Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
My grip tightened around the empty bottle in my hand. Smitty was a good kid. It was tough hearing what he’d been through, and it didn’t get any better when he continued, “They said it was an accident. Everyone did. The cops, the neighbors, and our friends. They all said we were just being kids, but I knew better. I knew what I’d done. I killed him. I’d killed my brother, my twin brother. You know, I know what I’ll look like when I die. How’s that for ghosts?”
The garage fell silent again.
For the first time since I’d met him, I understood the look in Smitty’s eyes. He was carrying a hell of a load on his shoulders, and like me, he’d be carrying it for the rest of his life. He dragged his hand over his face, then turned back to me.
“That afternoon, I didn’t just lose my brother. I lost everything. My mom couldn’t even look at me. She’d try, but every time she saw me, she saw him, too. It was the same with Dad. He never said, but he didn’t have to. I knew he thought it was my fault. Eventually, he just stopped looking at me altogether. It was like I wasn’t even there. I took it for as long as I could, but once I turned eighteen, I left and never looked back.”
He gave me a half-hearted shrug. “I spent a lotta years bouncing from place to place. Then, I found Fury. At first, I didn’t trust all this brotherhood shit. Thought it was just something else I’d fuck up, but the guys never treated me like I was a fuck up… like I was broken. And somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like I was just passing through and started feeling like home.”
Smitty nodded again, like he was agreeing with his take on how things had played out. “I got a family again… at least, I will once I get that patch.”
“Don’t gotta have a patch for these boys to consider you family.”
“I know. That’s one of the reasons I stuck around.” His eyes met mine as he said, “This doesn’t change what happened. Doesn’t take the fault away or make it right again. But I don’t feel like my brother’s death defines me no more.”
His words hung in the air for several minutes, and then he cleared his throat once again. “There it is. It ain’t pretty, but now you know.”
“It’s a hell of a story, brother.”
“Like you said, we all have one.” He gave me a look, then added, “But mine’s not over yet, and neither is yours.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately.”
“Then, maybe it’s time to start listening.” He held up his hands in surrender. “But then again, I’m just a prospect. I don’t know shit.”
He smiled, and without saying anything more, he turned and walked out of the garage, leaving me with a head full of thoughts I didn’t ask for. But that’s how it worked in a club like Fury. There was always a brother there to have your back, whether you asked for it or not. I sat there for a moment longer, and then it hit me.
The rage I’d brought in here with me was gone and had been replaced by something I hadn’t had in years.
Hope.
14
RAELYN
Saturday mornings were the best. Well, they usually were.
It was our chance to sleep late and reset, and I was doing just that. I’d gone to bed right after Walker left, and while it took me a bit, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
And I slept well. Really well.
And I had the best dreams. I can’t recall what it was about or even who was in it, but there was something about it that made me want to stay there in it. So, when I heard a knock on my door in the wee hours of the morning, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. I tried to ignore it and drift back into my dream, but the knocking continued, this time more insistent.
I glanced over at the clock, and annoyance washed over me when I saw that it was just after seven. I had one day, and now, someone was ruining it. Irritated beyond measure, I tossed the covers back, got out of bed, and grabbed my robe.
I slipped it on as I rushed down the hall.
The house was quiet. No TVs or games playing in the background, which meant the boys were still sleeping soundly. Good for them. I was glad someone was getting some needed sleep.
I was still half asleep when I reached the front door. I did a little twist, stretching before I glanced through one of the panes of glass. That’s when I saw him.
Dan.
Damn. This couldn’t be good. He never came by like this. Not unannounced, and definitely not this early. CeeCee would never allow it. Something had to be wrong. Full of dread, I opened the door just enough to step outside, then quickly closed it behind me. “What are you doing here?”