Page 18 of Queen of Anarchy (Dirty Broken Savages 2)

There’s no pity on River’s face when I say that, just like I knew there wouldn’t be. She’s not like that. She’s been through her own shit, and she knows how you turn stuff like that into fuel and inspiration instead of letting it keep you down.

“I remember you said you killed your uncle,” she says, her gaze focused on my face. “You mentioned that before.”

I nod. “Yeah. He fucking deserved it, the piece of shit. He was…” I shake my head, trying to find the right words to explain. I don’t mind telling her more about my past. Hell, we all watched her come face to face with her own past down here when she killed Ivan, and even though I still don’t know the specifics of what happened to her, it was obviously traumatic as fuck.

“He was an asshole,” I finally settle on saying, even though it’s not a big enough word. “He used to touch me, abuse me. When I was just a kid and didn’t know how to fight back yet. We grew up in a rough neighborhood, where everyone was just focused on staying alive most of the time.”

“We?”

“Yeah, me and Priest. His dad is my other uncle. Priest helped me kill the shitty uncle when the time came, so we’ve always been pretty close.”

River nods, cocking her head a little to one side like a bird as she takes that in.

“My family disowned me after that, but I don’t give a fuck. I know the house I grew up in was all lies. My parents cheated on each other and used each other whenever they got the fucking chance, and I was just caught in the middle. They knew what my uncle was doing to me, and they didn’t do shit. Just pretended everything was fine because that was all they knew how to do. That’s why I live my life with no apologies now. Not hiding anything. All they did was hide who they were and what was going on, and what good was any of it?”

River watches me for a second and then licks her lips. “I’m sorry,” she says softly. “That sounds… shitty.”

I shrug and shake myself out of those memories. It was a long time ago, and I’m over it now. I’m not that scared kid anymore. My usual casual demeanor comes back, and I go back to wiping down the blades with the cloth I keep on hand down here.

“I meant what I said, you know,” I say, shooting her a look out of the corner of my eye. “If your sister is really alive, we’ll help you find out where she is.”

“Why?” River asks.

“Because we want to,” I tell her bluntly.

She laughs as if she doesn’t believe that for one second, but it’s the truth.

And it’s not just me who wants to help her. The others do too. It matters to them.

Shematters to them, whether they want to admit it or not.

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