Page 13 of Bonita Brynne

Of course Hero and Lynx caught up to me.Assholes. I wanted to be alone, but my brothers wouldn’t let me fall into a self-loathing pit.

If I had to hear one more time that it wasn’t my fault or that we couldn’t have predicted what Dorian might do, I would break someone’s teeth. The idiot who tried to comfort me would get my fist smashed into their face.

Not my Angel’s, though. I’d never harm a hair on her beautiful head. But she also knew what to say to calm the fury inside me. She hadn’t placated or made light of the incident. She had told me to make it right, and I would do just that.

After Raul and Tina flew to Montana, Raymond and Valerie were my responsibility. I should’ve had their schools surrounded. I should have guarded them myself.

But I’d been distracted by information Grizzly and Toby had uncovered. I’d become obsessed with a guy named RJ, a nickname for Rocky Jones, who was a prospect for the Hells Bells MC in South Dakota. He lived less than three hours north of my old man.

I rode through the compound’s gates, issuing Hollywood a slight nod, and parked my hog in front of the clubhouse. Hero and Lynx pulled in beside me.

I stormed into the building, not waiting for my crew. I needed a fuckin’ drink… More like a whole bottle. Nothing infuriated me more than failing. I was the goddam president, for fuck’s sake!

But I’d gotten soft since I met my Angel and became a father. Family meant more to me than ever before, which should’ve been enough for me to ensure Raul’s kids were adequately protected. I would’ve never let Birdie go anywhere without me. I should’ve done the same for my VP’s kids instead of trying to piece together who Rocky Jones was and how he was connected to me.

Theonlyreason Rocky had gotten on our radar was that Grizzly was a fuckin’ awesome computer geek. He analyzed reports monthly to see if anyone searched the Internet for the Knight’s Legion MC in Minnesota. When he’d seen several inquiries from South Dakota, he had dug deeper.

When I saw Rocky’s gray eyes, the Knight family trait, I’d nearly had a heart attack, fearing I had gotten a chick pregnant in high school. But the dude appeared to be in his twenties and much too old to be my son.

“What’ll you have, Prez?” Arctic, one of our new prospects, was behind the bar. He stood tall, with blond hair and ice-blue eyes. He looked like a fuckin’ Viking.

“Whiskey.”

He grabbed the bottle and poured two fingers. “How’d it go?”

“Just leave the bottle and don’t talk to me.”

“He’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t he?” Lynx snorted as he sat beside me.

“Fuck off.” I threw back my drink and refilled my glass.

“You must have a death wish,ese.” Hero came in on the left and pointed at Lynx.

“Hell no. Jaynee would haunt me in the grave.” Lynx laughed. “Gimme a beer, prospect.”

“I want you both to shut up,” I told them. “I need quiet. Need to think.”

“The bar isn’t the place for quiet, Prez.” Hero took the bottle of whiskey and filled his cup. “Your office would be better.” He wasn’t wrong, but the room was too small and suffocating.

I grunted and drummed my thumbs on the glass.

“Hey, how’s everyone doing?” Sugar placed her hand on my shoulder. “I have tater tot hotdish in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

“I’m starving.” Lynx took his beer and left.

“How’s Valerie?” I kept my gaze on the amber liquid. We’d been fortunate Dorian hadn’t gotten to her. Maddox had been guarding her. He’d gotten a weird feeling and went inside the school to shadow Valerie. Apparently, he’d charmed her teacher into letting him hang out with the class. He was already showing he’d make a damn good president when the time came for him to rule the club.

Jax hadn’t been as lucky. When the call came in from Tina, Dodge and Ire had gone to Raymond’s school when they couldn’t get ahold of Jax. They’d found the prospect unconscious in a ditch a mile from the compound and no sign of Raymond. Jax had been okay for the most part, with a few scratches and bruises, mildly concussed. He’d told us they’d been run off the road by a black SUV.

“She’s okay. Scared for Raymond.” Sugar patted my shoulder. “Maddox is staying close to her. He refuses to leave her side. He’s so much like Matt and you in that regard.”

“Not like me. I screwed up.” Shit, I sounded pathetic.

“Hey, I know you feel responsible, but you will find him. I know you will.”

“She’s right, Prez.” Hero nodded and lifted his glass to his lips. “We won’t stop until the boy is home where he belongs.”

I swallowed my drink, not wanting to argue with them. Suddenly, my heart rate increased when I felt my Angel’s presence. Her magnetism and scent tempered the anger boiling inside me. I swiveled on my stool and tracked her every movement as she approached.

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