Page 37 of Bleed Me

“Ya may not if you don’t accept the support system around you. Either way, this ride has begun. It’s up to you how to handle it.”

“Up to me? I feel like I have no chance of beating this.”

Justice’s breath brushed my lips as her eyes drifted shut, and she slowly pulled away. She told Saint, “Show him.”

Show me what?

After a long exhale, Saint said, “Memories are blocked out for a reason, my man. Something happened to you that was too much for your brain and heart to handle. Getting those memories back, well, Jamie had to fight, Giver. This is what we ran from.” From under his cut, he lifted his t-shirt.

There were so many wicked scars all over his stomach. Silently, my eyes asked how he was in front of me, alive. “You both?”

He dropped his shirt. “Yeah. Me and that girl have seen—been through—some of the darkest shit.” Sad to say, but I waited, hoping his dark story could bring comfort to my void I was sure was also dark. Saint stared at my closed door. Quietly, he said, “Not all brothers are as good as the ones we have now.”

Mentioning ‘brothers’, I assumed, “Another club?”

“No.” Solemnly, he shook his head. “The blood kind.”

Recoiling, I quickly asked, “Brothers of yours? You and Jamie are siblings?”

“No. We each had a set of brothers who happened to be… friends with one another.” He exhaled such remorse.

“Jesus. What did they do to you two?”

“Man, it’s more like what they didn’t do would be an easier question to answer. My girl wears long sleeves in the summer for reasons she’s still trying to process.”

This was too personal for him to share. I refused to push for more details.

Justice didn’t push either. “Patience of a saint.”

Wow. Saint.

Maybe it was learning more about him, but Saint no longer looked only a couple years older. He looked more the age of twenty-five that he was ‘supposed’ to be. “Yeah.” He nodded. “It was a real shit show, but ya do anything for the ones you love, right?” After a moment, he shrugged as if being gutted wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. “The club finding me is quite a blur. I was fighting for my life.” Absently, he rubbed his stomach. “But as soon as I was healed enough, finding Jamie was all I cared about. Luckily, Duke took me under his wing.”

“Duke?”

Justice growled, “My brother’s real name,” but was clearly not pleased with Saint for revealing such a detail. I couldn’t help but wonder how close the Prez and Saint were with him knowing something so personal.

He winced. “Sorry.” Then he continued. “He helped me find the queen of my world.” His expression faded as if getting lost in thought again. He whispered, “And we brought her home.” Finally blinking after a moment of silence, Saint’s bike boot nudged me. “The brothers were cruel. It sucks to remember it, ain’t gonna lie, but look what not remembering is doing to you. What you just went through was scary as hell. Jamie never has full-out seized up like that before. Her attacks are different, but I’ve seen your kind on YouTube.” Saint continued, “Trust our brothers, man. Diesel is like Duke. When those men speak, you shut the fuck up and listen. And our VP? He’s the glue. His instincts are on point. And those instincts have told him you’re good people. You’re family without a patch, which we all bet is coming someday.”

Every biker in that club, even though I wasn’t aware of each past, all seemed to have one they were running from. Maybe that’s where their name came from. Stallions—horses love to run. Caged horses desire that freedom. These men were running from dark pasts that hardened them, made them tough as steel.

I would eventually join that team of being tough as steel, but first had much to learn about the man I would become, and the child I once was, as I embarked on a haunted road that was long, lonely, and full of darkness.