Page 115 of Merciless

“Someone is.” I growl, my voice barely audible over the rumbles of conversation floating in the air. “And, somehow, I will find out who that is.”

Grabbing my drink, I drain the contents before climbing out of the booth.

If Brody doesn’t have anything useful for me then I’m wasting time sitting here shooting the shit.

My wife needs me, of that I’m sure. I just need someone, anyone, to point me in the right fucking direction.

There’s a crowd of kids around my bike when I storm through the bar doors, but the second they see me moving toward them, they scatter like little pussies.

The deep rumble of my engine does little to relax me, and the second I kick the stand, I take off in the direction of some decent beer, a distraction, and if I’m really lucky, a fucking clue as to what’s happened to my wife.

The noise levels in the clubhouse are almost unbearable when I step inside. It’s always the same on a Friday night.

All the chairs and tables have been shoved aside to create a makeshift ring and Ezra Harris and another junior member are bouncing around each other in the middle.

I can't recognize the other guy with the amount of blood covering his face. Safe to say that the Harrises are about to win another fight.

The crowd roars in encouragement as the scent of sweat, blood and beer fill the air.

I used to live for this as a kid. I thought I had the coolest father in the world and the promise of all this glory in my future.

If only I knew then what I know now.

I’d probably be dead.

I had no other option but to follow in Roger Murray’s footsteps.

He and Victor had visions of Reid and me taking over their legacies and ruling over this town.

They wanted us to have all the power. But as it turns out, Reid wants it all and I want to get as far away from the corruption and bullshit as physically possible.

And something tells me that it might just happen, sooner rather than later. The second I locate my wife, I’m going to suggest that we fuck off somewhere we’ll never, ever be found.

Revenge hasn’t been the only thing I’ve been planning over the past five years. Our futures have been high up on my to-do list too.

“Son, I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,” my father says from his prime spot beside Victor at the edge of the ring closest to the bar.

“I want in,” I state as way of greeting.

“You got it, son,” Victor agrees. “And I’ve got just the man for the job.”

He jerks his chin to the other side of the ring, and something explodes inside me.

I don’t need to turn around to know who it is.

I already know.

It’s been a long time coming. And it couldn’t be better.

28

REID

I crack my knuckles just as the crowd roars as Ez finally sends his opponent crashing to the ground.

I’ve no fucking idea where Victor is finding these fucking pussies from, but they need better training if we stand any chance of them having our backs when shit goes south. And it will go south.

Victor’s allies might be powerful, but his enemies are just as dangerous. One day soon, everything is going to blow up in his face, and all those he trusted to have his back will realize that the man they’re protecting is me, not him.

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