Page 43 of Through The Woods

Went to ground…as in killed?

We watched the sky grow dark as we sat in silence. “So, Charm took over then?”

Guardrail nodded. “He took over, tried to turn the club around—we lost seventy-five percent of our members. A lot of men liked the club the way it was before—so they left, joined up with other chapters.”

It made sense. I wasn’t entirely familiar with MCs; my only knowledge was based on television shows and brief interactions through Clint—but even I knew that this was the cleanest group of outlaws in existence.

“Well, that explains there not being any club whores around. I guess it also explains why I’m not referred to as ‘bitch,’ which I greatly appreciate, by the way.”

Guardrail closed his eyes and nodded. “He’s got a lot to manage and he’s just doing the best he can to handle it all. The club was on the brink of financial ruin when Luck died. Charm pulled out of some deals, losing allies in the process, just to get the club back on solid ground. It cost him a lot to get us here.”

I watched the older man, as he sat with his eyes closed, reliving a past I knew little about. “Wanna tell me what really happened to Doc’s eye?”

He eyed me warily. “Not especially. I like my teeth in my mouth, thank you very much. All you need to know is that it’s club business.”

Of course it was. “Fair enough.”

The biker patted my leg. “Let’s go in and eat. As much as I’d love to sit out here and shoot the shit, I’m starving and exhausted.”

I sent him on ahead and stared into the dark for a few minutes longer. Being friends with Charm wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary to ensure that I got to stay. I also knew a little about what it was like to have the world resting on your shoulders. I’d spent a good portion of my life afraid of letting the people I loved down. So, I’d placed unreal expectations on myself, always needing to be seen as the go-getter.

Well, I’d gone and gotten myself right into trouble with drugs. And the saddest part was that I hadn’t seen it coming. I’d convinced myself that the work I piled on myself was making me stronger. The truth was that I’d gotten burned out by the time I hit eighteen, but the trap had been set and I’d become too afraid to speak up.

I needed a long-term plan, but with no identification and no money, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for me. I dusted my pants off and made my way back toward the house.

“You should do yourself a favor and keep your nose out of club business.”

My head turned toward the voice. Gunner was leaned up against the side of the lodge, smoking a cigarette. I refused to make eye contact with him and instead focused on the plumes of smoke.

When I tried to pass by him, he moved in front of the doorway, blocking me. “You hear me, Neve?”

I nodded. “Got it. Can I go now?”

Gunner blew smoke right into my eyes and they began watering. “You’re not one of us. You’re nothing but an outsider, and it won’t be long before Prez wises up and sees that. Then, you’ll be right back in the woods where you started.”

I laughed, even as his words struck terror into my heart. It was the very thing I feared. “Thanks for the pep talk, Grumpy—I mean, Gunner. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got things to do.”

I bumped him with my shoulder as I went inside, hurting myself a lot more than him in the process. It seemed that everything always hurt me worse in the end.

When Charm called for church, I snuck past Axel and retrieved the journal before retiring to my room. I’d grown bolder over the last month and had resorted to taking it any chance I got.

I flipped through it until I found the incident with Luck that Guardrail had been referring to, and once again, I was left with emotions I couldn’t decipher and an ache in my chest that wouldn’t go away. Something awful had happened and it had changed everything.

“You challengin’ me for the throne, Charm?” Luck laughed and spat a mouthful of blood onto the cracked concrete floor, his hands resting lightly on his hips.

I didn’t answer—just watched as he continued his macho posturing around the room, keeping an eye on his gun with every step.

“I fuckin’ asked you a question—you really think that you’re capable of running a motherfuckin’ empire? You’re soft…weak. They’ll eat you alive.” He smiled, his teeth stained red with blood, like an unhinged vampire.

That was what he was, wasn’t he? He’d taken everything that was good and sucked the life right out of it. He could boast about an empire, but he was surrounded by scorched earth and ruins. I knew it. The other bikers knew it. And it wouldn’t be long before our rivals were in on the secret too.

I had to set things right.

Two of my brothers stepped in and forced the man to his knees before me. He looked up at them in shock before directing a furious glare back toward me. “Is this because of the drugs? It comes with the territory and there ain’t no way to run this club without ‘em, Charm. It’d bankrupt the entire town. Trust me, I don’t like what happened either, but it’s just the way of things.”

I clenched my hands into fists, rage slowly taking a stronghold within. I pushed it back down below the surface and bit out, “You’ve done just fine all on your own to destroy the club financially. I’m going to set this right. Now, I asked you a question. Who was behind it?”

He ground his teeth together before lifting his chin defiantly. “I’ll tell you…when your ass joins me in Hell.”

I raised the gun with a slight tremor in my hand. I’d killed before, but never once raised a weapon against my Prez. Against my father.

“This is for her. It’s always been for her…”

Rae.

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