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Declan
Declan James wasn’t sure if heading to America was a good idea or not, but he had no other choice. The Dead Rabbits had a bounty on anyone’s head related to his little sister, Lilianna. From what he had gathered, she was now going by the name, Banshee, and was the leader of an all-women biker club called the Royal Harlots. That much he had picked up while one of the Dead Rabbits beat the shit out of him, asking where his sister was. Even if he knew where she was, there was no way that Declan would give them what they were after.
He stepped into the bar that his brother Cillian left as his new address in America after the rest of the family had moved back to Ireland. Declan remembered that place, though he was never really allowed in the main barroom, since he was only a kid. His father had met a man named Savage there a few times. He was helping their family to find housing and even tried helping Cillian when they all decided to move back home to Ireland, although his brother seemed to prove too rowdy even for the big, barley biker who promised to watch over him.
Declan heard Cillian before he spotted him. His older brother still had the same loud laugh that seemed to make the whole building shake. “Cillian,” he said, from across the barroom. His brother turned to look him over and Declan could see exactly when his big brother recognized him. Cillian hadn’t seen him since he was just a kid and he had done a lot of growing since then.
“Declan,” Cillian breathed. “What the feck are you doing in America?” Cillian and Lil were the only ones to make the move to America. The rest of the family stayed in Ireland, even after their parents passed away.
“I’m looking for Lil,” Declan said. “I need to talk to her about some trouble that might be coming her way.”
“What kind of trouble?” a woman asked from behind him. He turned to find his little sister standing there with her hands on her hips, just like their ma used to do when she was questioning one of them. She looked just like their ma too. Declan pulled her into his arms and squeezed the crap out of her.
“I thought you might be dead until they came looking for you,” he said. He hadn’t heard a word from her or Cillian since she arrived in America over a year ago, and he feared the worst.
“You’re squeezing the life out of me,” she breathed. “Put me down, Declan.” She was always a bossy little thing. Even when they were kids. Lil might have been the youngest, but she was usually in charge.
He dropped her from his arms, letting her feet hit the floor with a thud. “Sorry, Sis,” he said. “I’m just so happy to see you in the flesh. The Dead Rabbits told me that you were alive in America, but that was all they knew.”
“Fuck,” Lil spat. She always had a filthy mouth. “The Dead Rabbits found you?”
“Yeah, they came around asking me questions and when I didn’t have any answers for them, they beat the shit out of me. I was just happy to learn that you were alive and well, here in the States.”
“I’m sorry that they did that to you,” she said. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll live, and you have nothing to be sorry about,” Declan said. “You didn’t tell them to beat the hell out of me.”
His brother pulled him in for a quick hug and released him. “You got big, little brother.”
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you grow up. The last time I saw you, I was about ten,” Declan reminded. He hated that Cillian had decided to stay in America when the rest of his family returned home to Ireland. Actually, he was pissed that his parents allowed their oldest son to stay behind. It only led to heartache for them both after Cillian went down the wrong path after being left up to his own devices.
“I’d say you were about ten,” Cillian agreed. “You grew up good, brother,” he said.
“Thanks,” Declan said, “you look good too.”
“Marriage and a bunch of kids grounded me,” Cillian shared. “You’ll have to come by and meet the family. How careful were you on your trip over?” Cillian asked.
“You mean to ask if I was followed,” Declan guessed.
“Right, but I didn’t want to make you sound like you couldn’t handle yourself,” Cillian said.
“I don’t think I was followed, but the Dead Rabbits have men everywhere,” Declan said. “I can’t be certain.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Lil insisted. “If they followed you here, they’ll be sorry. Between my club and yours, we’ll be just fine.”
“Wait—you have a club?” he asked Lil. “What does that even mean?” He knew that the biker club had to belong to someone, but he never guessed that it would be Lil.
“I have an all-women’s MC called the Royal Harlots and Savage has been good enough to let us meet here until we can get our own clubhouse.”
“And Savage runs the Royal Bastards, and this is his place,” Cillian said. “He’s in the back room, but I’m sure he’s going to want to see you,” Declan remembered the big guy who had promised his parents that he’d keep Cillian out of trouble. Honestly, Declan hated him most of all for breaking his promise to them.
“I’m not sure that I want to see him,” Declan mumbled under his breath. “He let us all down.”
“If you’re talking about me going to prison, then it’s me you should be angry with. I was the fool who got involved with the gang that led me to steal cars. I was the one who made the decision to fall in with the wrong people. Savage tried like hell to get me back on the right path, but I was a fool-hearted kid who didn’t know any better. Savage was there to pick up the pieces when I got out and get me back on my feet. It’s because of him that I met my wife, Viv.”
“I’m sorry,” Declan said, “I didn’t know any of that.”
“How could you?” Cillian asked. “I was too prideful to reach out to everyone back home to share my story. I should have done so, but I was too ashamed of what I had done.”
