Taking the open road, he knew this was where he belonged. For many years, he’d been wandering through life, fighting, hunting, and trying to find himself, when he discovered his place right here in this very club, Straight to Hell MC. It had once been owned by a man who went by King. He’d been the one to rule this place, to have his men bow down at his feet, but greed had set him on a path of destruction. If it hadn’t been for Lord, they’d all be dead, rotting in their graves. Life had certainly taken a dramatic turn.
He hadn’t been prepared to take care of these men, and yet, somehow, he’d managed. He’d been able to take the role of president, to remove all the men with King’s influence, and now the club was exactly how he wanted it. Ruthless men who were one hundred percent loyal to the club, whose motives he didn’t have to question. They would always have his back. And he’d die for them in return.
It didn’t take long for Reaper to catch up with him. His enforcer was one hell of a rider and there was never going to be any way of getting shit past him.
Heading toward town, he noticed many people stopped to watch them. Whenever he decided to venture into town with the club to take care of business, most people tried to keep a wide berth from him. He didn’t mind at all.
Having people near him put him on edge. He was always tempted to reach for his gun, to shoot without giving a fuck when someone pissed him off—that was just his prerogative. So, it was best to keep his distance.
The cop who dared to defy the club lived in a little farmhouse past the town, near a patch of open road. Pulling down the old dirt road, he arrived just in time to see the man himself scamper into his home.
Climbing off his bike, he didn’t wait for Reaper. Instead, he barged into the house, grabbing the cop by the back of the neck and throwing him across the room. He landed against a ceramic urn that shattered.
“So, you think you can just take my money, and then turn rat on me?”
“No, please,” the cop said.
Grabbing him by the hair, he dragged him outside, ready to kill him.
“Wait,” Reaper said.
Lord held the gun up, ready to train it on Reaper. “You’re sticking up for this piece of shit? Did you turn rat on me as well?” He’d kill any man within the club who even thought of turning against the Straight to Hell MC. This was a blood loyalty, live or die. There was no getting out unless you were six feet under.
Simple as fucking that.
“What if we got him to bring in the daughter?” Reaper asked.
“What?”
“The rat’s kid. You wanted her. I could call Brick off, and this guy could bring her straight to us. We take care of both problems then.”
“Yes, don’t kill me. I’m sorry. It was all Richard’s idea. He said we could do it if I followed his orders.”
Lord kicked him away. “You think I want to hear what a weak-ass piece of shit you are? It doesn’t surprise me you’d rather save your own ass by luring a woman here.”
He stepped back.
His need for blood was strong, but he couldn’t have the daughter out there running her mouth off. He didn’t know the full extent of Richard’s relationship with his kid. They may not be on speaking terms, but that didn’t mean they didn’t talk on the phone, and club business was at stake. He wasn’t going to take any risks.
“You’ve got one week. Bring me Richard’s kid, and I’ll see how generous I am as to whether I let you walk away.” He wouldn’t. The only reason he was going to use this bastard was for a means to an end. This entire shitshow needed to be cleaned up. With a cop locating the daughter, he didn’t have to deal with potential damage control when it came to bringing her here.
All this had done was make his life easier and prolonged the cop’s until she arrived.
Then he’d get to have his blood.
****
“Law?” Becky asked.
“Yes, law. As in becoming a lawyer. You know, protecting the innocent and sending rotting assholes to jail?” Ally said.
“I know what law and becoming a lawyer is all about, but isn’t that, like, really hard?”
Ally couldn’t help but laugh, putting down a shot glass before turning away to deal with another customer. She loved her job and Riches Bar, and the tips paid well. The hours were crazy, but she was able to afford rent and even consider going to law school. Of course, if she did actually decide to go through with her plan, she was going to be so fucking broke. The thought of the debt alone was enough to make her cry.
She never did.
At nineteen years old, she’d been working for a long time. Ever since she was fifteen, she’d held a job. During high school, part-time at a diner. Through the summer, she worked two jobs, and since she turned eighteen, she’d been working at Riches Bar in the evening and overnight, and she still worked at the diner for lunch. She loved to work. It meant earning legal money, being able to pay her bills, and not having to depend on her father.
Not that she ever could.
Her father was a bad seed and got mixed into way too much sketchy business. Getting away from him was the best thing she’d ever done. He sent her birthday and Christmas cards on occasion, and he tried to talk to her during New Year’s, but she wasn’t interested in building up a relationship with him at this
