Ten
“I am my brother’s keeper.”
W hat a fucking shit show of a day. This was supposed to be simple.
An hour-long sit-down, tops. Then right back to celebrating Luna’s birthday, toss back a few drinks with the brothers, and enjoy some time with the people that matter.
That was the plan. Instead? We walked straight into a damn storm.
I can’t even wrap my head around it. Talon—my brother, our President —has twin sons.
Seventeen-year-old boys. Mafia-bred. Hard-eyed.
Sharp-tongued. And they hate his fucking guts.
Correction—they hate all our guts.
What. The. Fuck?
I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit in this life.
Been waist-deep in blood, bullets, and betrayal.
But nothing has ever hit me like this. Not because they exist—hell, I’ve lost count of how many kids have popped up in our world out of nowhere—but because these boys ain’t just some side-babies.
They’re his . They carry his face. His blood.
And the rage they’ve got simmering just under the surface? That comes straight from him, too.
Back when all this shit must’ve been going down, I wasn’t paying attention.
I was all-in on college ball, chasing my own bullshit.
Only “snatch” I gave a damn about was the kind that was easy and available—club girls, college flings, nothing serious.
Talon's personal life was background noise. I didn’t ask, and he didn’t offer.
I remember the girl, though—barely. Pretty.
Quiet. I saw her in passing once or twice, but she didn’t stand out to me.
Just another name, another fling. I figured she was part of a rotation.
Talon was a savage with women back then.
Didn’t give a damn about sticking with one until Heather came around and locked him down.
So yeah—he knocked this chick up. She disappeared, and now… now we find out she didn’t just vanish on her own. She left, knocked up with Talon’s kids. Raised them. Turned them into soldiers. And worse? She turned them against him.
Now she’s back, and it’s clear as fuck she’s not here for peace.
This is gonna cause chaos—real, deep club chaos.
I can feel it. Gabriella showing up isn’t just bad news for Talon.
It’s a direct hit to everything we’ve tried to hold together.
Our Ma? She’s going to lose her goddamn mind when she hears about this.
She’s old school—believes blood is everything and secrets are sins.
This? This ain’t just a secret. This is a betrayal.
And Talon? That motherfucker ghosted.
Straight up disappeared . Didn’t even stay to face the fallout. Just took off like the whole thing wasn’t burning behind him. Yeah, he and I are gonna have a very serious conversation when he drags his ass back. Because while he’s out doing fuck-all, I’m here playing babysitter to his ol’ lady.
Heather.
Her ass has been circling like a damn vulture, trying to pick the meat off every conversation.
Asking questions she knows she shouldn’t ask, giving me that look like she thinks I owe her something.
I love her—I do. But she’s always been a hard pill to swallow.
That woman can nag the chrome off a Harley.
She’s been poking, prodding, trying to dig into what was said at the meeting.
Pacing around, snapping at anyone within arm’s reach.
The only reason she hasn't blown this whole party to hell is because me, the brothers, and a few of the ol’ ladies have been tag-teaming her like she’s a damn fire we’re trying to smother.
Every time I turn my back, she’s got someone cornered with that fake smile and those loaded-ass questions.
And it’s only a matter of time before she explodes.
Still, I glance over and see Luna—my niece, Talon’s daughter—laughing with her friends. No clue her whole world just tilted sideways. Her dad’s missing, her mom’s five seconds from throwing a tantrum, and she’s sitting there, full of joy, like none of it exists.
That laugh? It slows my pulse a little.
She’s happy. Still happy.
And I’ll be damned if I let any of this ruin her day.
I exhale through my nose, trying to block out Heather’s voice grating in the background. She’s mumbling about the cake being late, the balloons not matching, and who the fuck knows what else.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I don’t even check the screen.
I answer, hoping— praying —it’s Talon, finally manning the fuck up and telling me he’s on his way back. Because he owes me big for sticking around and cleaning up the circus his life just turned into.
And when he gets back, I’m gonna make damn sure he knows he owns my ass.
“Speak.”
“Um, hi, this is Nurse Bethany Carter from Mercy General. To whom am I speaking?”
My brow pulls tight.
What the actual fuck?
I yank the phone away from my ear and glance at the screen. Call connected to Talon’s number.
My stomach drops. The fuck?
My heart pounds like a drum in my ears. This ain’t good. This is never good.
I bring the phone back up.
“Hello—”
“Hello?”
“Hello, are you still there?”
I clench my jaw, every instinct in my body telling me this is bad.
Real fucking bad. I force myself to stay calm, but my blood’s already moving hot.
People around me are noticing. Nitro’s eyes lock on mine, brow raised.
Shit. My twin’s always been able to read me like a damn book.
I can’t hide this from him. Can’t hide it from anyone.
I shake my head once. That’s all he gets before I turn and walk away without a word.
The party noise fades the further I get from the crowd. Laughter, music, the clatter of glasses and bottles—none of it reaches me now. My focus is on this damn call. On what this woman has to say. On what the fuck happened to my brother?
“Yeah, I’m here,” I say, voice flat, tight. “Why are you calling me on my brother’s phone?”
“I’m… Sir, as I said, my name is Nurse Bethany Carter from Mercy General. If this is your brother’s phone, I called the emergency contact listed. I’m sorry to say—”
“Wait. What? ”
No. No. No.
Those words. That tone .
My lungs constrict. Blood roars in my ears. I stop pacing and double over slightly, palm pressed to my thigh. The world tilts just a little bit, like it’s trying to knock me off my feet. I can’t breathe. Can’t fucking think.
Not Talon . Not my big brother. Not like this.
“Sir… are you still there?”
“I’m here,” I bark, harsher than I mean to. “Just tell me.”
Damn it. Tell me.
“There’s been an accident,” she says. “We’re unsure of the full extent of injuries—”
I’m already moving.
Sprinting through the yard behind the clubhouse like my body’s got a mind of its own. I stop behind the building, breathing, trying to pull myself together. I can’t lose my shit. Not yet. Not in front of everyone. Not until I know .
I’m VP. That means something. I have to hold the line until Talon can.
Heather’s still planted where she was, squawking at one of the other ol’ ladies.
Nitro moved closer to the center of the crowd, scanning for me.
My phone’s still glued to my ear, but I only catch pieces of what Nurse Carter is saying—” multiple injuries,” “crash,” “blood loss”—all of it just static and fire in my brain.
“All I want to know,” I grind out, voice low and dangerous, “is if he’s alive.”
Everything around me stills.
Even the goddamn wind.
Every set of eyes snaps to me. Their weight digs into my spine, but I don’t flinch. I don’t have the luxury of falling apart. Not here. Not now.
“Sir… what I can tell you is what I’ve already said,” she replies, clipped, like she’s annoyed. “His injuries are serious. He’s in surgery. He drove himself into the ER parking lot and crashed. Sustained injuries prior.”
I pull the phone from my ear, staring at it like it’s mocking me.
“FUCK!”
My roar echoes across the yard.
Everything freezes.
Kids stop mid-step. Music dies. Conversations halt. Even Heather shuts the fuck up for once.
I press my free hand to my forehead, staring at the sky like it might have the answers I don’t. I can’t let her keep talking. I already heard too much. Not enough.
I cut her off. “We’re coming. That’s all you need to know.”
I hang up.
Marching straight back into the yard, I plant myself next to Nitro, near Heather. The club’s core gathers around—brothers, ol’ ladies, people I trust with blood and bone. They can see it in my face.
This ain’t a drill.
“ LISTEN UP! ”
My voice slices through the crowd like a goddamn blade. Everyone turns. Even those who were pretending not to eavesdrop.
“I don’t have all the details yet,” I say, scanning faces. “But Prez was in an accident. He’s at Mercy. He’s in surgery.”
I gesture widely. “Shut this shit down. Now .”
They move fast.
My words are law at that moment, and they treat them like gospel. The party breaks up in a flash. Non-club members hustle to get their shit together and off the property. Brothers bark orders, pulling vehicles around. The yard empties like a kicked anthill.
I stand there in the center of the chaos, barely holding it together. Every second that ticks by sends another pulse of dread through me.
Why the fuck was he alone?
Why didn’t he call?
Why didn’t he fucking tell anyone where he was going?
Heather’s trying to talk to me. Something about going to the hospital. Something about “what happened” and “why didn’t someone tell her, call her?” I tune her out. I can’t hear her over the buzzing in my ears.
I only hear rage .
And one name sits at the center of that firestorm.
Gabriella.
I pivot, storming off toward the gym. Nitro told me she wanted to “blow off steam” with her boys in there. Perfect. I hope she’s real fucking calm now.
Because if this shit is because of her ?
If she’s got any part in Talon laying on a fucking table, bleeding out while strangers cut him open?
Then I’m going to make that bitch pay .
I warned her.
She should’ve listened.