Page 129 of Starting Over

King glared at me. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. Just sat in his chair, the scowl on his face telling me talking wasn’t an option.

“I let you have a week, but we need to deal with this shit.”

His officers didn’t move from their seats. I saw the question on each of their faces, they didn’t know if they should stay or go. Finally, King stood and walked toward me.

When it was clear he wouldn’t stop, I grabbed his elbow and turned him around.

“We need to—”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence before his fist connected with my mouth. Stumbling backward into the table, I caught myself before I hit the floor.

Straightening my spine, I walked over and stood in front of him.

“Do you feel better now?”

King reared back and hit me again. This time, I did hit the floor. I sat there on my ass, looking up at my little brother. Yes, he was technically my nephew, but he would always be my little brother.

“Get the fuck up!” he yelled.

“I won’t fight with you,” I told him, rubbing my finger over the split I now had on my lip.

“You’re a fucking pussy. Grow some goddamn balls and be a man.”

“Be a fucking man? That all you got?” I pushed myself off the floor and stalked toward him.

When he swung again, I was ready. I grabbed his fist and swung him around, pushing him against the wall. I held his arm behind his back until he stopped struggling.

Hearing the chairs scrape against the floor behind me, I snarled, “Sit the fuck down, all of you.” Watching as they all sat slowly, I turned back to my brother and whispered so only he could hear me, “You have no idea what it means to be a fucking man.”

With a small shove into the wall, I let him go. Fuck this bullshit. I was done. Everything I did for him. Everything I sacrificed, and he wanted to act like a fucking five-year-old. I shoved open the doors to church and froze.

Looking into the angry eyes of my daughter and my woman, I swallowed my curses and closed my eyes.

Beck walked forward into the room and looked around. “All of you, out.” When no one moved but Blade, she shouted, “NOW!”

That got them moving.

“Beck—” King started. But she held up her hand in front of his face. “Hush, Uncle.” She always called him Uncle when she wanted her way. Just like when she called me Daddy.

“Not your uncle,” he muttered.

I watched my daughter’s face fall. Her eyes watered and she sniffed. Holding her head high, she turned and walked out of the room without a word.

Now it was Maureen’s turn.

She marched up to King and slapped him right across the face.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Declan

You could have heard the sound of hummingbird wings with the silence that followed after Maureen slapped the President of the Silver Shadows MC.

“I would call you a son of a bitch, but I knew your mother, and she was one of the sweetest women I have ever met. Too bad you didn’t get any of her genetics. No, you’re a bastard, just like your father. How dare you speak to her that way.” Maureen poked her finger in King’s chest as she ranted, “That girl loves you. You have been her uncle since she found out about you, and you just ripped it away with three words. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Um, Maureen, you can’t just slap the president…”

Jack let his words trail off when Maureen spun around on him.

---