1 BLADE
“It’s over, brother. The Feral Kings have been disbanded. With the help of the Savage Brothers, the Devil’s Blaze, and their allies, it’s done. We’ve personally taken over the Feral Kings’ old clubhouse, and most of them are dead. You can finally get out of this hellhole and get your life back.”
“If you believe that, Hangman, I put the wrong man in charge all these years.”
“It’s not like that, Blade. I just meant you don’t have to go after Olivia. She didn’t help her brother kill Bear. She was his victim, too. We got evidence of that. We’ll kill them all, I promise you. I’m already working on it. My point is only that you can get out of here, breathe fresh air, and end this with their deaths. There’s no need of going further.”
“It’s not finished. It will never be completely finished until they are all dead, and I’ve made them feel the pain I’ve felt inside of me for over four years. I want them all to suffer, and that includes that fucker’s sister. She has the same blood inside her that is flowing in his veins. I want them all wiped off the face of this earth, just like my brother was. I want to watch their world crash around them. I want my hands wrapped around their throats when they take their last breath. I made a vow to Bear that I would make them pay, and by God, they will.”
“Do you really think Bear would want you to take this revenge out on an innocent girl? If you think that, you don’t remember your brother the way he was, Blade.”
“I remember Bear perfectly,” I growl. My hand trembles with the need to strike Hangman down. We might be as close as brothers, but he doesn’t know the rage inside me. He’s right, Bear wouldn’t want me hurting Olivia. He always had a soft spot for women, and that helped lead to his demise. Still, he didn’t see her that night I was captured. He didn’t hear her confession. I won’t kill Olivia, but she will suffer. I’ll destroy her in a much more painful way than death. She might not have helped her brother, but she distracted me that day. She was the reason I wasn’t there protecting Bear’s back. “If you and the club won’t support me, I’ll do this on my own,” I finally answer with a shrug. It’s not like I haven’t been on my own while in jail. I’ll get my revenge without help. I don’t really give a fuck.
“Don’t be stupid. You know this is your club. We’ll support you. We know what’s driving you, and we want the same. I just don’t think Olivia should be part of it.”
“That’s not your decision,” I respond, slightly relieved that my club still has my back. “I won’t be reporting back to the club for another month. I have other things to set up first. I get out Friday and I’ll be living at the resort. Have Layna get the crew to clean it and make sure it’s ready for me.”
I see the look on his face at the mention of Layna. She’s a mercenary bitch, but she does what I tell her to do. She also knows to stay in my graces because she likes money and power. Of course, the woman mistakenly thinks that means it will all be hers one day, but that will never happen. The last woman I let my guard down around cost me everything. Truthfully, I picked Layna because I knew it would be a slap in the face to Olivia. It will just be a minor hurt compared to what I will dish out to her, however.
“I’ll make sure it gets done,” he finally responds, clearly upset.
“Good. I’ll contact you once I get out Friday.”
“You don’t want one of us to pick you up?”
“I’ve had Eagle arrange for a car to pick me up and bring me to the resort. I’ll set up a meeting with you after I get some things set up.”
“You know, in case you need reminding, we’re not your employees, we’re your brothers, Blade. We’re family.”
Guilt hits me at once, but I push it away. “I have to do this. I can’t step back into my life until I do. Bear deserves to rest easy, and I’m going to make sure he gets to.”
“Okay, fine, but I’m going on record now telling you that this isn’t the way. What you’re planning on doing to Olivia makes you no better than the rest of the Ferals who just blindly followed Eyeball and those ass clowns. It’s not who you are, Blade.”
“It might not have been who I was before I lost my brother, but it definitely is who I am now,” I counter.
I stand up, and the guard comes toward us immediately. Fucking prick. I’m going to arrange that he gets a nice going-away present before I walk through the gates to my freedom.
A very nice gift indeed.
“What do I tell the others?” Hangman calls out once I turn to go back toward my cell.
“Tell them to be ready,” I respond, not bothering to turn around. He doesn’t agree with what I’m about to do, but I’m not going to let that stop me. I can’t. I owe Bear, and the only thing I can give him is justice. That is the only reason I’m still breathing. It’s my mission, and no one will keep me from it—absolutely no one.
Especially Olivia Davis.
2 BLADE
Two Days Later
“Good afternoon, Mr. Aetos.”
“Layna. Is everything ready for me?” I ask her as I walk into my office above the casino.
Before my brother’s death, we finally had a future that we had always dreamed of—a future for us, our club, and our people here in Cherokee. My brother was building the club, and together we both worked for the support of people who lived here and pushed for the construction of the Golden Hawk Casino. Prior to that, we were becoming a dying town filled with tourist traps that were usually passed over for the bigger, flashier Gatlinburg.
My brother and I were proud of our Cherokee heritage. Our mother was a direct descendant of one of the most famous Chiefs in the history of our people. That’s one reason we’ve worked so hard. Our mother took such pride in her history. She’s not with us any longer. Bear’s happiest moment was knowing we were getting the casino here. He went on for days about how proud our mother would have been.
Thoughts of my brother bring a now very familiar ache to my heart. It feels like a damn knife cutting into my chest over and over. I embrace the pain, however. I want to feel it. My brother died, and I wasn’t there to save him. I deserve to suffer. That might be why I didn’t let my brothers do anything to get me out of jail. Hell, I didn’t even fight it when I was framed for killing Bear.
