Page 65 of Bound by Desire
“When I left, I didn’t have much of achoice.”
Cooper’s body gives a slight jerk, but that’s all I get reaction-wise as I lay it all out—when I started using, rehab, what happened after, and the reasonIleft.
Cooper was the one I was closest to growing up. That was, until he reached sixteen and got his cut. Everything fell to shit then, and it was my stupid teenaged self who helped it along that path. If I could choose one man to lay this shit on, it’d be him. Back then, I was too angry. Now, well, they say age brings wisdom, and I feel that I cantrusthim.
When I’m done, Cooper gets up, leaves the room, and then I hear a crash, followed by a loud grunt. Hopping up from my seat, I move toward thenoise.
Cooper pounded his fist through the plaster three times, causing cuts to open and blood to seep down his arm. His breathing is erratic, giving away his full outrage, but it serves nopurpose.
“Not worth tearin’ your house up. Your ol’ lady’s gonna have yourballs.”
His intensity comes to me, putting me onalert.
“Not worth it? Are you fucking shittin’ me?” My calm and cool cousin explodes, and I feel that shit all the way down to my bones. “That motherfucker threatened our sisters, my brother, and killed someone in front of you. Not to mention doped you up to keep you in line. And he showed up last night? Motherfucker’s dead,” hedecrees.
“Man—”
“And you,” he cuts me off, the anger pouring off him. “You went four fuckin’ years not here because of this shit. Because GT slammed you down, and thinkin’ you had to go! Fuck that. Fuck that!” He throws his fist through the wall again, debris flittering throughouttheair.
“Coop! Stop hittin’ the fuckin’ wall,” I order. “It ain’tsolvingshit.”
Cooper straightens. “Know that. Just needed to get it out and clear my head.” He takes a deep breath. “You, in your truck and meet me at the clubhouse. We’re talkin’ to the guys aboutthisshit.”
“Coop, I just need you at my back.Wecan—”
Coop enters my space, and I clench my fists. “That’s not how shit works, Deke. You know this. Fucker messed with Ravage. Fucker scared a kid into leavin’. Fucker threatened Ravage kids. Fucker shows up to give you a message. Fucker willgodown.”
“There’s no reason for my father to know any of this shit. It’s over and done with. He needs to focus onmymom.”
“Oh, he’s gonna fuckin’ know. Clubhouse. Now,” heorders.
“I’m really not big onorders,Coop.”
“Fuckin’ do it. Deke, it’s fuckin’ family. We handle it as family. Clubhouse. Now.” He moves to the kitchen, grabs his keys, and then we move outthedoor.
The clubhouse is pretty quiet when we get there, but it changes quickly as the guys show up. I nurse my beer, having that dark feeling this is going to get bad. Problem is, I don’t know JK’s connections or how deep he is. These guys can find that out a fuck of a lot quicker thanIcan.
Ravage has ways. Coop’sright.
“This better be good. I was balls deep in my woman,” Rhys grumbles, coming in and taking a seat in the main part of theclubhouse.
“Stop your bitchin’. Know you didn’t stop until you were done,” Tug throws in with asmile.
Only then does Rhys give a soft smile. “Hell yeah. Still, I could be balls deepagain.”
My father walks through the door. One look at me, and his jaw grows tight. Wish I knew the moment when he started hating me—if it was the first time I doped up, the second stint in rehab, or if it was before any of that even happened. Was it just because I was me, and not the me he wanted metobe?
It’s like a dagger to the heart, cutting through to my soul. I thought I was over it—the disgust that comes from him—but seeing his reaction to me just adds salt to the already open, gapingwound.
“See we’ve got company, so must not be club business,” my father says, going up to the bar and grabbing a beer before takingaseat.
This crawls under my skin, but I don’t let it show. Cooper, though, he glowers at myfather.
That shit isn’t going to make anything better. He really needs to chill the fuck out with it. Whatever way this rolls, it’s not going to bepretty.
“Good morning!” Nox calls, walking in the door with a wide smile on his face. He’s a mini version of Cooper, only with a bit darker hair. Must get that from hismother.
“It’s afternoon, fuckwad,” Dagger calls out tochuckles.
