Page 3 of Ruthless Redemption

It was one thing to understand the danger he was walking into when he volunteered for a covert operation. But getting used as a pawn without his knowledge? That shit did not fly.

“We’re fucking out of here. This is exactly the kind of bullshit I expected from this club. So much for—”

JD grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. Axel moved in too and came to a stand still beside his President in a clear show of solidarity against Houston.

“You still think you’re the only one who suffered ten years ago, you little prick?” JD’s face contorted into a livid mask of anger. “I don’t know what kind of guilt show you’ve been carrying, but I promise you it pales in comparison to the one I’ve had to endure. On top of that, I was left with a club to put back together again. Sure we could have let it die, but if you think there was a Wrath member unaffected by your mother’s death, you would be wrong. So it became my responsibility to make sure they all recovered. Her ghost haunted every single one of us until we excised all the bad shit from this club. That took years!”

JD loosened his grip and took a step back.

“Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t make any of us saints—far from it. But we pulled through and we did it as a club. We ain’t perfect, but every one of us is here because we’re damn proud of what Wrath has become. We still fight, drink, cuss and fuck, but we fight for those who need it. Just like you did. The only difference was you had the government giving you permission.”

“Fuck permission,” Axel grit out.

“Exactly.” JD nodded. “We ain’t ever going to ask for it. Sometimes people need justice more than they need rules to follow. That means they get what they need outside the law and that’s what we fucking do. So get on board already because like it or not, you are one of us.Forever.”

Houston stood stunned by JD’s tirade. He’d already gotten the gist of what the club had become, but he’d not one hundred percent considered what it took to get them there.

“I need to talk to Izzy.” It was all he could say at the moment. There were too many questions he needed to ask himself before he could come up with a half way decent response.

First, though, he had to make sure things were right between them.

JD shook his head and Axel stomped out of the room under a shit storm of cursing that was probably heard through the entire building.

Unwilling to stand there and be judged by his President, or anyone else, Houston headed for the door. First he would talk to Izzy, then he would figure out what to say to his club once and for all.

“Houston,” JD called.

He paused at the threshold without turning back.

“Whatever you decide. We ride at sunset and Izzy is going with us. She’s wants to see this to the end.”

That got his attention and he turned back, about to wring every necessary detail from the old man, when both of their phones went off with an alarm.

He dug for his cell in his pocket, entered his code to unlock the screen and read the short message.

Code 1: Izzy

As the blood drained from his face, Axel and at least six other club members charged through the door.

“We gotta go,” Axel bit out as he passed. No one stopped, but a few of them did grab some of the extra weapons they kept on the walls in this room.

Houston didn’t need anything extra. He had his pistol at his hip and a knife tucked into the pocket of his boot. More importantly, he had his hands and with the fear and rage coursing through him, he doubted he’d need anything else. Whatever intruder had come for Izzy was about to die.

Chapter Two

Houston

Houston led the run up to the cabin, completely forgoing his normal caution.

Blood rushed in his ears and his heart beat so fast and hard he couldn’t take a decent breath. Not with the pain of fear crushing his chest.

If anyone so much as touched a hair on her head, his plans for their bloody torture would not only pan out, it wouldn’t be enough.

When he spied several of the MC members approaching from the sides and at least two headed towards the back side of the cabins, he realized that at least someone had a prevailing clear head.

Most likely JD since he heard Axel’s boots pounding furiously into the dirt and hard on his heels.

As the red haze of rage and fear continued to seep into his mind, he pushed his body harder.

---