Page 6 of The Bonds We Break

Bates nods. “Fucking wild that so many felt he deserved a second chance.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Niro asks, placing his palms on the table.

“I need some insurance for when Saint gets back to keep him in line.”

“Have you asked Vex to dig up dirt on him?” Bates asks.

I shake my head. “I asked him to find me Saint’s sister.”

Niro howls like a fucking wolf. “I love it.”

I think back to something Dad once said in jest, but now the whole club remembers. He’d told me if I was ever in agreement with anything Niro said, I was probably standing on the wrong side of the argument. That logic flickers through me for a second, but I can’t bring myself not to do this.

“He has a sister?” Bates asks.

“Just one, younger than him. Her name’s Rae. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I want to go get her, then keep her ... when it’s time, show Saint that I have her.”

Bates leans back in his chair. “That’s a lot of logistics to worry about. How many brothers need to know? Who keeps guard when you aren’t there?”

I shrug. “I think it’s pretty simple. While I’m gone, I’ll get Vex to wire up Dad’s old cottage with cameras from every angle on the exterior property. The only risk we have until I actually tell Saint is making sure Rae knows I’m a heartbeat away from pulling the trigger on her brother. I’ll need to tell her and have her believe that she’s the only thing keeping Saint alive.”

“In my experience, bitches are not the most rational human beings,” Niro says.

Bates chuckles. “Maybe if you weren’t such an asshole to them ...”

Niro flips the bird across the table.

“She’ll believe it. I have something that’ll help convince her.”

Niro raises an eyebrow. “How dark are you going with this, boss?”

“As dark as it needs to get her compliance and Saint’s obedience.”

Bates nods in approval. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Go home. Sober up. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, early, we take the van. Pack for a few days just in case she isn’t immediately home. We’ll plan the rest on the way. Soon as we have her, we bring her back. Pick me up from Dad’s cottage. I’ll ride up there and leave my bike so I have it when we get back.”

“On it, Prez,” Bates says, standing. “I’ll take the van home tonight. Swing by and pick you up around five in the morning. It’s a ten-hour drive, maybe eleven with breaks and traffic. Once we’re there, let you work your magic. Then drive back. Faster drive home. Less traffic and fewer cops. We can rotate.”

“Good enough. See you in the morning.”

I watch their backs as they leave. I notice Clutch does too.

I stub out my cigarette and pull on my heavy leather jacket with my patches and rockers. Hard to believe it’s nearly December. So much has happened this year that I can’t wait to see the end of it.

As I head to the door to leave, Clutch stops me. “You got something going on you need help with?” he asks, as if he weren’t just in my office, threatening my presidency of this club.

“Nothing you need to be worrying about.”

When I step outside, there’s a bite in the air. The kind that gets under your skin and into your bones.

The sting of it reminds me I’m alive.

As I climb on my bike, I think about Saint in Mexico, all fucking loved up with Briar because he thinks he’s got what he wants. The girl. The club. His life.

I grin. Because within twenty-four hours, I’m going to destroy everything he holds dear.

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