Page 15 of Bound By Temptation

We still kept them out of the extra business end of our club. That was strictly for the brothers, and if we went down, no way our women would.

“Yeah. No one you wanna fuck with,” Uncle Breaker responded, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into him.

“Raiden,” my father warned, wanting him to get on with it. Truth be told, I wanted the same thing. Just get it over with already.

“Right,” Raid started. “It’s more money than I initially thought. He’s up to a little over half a million.”

“You’ve gotta be shittin’ me,” our father said, slamming his hand on the table, causing the glasses and coffee cups to shake. My mother jumped as if she was going to grab each one of them to stop them from spilling. It must be a mom thing considering it happened all the time, and Aunt Shaina did the same.

“’Fraid not,” Raid continued. “His ass is dead if he doesn’t come up with the cake.”

“Let him fuckin’ rot,” I announced, and eyes came my way.

Honestly, between all of us, coming up with the cash wasn’t an issue. With the four of us contributing, half a million was a drop in the bucket. We’d turn it around in a month or two and have our rainy day funds restocked.

This was principal.

Hang the fucker by his balls, no more bailouts. True, the man was blood, but we knew family didn’t always come from blood. Family was the people around you, that you gave a shit about. You chose them. Genetics only got you so far.

Nick was a piece of shit. We’d known it for years, and I was sick of it. My uncle and father didn’t need to be putting up with Nick’s shit anymore. Hell, we all were at the end of our rope apparently. He was a fucking old man and should be able to handle his own messes. Yet here he was acting like a child, begging for help.

“He didn’t tell you why he wanted to talk exactly?” my dad asked Raid, who shook his head.

“No. Just that he wanted to have a meeting. I told him no, but he’s been blowin’ up my fuckin’ phone, and I finally blocked his ass.”

A chuckle escaped me. Raid didn’t play. No doubt in my mind if Nick stood in front of him, he’d have a missing tooth from Raid’s fist. Family or not. He wasn’t one to piss off. Hell, none of us were.

My father pulled out his phone, hit the screen, then set it in the middle of the table. It began ringing, and we could hear because he put it on speakerphone.

This was going to be entertaining.

“Brother!” Nick answered, way too fucking happy for my blood. He had a fucking bounty on him, and he was living it up, happy and without a care in the world? Dumbass. Complete and total dumbass.

“You wanted to talk. Talk,” my father demanded, not giving any pleasantries. Yep, he was done.

“And hi to you too,” Nick clipped back.

“Now is not the time to be fuckin’ around,” Breaker added.

“Other brother!” Nick cheered again.

The growl could be heard in my father’s voice. “Talk now, or I hang up and we don’t answer when you call again.”

“Right… Right…” He stuttered a bit. “Want a meeting with the club. Can you set that up?”

My father leaned into his arms resting on the table, his pulse thumping in that vein on his neck that always came out when he was seriously pissed. Yep, he was pissed. “First of all. You do not call my boys about this shit and put them in the middle of your fucked up messes. Second. Who the fuck do you think you are to demand a meeting with the club? You were here, you’d have two black eyes, motherfucker.”

“Calm down,” Nick tried.

“Calm down? Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” Uncle Breaker said. “You think for one second that we’re gonna set up a meeting with the brothers for you, you’ve lost your fuckin’ mind.”

“But I want to join.” Nick started. My head was about to explode. Four testosterone-filled men in one room talking about shit they didn’t want to… Yeah, there’d be a lot of fireworks. No way he was even coming here, let alone joining.

“You’re not fuckin’ joining. You’re out. It was voted. Once voted, that’s the final say. How many fuckin’ times do I have to tell ya?” my father growled. “Obviously a fuckin’ million since you can’t get it through that thick skull of yours.”

“I’m better. I won’t go near that woman. Swear it!”

Uncle Breaker cut in. “See? That right there tells me you have no idea what the club is about or what it stands for. And I’m not educatin’ ya. Tell us what mess you’re in.”

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