Page 43 of Massacre
I looked at Reaper as he said, “He’s an enforcer for the Brotherhood of Bastards.”
King hung his head and cursed.
“To make sure she was still safe and to verify what I had learned, I made a pit stop in South Dakota, only I learned more than I bargained for. Becauseheknows about Amber.”
Ravage walked over and positioned himself behind me, placing his meaty paw on my shoulder.
“Who are you talking about?” King asked stiffly, looking from Reaper to me. “Who knows what?”
Reaper looked at the brother behind me, who was trying to snap my shoulder blade in half, when he clearly said, “Morpheus.”
And just like that, Ravage squeezed hard, causing me to wince. “Ouch, you motherfucker!” I shouted, jerking my shoulder away. “Are you trying to break me?”
“If I could get away with it, then yes!” Ravage snarled right before he threw his arm back and punched me in the face. “And that’s for making my life harder than it already is.”
What the ever-loving fuck?
Was there a fucking bullseye on my face?
Saying nothing more, Ravage stormed out of church. When we heard his bike roar to life, Reaper closed his eyes and sighed. “Massacre, so help me God. If that motherfucker goes on a killing spree, I’m throwing your ass in his path of destruction. To hell with the consequences. Your mother can live with one son. And well, Giovanni can get fucked. You are more trouble than you are worth.”
“Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Gunner, the Silver Shadows SAA, demanded. “Because the only Morpheus I know is the President of the Brotherhood of Bastards. Is that who we’re talking about?”
King nodded as he leaned against the bar, looking tired and worn out. “The very one,” the man said, before adding, “Got love for all of you. But I’m done with you crazy ass people. I started this chapter because I wanted to get away from all thedrama and shit, but since being here I’ve had to deal with the Irish Mob, Fury, then Bane, not to mention a man thought long dead walking in like he owned the place, and that’s not including the shitstorm Sypher brought down upon my shoulders, but the Brotherhood. Nope, that’s where I draw the proverbial line in the sand.”
“King,” Blade cautiously said. “This is Amber we’re talking about. We can’t just walk away from her.”
“You think I don’t fucking know that, Blade? I love that woman as if she were my blood. She doesn’t deserve this shit, but we can’t take on the Brotherhood. We’re outnumbered! Besides, we’ve got shit brewing with the Death Dogs already. Our fucking plate is full.”
A heavy silence hung in the air, thick with unspoken fears and grudges that ran deeper than any wound. The tension in the room was a physical thing, crackling between us as each man weighed loyalty against survival. I pressed my sleeve to my bloody lip, feeling the ache settle in—Ravage never pulled his punches when his world spun out of control, and I hated putting him in the line of fire.
I knew who Morpheus was to Ravage.
I’d known all along. I learned that shit long ago when myself, Ghost and a few others went nomad for five years. The only reason I never said anything was because it wasn’t my story to tell. Now shit was different and with the Brotherhood damn near knocking on our back door, I knew it was only a matter of time before they kicked the damn door in. Still, that didn’t settle the problem with Amber. I wasn’t messing around when I gave her my patch. I knew the rules. I also knew they couldn’t stop me from taking her out of this clubhouse.
Not without causing a bloody war they wouldn’t win.
The only thing that stopped me was her. She barely trusted me and with all the shit I’d done in my past, I needed her full trust before I could let her in and show her the real me.
The fact was, I was more than the club’s goofy mascot. Yeah, I loved to laugh and have a good time, but it was all an act. It was easier to be someone I wasn’t than to face the reality of my actions.
I glanced around the room, catching the flicker of doubt in King’s eyes and the grim set of Reaper’s jaw. None of us wanted to admit just how dire things had become—but the truth settled heavy, undeniable, in every exhale.
“You’re not alone, King,” I said quietly, all joking aside as I broke the silence. My words earned a few glances, but it wasn’t about bravado. “We’ve all made choices that got us here. Me more so than anyone. I can’t undo what’s done, but I sure as hell can decide what happens next. Amber’s mine. Has been from the day I found her in that hellhole. Brotherhood or not, I’m not letting them carve her name onto their list.”
“You formally claiming her, brother?” Reaper challenged.
“Claimed her a long time ago, boss.”
“The way I see it, King. We only have a couple options here and you ain’t gonna like any of them. First option, we let this shit show play out. Massacre may be a moron ninety-nine percent of the time, but he’s harmless unless someone pisses him off. Plus, Massacre is an officer in the Mother Chapter of the Golden Skulls. So that helps. The second option is we take Amber back to California and hide her there. With the Wraith Warriors to the north and Disturbed to the south, we’re protected. Or—”
“Or I take my daughter back to New York and the Soulless Sinners can protect her,” Bane firmly stated with his arms crossed over his chest. “She’s my daughter. I have a fucking right and say.”
“I can call my cousin Gator,” Romeo piped up. “He can make anyone disappear in the bayou.”
I growled at the fucker. “You ain’t goin’ near her, asshole.”
“Jingles,” King groaned. “If Romeo opens his fucking mouth again, shut it.”
