Q
It had been just over twenty years since the day I started prospecting for Satan’s Fury, and everything had changed.
My brothers were older and were sporting crow’s feet and silvered hair.
Their kids were now grown. Some had chosen to move on, while others had not only patched in but now had a significant role in the club.
Prospects were now brothers, and more had been called to prove themselves worthy.
Hell, even the clubhouse itself had changed and was now updated with fresh paint and new furniture.
Nothing was the same—nothing except me.
Lauren wasn’t interested in me. She never was. Her eyes had always been set on Flynn—the kid who lived across the street from Cotton’s place. I should’ve seen it coming. They’d been close for as long as I could remember, but I refused to see it.
I didn’t want to see it.
Not that it mattered.
Lauren was crazy about the guy, and they’d been together for almost five years now. They were even talking about starting a family, and that was a hard pill to swallow—especially when I’d always wanted a family of my own.
I was stuck, like a damn stone planted in the middle of a river. Everything seemed to rush past me while I remained rooted in place. I couldn’t help but wonder when I would finally break free, and those rapid waters would carry me along with them. Sadly, that day hadn’t come.
And as I sat there at the clubhouse bar with Big and Clutch, I feared it never would.
After a long week, we’d all come to the bar to blow off steam.
I’d just taken a pull from my second beer when Stitch and Maverick came over.
I couldn’t help but notice that Stitch looked absolutely pissed as they both sat down next to us.
He reached for a beer as he grumbled, “I’m gonna fucking kill him. ”
“I know you want to, but you can’t kill him, brother.” Maverick chuckled under his breath as he added, “He’s just a kid.”
“He’s no fucking kid. The asshole’s almost twenty-five.”
Stitch was the club’s enforcer—a position he’d held since the day I’d patched in, and rightly so.
The man was still a force to be reckoned with.
When he had one of our adversaries in his chambers, he would bring the wrath of hell down on them, making them wish they’d never attempted to go up against the Fury brothers.
Maverick’s smirk remained intact as he goaded, “Yeah, he’s twenty-five, and he’s dating your daughter. ”
“That’s exactly why I’m gonna kill him.” Stitch’s eyes grew narrow as he growled, “The asshole’s been fucking with her head, and I’m not having it.”
“Fucking with her?” All the brothers were fond of Mia. She was a smart girl, beautiful, with a good head on her shoulders, and she had a heart of gold, just like her mother. The thought of someone giving her a hard time drew me to ask, “What the fuck is this guy doing?”
“The motherfucker’s up her ass all during the week, but when the weekend rolls around, he goes MIA.” Stitch grumbled curses under his breath before adding, “He’s always giving her some fucking excuse like he had to work or had some family emergency, but you know as well as I do it’s bullshit.”
“Sounds like it... You really think he’s messing around on her?”
“Fuck if I know, but it certainly looks that way.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid it does. I’d be a hundred shades of pissed if some guy was pulling that shit with Lexie.
” Like Stitch, Maverick was extremely protective of his daughter, so I wasn’t surprised when he nodded his head in my direction and asked, “You want me and Q to check this guy out and see if he’s really fucking around? ”
The words had barely left Maverick’s mouth when Bones came up behind us.
He was no longer the quiet, little Wyatt who’d kept his face buried in his electronics.
Now, he was six-two and built like a linebacker, and he had no problem saying whatever was on his mind.
His brows furrowed as he asked Stitch, “See if who’s fucking around? ”
“Nobody,” Stitch grumbled under his breath.
Bones was Stitch’s stepson, and even though they were polar opposites, the two were inseparable.
It didn’t matter to either of them that they weren’t blood and had nothing in common.
Stitch was his father—through and through, and they were as tight as a father and son could be.
Knowing how close the two were, none of us were surprised when Bones gave him hell about being pissed.
“Please tell me you aren’t still bitching about that Tucker guy. ”
“That Tucker guy is...”
“An asshole,” Bones interrupted. “Yeah, I know. You’ve said it a hundred times, but that doesn’t change the fact that there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I can cut off his balls and shove them down his fucking throat.”
“Yeah, you could do that.” Bones gave Stitch one of his looks as he replied, “But Mia would never forgive you for it, and you know you don’t want that.”
“Yeah, well, she’d get over it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Bones took a slug off his beer, then suggested, “You could always let Maverick and Q follow him around a while and see what he’s up to. For that matter, I could do a little digging of my own.”
Big was the club’s hacker, and he’d always been phenomenal at his job.
He was usually the one who did the digging, but Bones had skills of his own.
He was one of those guys who just knew shit—all kinds of shit, and he’d been like that since he was a kid.
Some said it was the Asperger’s that made him so astute, but I’d never bought into that.
The kid was just smart.
Plain and simple.
Hell, it was the reason we’d given him the road name Bones.
He had skills like no other, and if there was digging to do, we all knew he could do it without question.
I wasn’t surprised when Stitch nodded and said, “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll be interested to see what you can find out about the douchebag. ”
“Me, too.”
Bones turned and was about to head out when Elsie’s head plowed into the center of his chest, causing both to stop with a jolt. Elsie stumbled back, then looked up at Bones with bright red cheeks. “Oh, crap. I’m sorry about that, Wyatt.”
“No problem.”
Bones seemed completely unfazed by their little exchange as he made his way towards the door. Elsie, on the other hand, was still sporting her blushed cheeks—which grew even redder when she realized we were all staring at her.
I gave her a playful wink, then said, “Hey there, Elsie girl. How ya making it?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“What about your classes?”
“They’re okay.” The red in her cheeks started to fade as she announced, “I ended up making an A on that big paper.”
“That’s awesome.”
It had been just over a year since the day Two Bit and I found her dumpster-diving at Danver’s Sports Grill.
We’d gone out for a bite to eat with Cotton and a couple of the other brothers.
We had a round of beers and a couple of burgers, and when Clutch ordered us a second round, Two Bit and I decided to step out for a quick smoke.
We’d barely lit up before we heard a strange noise coming from one of the dumpsters.
Curiosity got the best of us, so we went to check it out.
That’s when we discovered a young girl bent over the side door of the dumpster, rummaging around for something to eat. As soon as she realized we’d come up behind her, she dropped whatever was in her hand and just stood there staring at us with an embarrassed expression.
The poor kid was filthy from head to toe and looked like she hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks. Doing his best not to embarrass her even more, Two Bit gave her one of his charming smiles and asked, “Hey, kid. You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“You sure?” Two Bit motioned his head toward the dumpster. “’Cause it doesn’t look that way.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her eyes dropped to the ground with embarrassment. “I was... ah, just looking for my keys.”
“Is that right?” Two Bit and I are big guys, and we were both wearing our cuts and boots—which only made us appear more threatening, especially for a young girl like her.
But surprisingly enough, she didn’t seem intimidated in the least. She stood tall and maintained eye contact as I asked, “You got a name?”
“Yeah, I’m um... Sabrina.”
“Sabrina, huh?” I could tell she was lying, but I didn’t push her on it. Instead, I asked, “Your folks around?”
“Yeah, they’re at home.”
And another lie.
“So, if we were to take you home...”
Her eyes widened, and a slight gasp slipped through her teeth as she replied, “You can’t do that.”
“Oh, yeah? Why not?”
“Because they’re...” Her voice trailed off. “You just can’t.”
“That’s what I thought. You got any idea where they are?”
“Look, I’m sorry if I did something wrong here. Like I said, I was just looking for my keys. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“You’re not in any trouble, kid,” Two Bit tried to reassure her. “We’re just trying to make sure you’re okay.”
“I told you. I’m fine.”
“Yeah, you did.” Two Bit glanced over at me, then looked back to her. He studied her for a moment, then added, “But I’m not buying it.”
Her brows furrowed as she snapped, “Sounds like a personal problem to me.”
“We’re just trying to help.”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“No, you didn’t.” My throat tightened as I told her, “But I’ve been in your shoes. I know how hard it can be.”
“You don’t know anything about me or what I’ve been through!” She rolled her eyes, then started to walk off as she grumbled, “Just leave me alone.”
She didn’t get far when Cotton stepped in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. He looked down at her with concern as he asked, “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing.” She nervously bit her bottom lip as she looked up at Cotton and announced, “I was just leaving.”
When Cotton turned to us, Two Bit was quick to explain, “We just found her going through the dumpster.”
“I already told both of them...” the girl whipped back around, “I was looking for my keys.”
“Oh?” Cotton studied her for a moment, then asked, “And how did they end up there?”
She didn’t answer.
She simply stood there and glared at him.
“You got a place to go, kid?”
“Why do you care?” She glanced over at me and Two Bit as she asked, “Why do any of you care?”
“Cause it’s thirty degrees out here, and you got no coat,” I clipped. “We’re not leaving you out here alone.”
“Please just leave it.” Tears filled her eyes as she told us, “I just gotta make it a couple more months.”
“What happens then?”
“I’ll be eighteen.” Her eyes were filled with determination as she told us, “I won’t have to be put in the system and end up in some place I don’t wanna be.”
“The way I see it, you got two choices.” Cotton crossed his arms. “You can either come with us, or we’re calling the cops.”
“Why would I come with you?”
“We’ll get you cleaned up and some real food in your belly.” Cotton’s expression softened as he told her, “And a warm place to lay your head. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great, but what’s it gonna cost me?”
“Nothing, kid. Not a damn thing.”
She mulled it over for a moment but eventually agreed to come with us.
After we got her some food, we took her down to one of the guest rooms where she took a shower, and then the girls got her some clean clothes and other girlie shit.
It took a few days, but she finally opened up and admitted that she’d recently lost both of her parents in a house fire.
She’d heard horror stories about the foster care system, so she decided to try and hide out until she turned eighteen.
She left the only home she’d ever known and spent the next month living in her parents’ car.
Our president was known to have a bit of a soft spot for folks like Elsie, who were having a hard time, so none of us were surprised when Cotton offered to make her stay more permanent.
It only took a couple of months for her to settle in and become like family, and I was pleased to hear she was doing well in her college classes. “Proud of ya, kid.”
“Thanks, Q.” She rolled her eyes with a groan as she said, “The professor didn’t make it easy. The guy’s a grade-A asshole with a receding hairline and a bad case of halitosis, and he’s intent on making my life hell.”
“Sounds like a real charmer.”
“Oh, he definitely is, but I won’t let him get the best of me.”
“That’s what we wanted to hear.” Clutch gave her a proud smile as he asked, “You up for taking a break from all the ball-bustin’ tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I could use a break. What do you have in mind?”
“Some of us are heading out to Smokey’s place tomorrow. Gonna do some grilling and help them set up for Pioneer Day.”
I could still remember the day Smokey’s dad died and left Smokey their family orchard.
Smokey and his father weren’t exactly close, so it was understandable that Smokey wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea.
We all expected him to back out and sell the place, but MJ, his ol’ lady, convinced him to hold onto the place.
It took some time, but they’d completely revamped the entire place.
It was no longer a simple apple orchard but a place for apple picking, gift buying, weddings, and family events.
It had become a local attraction that brought tourists in from all over, and they were expecting a huge turnout for their upcoming Pioneer Day.
They’d have folks dressed up in pioneer clothes making jams and shit like they did back in the day, and there would be tons of activities for the kids.
It was something we’d all come to enjoy, so I wasn’t surprised when Clutch told Elsie, “I thought you might like to tag along.”
“I’d love to.”
“Good deal. We’ll head out around nine.”
“Sounds great.” She glanced over at the clock, then told us, “Well, I should probably go get some studying done. You guys have a good night.”
“We’re gonna try.”
Elsie gave me a quick nod, then made her way out of the bar.
Once she was gone, I turned my focus back to my beer.
I sat there quietly listening as Maverick and Stitch bantered back and forth about their ol’ ladies and the house projects they’d been working on.
Neither of them sounded all that pleased about the extra workload that had been put on their plates, but I knew better.
They were both crazy about their better halves and would do anything to make them happy—even if that meant doing house renovations neither of them felt were necessary. I envied that about both of them. Hell, I envied that about all my brothers with ol’ ladies, but I wasn’t going to dwell on it.
Not tonight—which is why I got myself another drink.
And then, another.
And it wasn’t long before the thought was nothing more than a distant memory.