Page 3 of Declan

“You need to hit the bank?” I ask, knowing he doesn’t have the kind of money.

“Are you insane? I don’t have that kind of money.” He looks at me with pleading eyes, realizing the severity of the situation. “I’ll take his place.”

“As much as I’d love to watch you fight for your life, that’s not how it works. Your kid owes us and he needs to pay one way or another,” Wesley says, losing his patience.

Wesley and I have been best friends since grade school. We both came from shitty families, and in a way, it was comfortingto know I wasn’t the only one. We never needed to talk about it, we just knew. The unspoken understanding between us was stronger than any words could have been. Instead of going home to chaos, we spent our time at the playground, pushing each other higher on the swings, racing across the blacktop, or just sitting in silence when the weight of our realities was too much for either of us to carry alone.

As we got older, our escapes changed. Instead of playgrounds, we found parties, alcohol, and women. It was a different kind of distraction, but the purpose was the same: to avoid the mess waiting for us at home. That hasn’t changed much, even as grown-ass men. We still party, still find company where we can, but it’s less reckless now. More calculated. We learned early that money talks, and we made sure we had enough of it to keep control of our lives. We ran bets, racing, cards, pool, whatever we could put money on. If there was a way to hustle, we found it.

Wesley has always had a shorter fuse than me. I’ve had to be the level-headed one, the guy who keeps him from losing his shit when someone pushes him too far. It’s worked all these years, and I won’t deny that he’s kept me grounded a time or two as well. There’s balance in our friendship, even if it’s a little chaotic at times.

The betting scene is what got us on Shattered Souls radar. Hanging around them felt different, like we actually belonged somewhere for the first time in our lives. They weren’t just a club; they were a family. A real one. And having a family that gave a shit about you? That was something neither of us had ever had before. So when the time came to officially join, it was the easiest decision we ever made.

And doing it with my best friend by my side? That made it even better.

“Derek, I have no patience for your bullshit games,” Wesley growls, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I move my hand down his arm and hold onto his bicep. “Derek, you have two days to either give us the money or give up your kid. We’ll be watching so don’t be fucking stupid. Two days, Derek or I turn my head and let my boy here handle the situation.”

“Declan, what the fuck?” Wesley hisses.

I let go of Derek’s arm and step back. “Forty-eight hours, you understand?”

“Yeah,” Derek mumbles, crossing his arms.

I turn to walk away, and Wesley grabs my arm. “What the fuck are you doing? Hux wants the kid or the money now.”

“If I told you to give me two hundred thousand dollars right now or I’m gonna kill your sister, what would you do?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“I’d kill you,” he says without thought.

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You’d want the time to at least try to save her. Giving him two days probably won’t do shit, but he might find the money and save his kid. I’m giving him that chance.”

“Hux is gonna be pissed,” he says, following me back to our bikes.

“Probably, but I’ll take the heat,” I say, climbing onto my bike. “We’ll watch Derek like a hawk. We’ll keep stopping by to see if he’s making any progress. He’s gonna reach out to his kid. Huxwill get what he wants, it just might be a little later than he wanted it.”

“Never learned to follow the rules,” Wesley says, laughing as he starts his bike.

“And I never will.”

“When I said getthe money or the kid, what part of that didn’t you understand?” Hux yells as he pounds his fists on the table.

“I understood, but I gave him time to make it right,” I try to explain.

“Who the fuck told you to give him any kind of leeway? You make these decisions without any regard for the trickle effect you’re causing. Now Derek is going to run his mouth about how we’ll give time for debts owed. We look like pussies, Declan.” He turns his angry eyes toward Wesley and clenches his fists. “And what the fuck were you thinking?”

“He tried to stop me, several times. It wasn’t his fault,” I interrupt.

“You answer for him now too?” Hux shouts, shaking his head.

Wesley looks at me with narrow eyes, and I shut my mouth, leaning back in my chair. I know I didn’t do exactly what I was told, but I didn’t tell the guy he was off the hook. I gave him time. If I’ve learned anything all these years in the club, it’s that we can’t jump the gun. It might work this time or it won’t, but I wanted to try.

Now I’ve got Wesley and Hux pissed at me. It’s definitely time for a drink.

“Look, Declan fucked up but he does have a point. If Derek can get the money it’s a big win. If he can’t, we’ll get the money in the fight. We now have two days to set up a possible fight,” Wesley says.

This is what I’m talking about. He always has my back even when he thinks I’m wrong. He was my brother long before we became brothers in this club.

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