Page 60 of Saint's Sinner

Silence descended over the room. For several seconds you could have heard a mouse fart if one had been hanging out in the corner, that’s how quiet it was.

“Busted,” Mark declared, his chair screeching against the vinyl flooring as he lurched to his feet.

“I…I…” Teddy stammered.

“You what!” Kat snapped, drumming her fingernails on the kitchen table. “Spit it out already. Spin another web of lies onlythis time, make it tight enough to choke you because that is what you deserve right now! How could you stay silent when everyone was running themselves ragged trying to figure out what the hell happened to him? If someone had gotten killed trying to turn up answers it would have been on your head!”

“How was I supposed to know what happened?” Teddy whined. “I didn’t see them take him. All I saw was a van shoot past me up the alley!”

“I’d have been willing to accept that explanation,” Mark rumbled, his voice having gone low and deadly as he remained standing, the table the only thing between him and Teddy. “If everyone hadn’t already been hunting for Sinn when you left that shop to make your next pickup. Now I don’t even know whether to believe you when you say you didn’t see them snatch him, not when I can picture you standing there laughing while it happened. You heard them say he went out back into the alley for a smoke, at the very least, that should have cued you in that the van and the plate were worth mentioning.”

“I didn’t know he was from Texas.”

“No, but Night would have known to reveal that bit of information if you’d told us what you saw,” Mark said. “You can try to wiggle your way out of this all you want but you made the conscious decision to keep your mouth shut even after you learned that we were headed to Texas. The only other excuse is that you are so empty-headed that you failed to see how there could possibly have been a connection which I know isn’t the case because someone lacking in the brain department wouldn’t have been able to help run my businesses the way you have for so long. You are as smart as anyone I’ve ever known, and as devious as anyone I’ve ever gone up against. You not speaking up tells me you were holding out hope for the worse possible outcome. That once we caught up to those who did it, the only thing left to retrieve would be a body.”

“This relationship is over,” Kat declared. “At least as far as I’m concerned. I can’t believe I’ve been trying to shower you with extra attention in the hopes that you’d realize how much we love you, even when you’re being a brat. I hate that I love you as much as I do ‘cause if I didn’t, I’d tie you behind my bike, drag you to the city limits and kick you over the line.”

“Bu…Kat…”

“Not another word!” Mark barked as Kat shook her head and stood. She let out a long, pained sigh then quietly left the room.

Sinn’s heart ached for her, for both of them at what the person they loved had done. Betrayal of family, which Sinn had been embraced as, was the worst type of betrayal in a close knit club like this. While it would have been insane to assume that everyone liked each other when that didn’t even happen in normal families, let alone the strange, slightly twisted makeshift one they’d created, there were still rules for settling disputes, and with the truth that had now been brought to light, they could finally move in that direction.

“Teddy,” Sinn said. “Get your ass down to the circle so I can kick it!”

Teddy let out a strangledeep, his head steadily shaking back and forth. Denial, refusal, a mix of both most likely. All Sinn knew was that he couldn’t afford to let it pass, not when his own standing in the club demanded that he take action so everyone learned that he was not a man to be trifled with.

“Prez am I allowed to make a stipulation?” Sinn asked.

“You are,” Mark declared.

“I’d like to have a length of rope brought down so one end can be tied around my wrist and the other around his,” Sinn declared. “That way he can’t run from me.”

“No!” Teddy said. “I’m not doing it. You’re not a member. You’re not even a prospect. What gives you the right to challenge me.”

“Teddy!” Mark roared, shoving the table out of the way.

Sinn hoped the flooring was scratch resistant, otherwise, it was going to need repairs after this.

“Yes, sir,” Teddy squeaked, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Oh, don’t bother with that now, you’re beyond disobedient and you’re not my boy anymore, so don’t sir me!” Mark declared. “You’ve forgotten a few very important things. One, you are also not a member, in fact, the patch on the back of your kutte saysproperty of, which I will be removing. Two, you are also not, nor were you ever a prospect, which puts you on equal footing as Sinn. In fact, he’s now above you in rank, since he still belongs to someone and you are now free to be a hanger on, after you come out of the circle.”

“But I don’t fight.”

“You will today.”

“I can’t. You know that.”

“I thought I knew who you were too, but I was wrong, wasn’t I? Let’s hope for your sake I was also wrong about your lack of ability with your fists, otherwise shit’s about to get damn painful. As for the stipulation. It’s a fair one, considering. I will allow it.”

Teddy stomped his foot and Sinn could hear sniffling coming from him that was likely the predecessor to tears. “I’m not doing it.”

“You will unless you want to add your home to the list of things you’ve lost today,” Mark declared. “You know the rules of this club. You can fight, or you can pack, it’s entirely up to you. There is no third option.”

“I’ve been here for half my life,” Teddy whispered. “I’ve got no place else to go.”

“Then I guess you’d better head for the circle unless you’d like to learn how to survive on the streets,” Mark said, not a hint of warmth or compassion left in his voice. “Pretty sure you’renot used up completely. You could always go back to the strip club where we found you or try your hand at whoring if you’ve forgotten how to work a pole.”

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