how does that fucker justify this?

“I say we kill him,” Maddox mumbles, echoing my thoughts and Joker sighs.

The problem is, if we so much as sniff in that direction, the Sheriff will be all over our asses and we don’t need them returning the favor. So how do we protect his daughters without exposing ourselves?

The answer don’t sit well with me but I know that we’re riding a thin line here. Do we risk exposure or leave those girls to fend for themselves?

It’s clear now how deep this man’s hatred goes, and Miriam may be safe now, but Lilli needs to steer clear of anything MC. This, at least, will alleviate some of that rage.

“This isn’t our fight, son,” Joker says and Maddox’s eyes flash.

Although he isn’t as tall as his father, he’s got the bulk to try and take him on. He wouldn’t though. Maddox loves his “pops” just as much as he does his sister Draven.

No doubt, Maddox’s feral reaction is related to his mother’s death. Magnolia was a fine woman with a heart of gold. She got caught in a chain reaction of events ten years ago that left her dead.

Before the Smokin’ Aces did the honors though, they beat her repeatedly and left her body on the front stoop of their home.

Unfortunately, while we were out looking for her, Maddox found the body. I can’t truly imagine how that felt but I saw the light blink out of his eyes on that long ago day and he’s been hiding that rage and pain with a fake ass smile ever since.

None of us are the same. Who would be? But we vowed revenge and we’ve been fighting the assholes ever since. It’s one of the reasons we’re knee-deep in this war.

Worth it though to send a message. You don’t mess with our family and live to brag about it.

While I agree with Maddox’s opinion, I know Joker can’t risk it, which is why the reverend will live. For now…

If that fucker thinks he’s immune, he’s delusional though. I’ll kill the man on principle when the time is right.

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