Page 110 of Bleed Me

Lynx grew a smile that meant trouble. “Fuck yeah, you are.”

Dagger appeared apologetic as he asked me, “Do we need to worry about Dick? She’s married now.”

That news actually warmed my heart, hoping she had what I had with Justice, so I smiled, nodding, truly happy for Delilah. “So am I.” I patted my chest for my Old Lady. “Boys, my heart is in Austin. Dick’s is there, too.” I could almost feel Dick agreeing inside me. “We belong to Justice—” Lynx had once told me I was Justice’s as soon as she saw me. He was right. “We are hers, through and motherfucking through.”

Now, as a man, driving toward a place where I’d lived as a boy of seventeen, I was searching for the child I had been. It felt like two separate lives were about to meet for the first time. I was no longer in need of a safety net to catch me. I was no longer in need of protection. I was the protection now.

Stallion bikes roared as we rolled into town, ready to fight for a club that would always fight for us. The town I once knew so well now felt smaller. The local gas station, Gas & Chic, where Tuck and I would get the best fried chicken in the world, now looked like a tiny box. Emotions knocked on my heart, daring me to remember simpler times, but with those memories came lots of denial. I was drowning in it back then. Now, with eyes wide open and the balls to admit it, there was no denying that I was a complicated man. A smile crept across my lips as Justice crossed my mind; a woman more than willing to love who I was—the good, the bad, and the despicable.

Down a long dirt road where there was nothing but trees and more land, we pulled up to barbed-wire fencing that rolled open for us before we even needed to slow down; it was a clear indication Redemption Ryders saw us coming before our wheels even hit their dirt and gravel.

Diesel and a few Ryders greeted us by the warehouse where we sheltered our bikes. As soon as I pulled off my helmet, I tucked myself inside my hoodie to cover my identity. Diesel quickly escorted us inside their clubhouse. Their club wasn’t underground like the Barn, but there weren’t windows. There was plenty of protection and lots of monitors on the walls, just like the Stallions had. Also, like the Barn, the angles of the cameras showed that they were located in unexpected areas, so they couldn’t be easily found and shot out.

That was all I got to truly take in before Diesel was moving us along. This was not his normal go-lucky self. He pointed to me, Dagger, and Lynx. “Come with me.” Leaving the rest of the Stallions in the big room, he led us down a hallway that had picture frames of past parties and members. “My men are rounding up their families for lockdown.” I knew Diesel had been through the wringer trying to find Art, but he looked half-manic and disturbed. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and I was positive his hair hadn’t seen a comb in a week.

My eyes raced to Dagger, who couldn’t stop staring at his brother. “Diesel—”

A bit on the deranged side, Diesel spun and got in his brother’s face. “They. Fucked. My. Boy. Up.”

“And you killed him!”

“I want more blood!”

Dagger’s face, even around his eye patch, reddened, and veins popped from his neck. “Then. Let’s. Kill. Them. All.”

The madness in Diesel’s blue eyes slightly faded right before he nodded, exhaling as if he just realized he was no longer carrying all the pressure for his club.

Lynx assured him, “Every club around the country and beyond will hear about what revenge we pay forward. Even after this war, when these fuckers finally run from,” he poked Diesel’s chest, “your motherfuckin’ turf, we will chase and destroy like savage animals who never tire of corpses. Even if it takes years to destroy them all.”

Diesel sunk back into the hallway’s wall. “Damn, I’ve missed you crazy fuckers.”

The tension was broken. May have only lasted seconds, but Diesel was starting to look somewhat human again. Then his cell buzzed in his front pocket. After reading it, he looked at me. “I need a favor.”

“Name it.”

“Keep you and that gun I keep hearing about by my son’s side.”

Three sets of jaws dropped in that hallway. Diesel had asked me to protect his son. Now being a father, I understood what an honor that was.

I dipped my chin. “No one will get near him.”

“Good.” He took another deep breath… then smirked. “Now for the scary part. Viola is on her way for lockdown.”

Dagger, Lynx, and I all started grumbling something along the lines of, “We’re all gonna die…I’d rather face the gunfight… That girl is hell on heels…”

Then Diesel added, “With Tuck.”

Ah, shit.

Diesel nodded. “I know.” He started walking again but told me, “I’m rooming you with Art. Not only is the clubhouse going to be packed tight with bodies, but V won’t bother Art, knowing he’s hurt.”

I grabbed Diesel’s arm. “Delilah?”

“Out of town with Maverick.”

“Maverick?”

He eyed me, unsure what to admit. “Boxer Boy has gone pro. She’s not staying for the fight. She don’t like them, but we have time before she drives home.”