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  “What happened to Pitch?” Chance asked. His look of disgust was portrayed on just about every face in the room.

  “Apparently, that boy never learned any manners. He mouthed off to the wrong man one time too many and he was gutted with a homemade shiv one night. I was told the other guy took his time and made Pitch scream like a little bitch but in the end, he died knowing the fear he instilled in others before he took their lives. He also died alone, as not one of the other prisoners there would lift a hand to help him. I had a buddy in prison around the same time and when he got out a few months later, he told me Ripper was vowing revenge against me personally. He’s convinced I’m the one who sent them to jail.” Sam looked down at the floor briefly then raised his eyes and looked at every brother sitting there. “My buddy also told me he was there that night. He was one of the many that saw the fight between Pitch and the other man. He said Pitch didn’t die easy and that he called out for someone to help him but in the end it didn’t matter. Pitch learned the hard way just what brotherhood meant as he laid there bleeding to death. All the other men there walked past him and spit on him as he drew his last breaths. This time it was him with the fear in his eyes when he faced death.”

  “But it wasn’t you, it was their own damn actions that put them in prison,” Mountain stated justly.

  Sam sighed. “No it wasn’t me but they never got the idea in their head that what they did was just wrong, not until it was too late to matter. They thought because they were in an MC, the rules of common decency didn’t apply to them. Living large and breakin’ the rules was the MC way back then. After those two went to prison, Spider began cleaning up the club a little. It was long overdue but necessary. It was our wakeup call if you like. Everyone there took a look at what we had, at our young families and we knew then we would always do what we had to protect our own, even from ourselves if need be.”

  “After that the Bastards became a better club, better for everyone,” Black Jack added. “Our wives and daughters weren’t so afraid to walk the compound at night so much anymore. Our sons and brothers stopped being bullies and started being real men.”

  Sam nodded. “When I heard Ripper was getting out and vowing revenge I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. I didn’t think Hawk the present Prez would welcome him back, not after what he did even if it was a long time ago. The new club had changed too much and no one wanted to slip backward into that kind of chaos. Both Pitch and Ripper had been stripped of their colors before Spider dropped them off at the jailhouse that day. When they woke up without their cuts, they knew what happened. They knew they fucked up real bad and they knew the club wouldn’t help them escape justice, not this time.” He shrugged. “Then I got involved with this club and I guess I forgot about him. Now I have to deal with him and the past before someone I care about gets hurt. He’s had twenty years for the rage inside him to reach the boiling point. Now I have to face him and deal with it once and for all.”

  “We need to find this bastard and watch him,” Sabbath stated. “I was there that night too. I remember that pair of misfits very well. If I remember right, he likes to strike at the last minute, when you least expect it. He learned from his brother to be reckless and stupid. He’s impulsive and doesn’t think out his plan before he acts.”

  Sam stared at Sabbath. “That was twenty years ago though. He may already have a plan in his mind now.”

  Sabbath snorted. “That boy never thought much beyond how far his dick could reach. He never did think long term. It was always today for that boy. All he ever wanted was what made him happy today, then tomorrow, he’d want something else. Pitch was the leader of the two of them. I’m surprised he got himself a girlfriend all by himself. How he ended up with her I’ll never know. She was a sweetheart he didn’t deserve.”

  Sam nodded. “And there was no love lost between her and Pitch. But she found out the hard way Ripper wouldn’t tear himself away from his brother, not even for her.”

  Black Jack laughed out loud. “Well, that’s true enough. That’s one reason Lisa never told him about the baby she was carrying. She thought the whole time she could change him and maybe she could have, until that night. She knew that night he would never change, that he’d always be the restless sort and would never settle down.”

  “Her son Caden is a full grown man by now.” Sam acknowledged. Lisa had given birth to a baby boy shortly after Ripper went to prison. He and the other brothers of the Satan’s Bastards MC had watched over young Caden and Lisa over the years. Stepped in when they needed to but stood back when she asked them to as well.

  “He is.” Black Jack nodded. “His mama raised him right though. He’s a good man, he’s also a prospect for the Bastards. He goes by the name of Blazer now.”

  Sam paused then narrowed his eyes at the older man. “Does he hold the same grudge his dad is harboring?”

  The door flew open and a young man walked in. He went over to Black Jack’s table and stood behind the old man.

  Black Jack’s sons froze in their seats.

  For a moment, no one moved.

  “No, I don’t.” Blazer looked directly into Sam’s eyes. “What Ripper and Pitch did that night was wrong anyway you fucking slice it. If Ripper couldn’t or wouldn’t stop his brother then he deserved the last twenty years behind bars.”

  “You know the whole story?” Deke looked worried about this kid.

  Blazer turned his head and nodded. “I do now. My mother told me what happened. Just recently in fact. When the club got notice Ripper was being released, she sat me down and told me who he was and what he’d done. Then she gave me a choice. I could either do the right thing and stay with the club and everything I’ve known my whole life or I could go look for the man who fathered me. She told me she would always love me either way but if I went to find my father, she couldn’t be around us again. She loved me too much to watch him destroy me.”

  “And what did you do?” Leon broke into the conversation at this point.

  Blazer turned to glare at the other man. “I stayed with the club. I talked to the others about the type of man my father was and found out everything my mother told me was true.” He dropped his eyes to the floor for a moment then raised them to glare at Sam. “I did go and find him one day though. Curiosity about the type of man he was got the better of me and I hunted him down about a year ago. He never knew I was there but I got to see for myself what kind of man he was.”

  “And what did you find?” Sam asked.

  “He’s an angry man and angry men make mistakes. He’s also a stupid man in the fact that he’s blaming you for something he did. Even I can see that much. Spider and the rest of you guys did the right thing that night. Taking them to jail was the only thing you could have done.”

  “So why did you come here now?” Deke raised his chin at him.

  Blazer shrugged. “You know something I don’t really know why I came here. Maybe I wanted him to know what a selfish bastard he was, or maybe I just wanted him to know how because of what he did how fucked up a human being he really is. That because of his stupidity he lost out on the only good thing he had going for him, me and my mother. Despite what he did, she loved him for a very long time after he went away. I don’t know why but she could still love him today. He could have been a real man and accepted the consequences of his actions but he never did that. He always blamed someone else for his own acts, and now he’s alone in the world instead of stepping up for what could have been. That’s on him and no one else. I guess I came here to make sure he understands that. I want to see him admit that if he’s man enough to.”

  “Then you’ll stand with us against him, if he bothers to show up?” Deke stared at him.

  Blazer nodded.

  Deke searched the other men’s faces and slapped his hand on the table. “Ok then, we watch over our families and keep an eye out for Ripper. No one confronts him on their own. If he’s off his rocker, we don’t know what he’ll do to make his stand.”
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  “Watch your own backs too,” Sam warned. “He might try to get my attention by taking one of our crew down.”

  Mountain looked disgusted. “That’s the coward’s way.”

  Sam shrugged. “You know that and I know that but at this point, I’m not sure what Ripper knows or not. I don’t know what the man will do. That’s why I need everyone to be ready for anything, including the unexpected.”

  Chapter Three

  Ripper had watched this Redemption House for days before making his move. He’d learned that Bones, Sam Tory had four kids. He knew Deke was the President of the Sin’s Bastards and while Ripper was a bit on the reckless side, he knew he couldn’t take on the whole MC.

  He’d also learned that two of Bones’ kids were minors. He didn’t even bother looking for them but this one, this woman was who he concentrated his energy on. This was Sam’s oldest daughter, he learned her name was Quincy or Quinn something.

  Finally, on the third day of watching everyone come and go, he spotted her and she was unescorted too. He could not believe his luck. Her of all people. Just what he’d wanted and she walked right into his hands. She came into the parking lot probably heading to her car. He quickly knocked her out and dragged her out of sight.

  When he reached his vehicle, he tied her hands behind her back and looked around to make sure he hadn’t been seen. He’d stolen this truck a day or so ago, after searching the entire town for a place to stay while he researched his victim.

  He felt a power rush as adrenalin soared through his body. He’d done it. He’d made the first strike against Sam Tory. Ripper grinned and looked down at Sam’s daughter. He did hope he hadn’t hit her too hard. Looking closer, he did notice there was blood on the back of her head. He shrugged. He checked for the pulse at the base of her throat and noted the steady beat of her heart.

  Ripper glanced back through the trees and saw the back of the school she taught at. Well, it really wasn’t a school now was it? It was more of a half-way house. A half-way house for losers.

  Since when does life give anybody a second chance? He asked himself. He snorted silently and gave the back of the House the finger as he got into his stolen truck and drove away.

  Twenty minutes later, he parked inside the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. He’d driven around town for ten minutes in case someone had managed to follow him.

  He hauled her out of the truck and carried her to a place where he could lay her down. Flopping her down on the sleeping bag, he squatted down beside her and slapped her cheek and it wasn’t a soft slap either. “Come on sweetheart, I need you to wake up now.”

  He watched her but when she didn’t open her eyes, he slapped her a little bit harder. “I said wake up, bitch.”

  Quinn groaned and moved her head. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared at him in confusion. Then she tried to move her hands and began to panic when she couldn’t.

  Ripper chuckled at the panic in her eyes. Then he nodded at her. “You can’t get free sweetheart. I ain’t no dummy.”

  Quinn glared at him. “Who are you and what do you want with me?”

  Ripper shrugged. “I don’t necessary want you. You could say you’re a means to an end. Just a piece in the puzzle I need to finish. You’re a pawn, little girl.”

  ~* * * *~

  “What?” Quinn frowned in confusion. Her head hurt and she couldn’t feel her fingertips as the rope was wrapped around her wrists too tight. Struggling only made it worse.

  “I said answer me, are you going to do what I ask?” The man slapped her hard. “Are you lame or something?” He looked nervous like he was too tightly wound as he got to his feet and began to pace. “I need you to call your dad and get him to meet us somewhere.”

  Quinn licked at the cut on her lip as she winced. “Who are you and what do you want with Sam?”

  “I’m Ripper and don’t you forget it. Bones put me and my brother in prison twenty years ago. Pitch died in that hellhole and I’m gonna make him pay for that.”

  Quinn’s frown deepened. “How the hell did Sam manage that? I mean I know he’s good but I didn’t know that he was that good.”

  Ripper snapped his head around to glare at her. “Bones Tory is a lowly bastard. Pitch and me pulled a job one night and Sam took exception to it. He started a fight and then dropped us off at the police shop. We were arrested for murder and when we were found guilty and sent to prison Pitch was killed a couple years later inside the joint. Sam owes me the life of my brother.”

  Quinn was confused. “How does Sam owe you the life of your brother if a jury found you guilty of a murder?”

  “Because he turned us over to the cops when he should have had our backs!” he shouted at her. “We were all Satan’s Bastards and he turned the club against us.”

  Quinn shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, imagine that. Are you really that stupid or are you wasting my time?” He sneered then snapped his fingers. “No I got it! You’re a woman who doesn’t understand the intricate mechanics of the MC world. Well, let me educate you then, Bone’s daughter, but I’m only gonna say this one more time. Twenty years ago, Pitch and I robbed some store and he shot the clerk. We were partying with the money we got and Sam Tory got pissy about it. He was wearing his holier than thou attitude and he took it out on Pitch and me. He turned the whole fucking MC against us, calling us murderers and such. All we did was have a little fun. We needed money and we took it. Anyway, we woke up in county lockup and the DA slapped us with murder charges. We later heard through the grapevine that Sam drove us to jail and threw us out of his truck. The cops never would have found us if he hadn’t given us up. He was a traitor to the MC way of life. You always protect the brothers no matter what they do. If they start a fight, you finish it. If they’re in trouble, you got their backs. Sam didn’t get our backs.”

  Quinn narrowed her eyes at his reasoning. “You and your brother murdered someone during a robbery and you blame Sam because you got caught?”

  “We should have been safe at the Bastards clubhouse. No one else would have turned us over to the cops. We were brothers and he should have stood with us not against us. It was Sam’s fault we went to jail and now, I’m gonna make him pay for what he did.”

  Quinn had a feeling no matter what she said it wouldn’t make a difference so she kept her mouth shut. This man had a belief that he obviously would waiver from. He looked insane and he wanted revenge. Right now, all she had to do was survive. Just looking at the man, she could see he wasn’t rational. His eyes held a light she didn’t like, almost as if he had slipped over the edge of reason and into the depths of insanity. “What do you want?” she asked quietly.

  “We’re gonna to give Sam time to wonder where you are, then we’ll call him and you’re gonna tell him to meet us somewhere. You’ll tell him to come alone and then I’ll make him pay for the last twenty years. I’ll make him pay for Pitch’s death.”

  Quinn swallowed hard and slowly nodded. There was nothing else for her to do. Except maybe, pray that Sam would have her back, that he would somehow save her from this madman. She thought of Chance and knew he would kill this man if he caught him. She shivered. The MC way of life was harsh when you hurt one of them. Dammit, she should’ve waited for someone to escort her to her car at Redemption House. She thought she would be safe in the parking lot. How dumb could she be? Now, she might pay dearly for the mistake.

  Why hadn’t she listened to her dad? He and Deke had made a speech just yesterday at Redemption House telling them someone was out there wanting to make trouble and that none of them should go anywhere at all, alone. Sam had taken her aside and repeated that to her, ‘Nowhere, alone,’ he’d stated with a grim expression on his face.

  Her captor chuckled and then snapped a picture of her all tied up with his phone camera. He began typing a moment later then the room echoed the ping the phone made when it sent a message. He gave her an evil little smile and pushed the phone back into his
pocket.

  “Now we give your daddy a little time to think about what could happen to you if he doesn’t do exactly want I want.”

  ~* * * *~

  Hours later, Quinn was nudged awake. She was still tied up and couldn’t move much. Ripper brushed the hair away from her face and pushed his phone up to her ear. She could hear the ringing on the other end.

  He grabbed her chin and lifted her face to his. “Now you’re gonna tell daddy that you’re fine. I haven’t hurt you, yet.” He snarled. “But I want you to know if doesn’t cooperate, I will hurt you and I’ll leave you here all tied up and no one will know where to look for you. You’ll be here all alone for god knows how long.”

  Quinn nodded and felt his fingers tighten on her jaw briefly then he pushed her away from him.

  Sam answered the call a moment later. “What the hell do you want?” he growled.