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Ignoring Lucifer, I got into the passenger seat and slammed the door. With a shake of his head, Gunnar whistled for Luciferto follow him around to the other side, where he let him into the back seat. Lucifer’s deep—and hot—breaths filled the space.
Jesus. It was like being back with Oklahoma in our cell.
“Don’t like the dog?” Gunnar asked, turning over the engine.
“I don’t need to like the dog.”
He grunted. “Maybe you’ll like the other surprise better then.”
I didn’t ask what other surprise he was talking about. I didn’t want to know. All I wanted was to start hunting down my brother’s murderer so I could put them into their own grave. It wasn’t going to be a slow death either. A simple gunshot wasn’t going to be enough pain and suffering for them. Oh, no. What I had planned was going to be dragged out. Agonizing. Torturous.
Clearing my throat, I asked the question I hadn’t wanted to consider while I was inside. There was simply too much pain attached to the answer. “How was the funeral?”
From my periphery, I saw Gunnar glance over at me. “It was nice, Nick. The whole club turned out for it. D’s med school buddies were there, too. His girlfriend was messed up though. Couldn’t stop wailing.”
Pressing my lips into a line, I kept my own howl of pain from escaping. I should’ve been there. I should’ve been the one to comfort Isla. Her and Dimitri had been together since their freshman year of college. Like I said, D was better in all ways—better than I could ever be. It didn’t stop him from loving me, though. The fuck up. The criminal. The motorcycle club member with a chip on his shoulder—that motherfucking thing had grown since I went inside and had become ever bigger since I was told of Dimitri’s death.
A large white paw landed on my forearm where it rested on the center console. I glared at the dog in the back seat before pulling my arm away.
“Why didn’t she take the mutt?” I muttered.
Gunnar’s brows rose. “She said D was always saying how much you’d like him. Having a dog of your own, that is. Said you always wanted one just like that when you were kids, but your mom was allergic.”
My eyes stung. Rubbing at them, I tried to erase any signs of the tears that had welled. D was dead. There was nothing I could do about it now. But I could bring him justice, and I would burn down the entire world to get that for him.
“I don’t want him,” I was finally able to say without sounding like my heart was being wrenched in two. Trust D to find a way to make my pain worse from beyond the grave. Keeping Lucifer would be that constant reminder that my brother was gone, and I wanted to forget that he was murdered. Pretense was far kinder than the agony of knowing I wouldn’t be able to see him anymore.
Instead of dwelling on the ache behind my ribcage, I watched Detroit pass by my window. Five years was a long time to be away, but it wasn’t the kind of city to change too much. That was especially true of the area the clubhouse inhabited. River Rouge was an industrial hub on the south-western side of the city. Small industrial buildings and supply stores lined the pavement. Some were a little more worn than others, but there weren’t any new buildings or businesses.
Gunnar took the turn onto Oakwood—the street that I’d been pulled over on that day five years ago. Regret and anger at being so fucking stupid breathed down my neck, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. If I hadn’t been caught carrying the firepower I was, I would’ve still been here. Maybe I could’ve saved D.
“Why are we taking the fucking scenic route?”
My best friend shrugged. “Thought you’d want to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same since you went inside.”
I could tell him what had changed. Everything. My whole world had tilted on its goddamned axis when Dimitri died.
Gunnar navigated the streets easily, one hand on the wheel, the other stretched out the open window. Lucifer panted hard in the back, the sound grating on my nerves. I had to endure that for another fifteen minutes before Gunnar pulled up to the gate of the clubhouse.
There was a chain-link fence all the way around the perimeter of the property. A guy I didn’t recognize dragged open the gate, waiting for Gunnar to pull through. I stared at the stranger as we passed. Dark hair cropped close to his head. Dark eyes.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked him.
He startled, then said, “Marco.”
My eyes narrowed. “Marco,what?”
“De Luca.”
Gunnar rolled into a space in front of the clubhouse. “We got some new blood in while you were away. Marco is one of them. He might not look like he belongs here, but he does good work. Rixon is happy with how he’s progressing and assimilating into the club.”
Change always set off alarm bells for prisoners, and I was unhappy to say that I had become somewhat institutionalized while I was away. I didn’t like seeing new faces around the club. I wanted the comfort of familiarity. Too fucking bad for me. I’d told Rixon not to contact me for any reason while I was away. I didn’t want to know about things that were outside my control, including prospects, patching members, or any of our business dealings.
Gunnar got out of the car first, taking the mutt with him, but I took a moment to look up at the red-brick building. I’d missed this place. It was my home. I’d returned, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that everything would be plain sailing. I’d haveto adjust—again—to my new normal. At least I didn’t have to share my space with anyone anymore.
Exiting the car, I stretched out to my full height and slammed the door shut behind me. Gunnar was already inside, where I could hear music blaring. It was only ten in the morning, but somehow, that didn’t stop some people from partying. Walking inside was strange. The scents of stale beer and sex were still there, but something was different. A tension of some kind. Or maybe it was me. I was strung tight after always having to watch my back in prison.
Coming out of the short hall, I stepped into the main bar area of the clubhouse. Directly in front of me were two pool tables with worn green felt. The cues were stacked in their holders on the wall to my left, ashtrays and empty beer cans littering the railing that ran around the perimeter of the room. I moved deeper into the space, finding a couple of members sitting on the couches, watching one of the club girls dance for them. They both acknowledged me with a chin lift, then went back to eye fucking the woman.
