“I was surprised to learn you were in town. Jack too.” She glances over quickly. “Happy surprised, though.”
“It was sort of a last-minute thing,” I say as I peer out the window at my old town.
I didn’t plan to come back. In fact, I’ve been desperately trying not to. But that’s what I am now. Desperate. I may have walked away from the South Bay Sinners ten years ago, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a hell of a lot of trouble that followed me back here. I’m just hoping I can get myself out of it before it gets me killed.
The Sinner clubhouse comes into view, and the knot that’s been twisting in my stomach since those cherries flashed in my rearview tightens. It pulls taut when a long-haired, six-foot-something silhouette comes into focus.
Jack.
The moment I climb out of the car, I’m pulled into a chest-crushing, lung-squeezing bear hug.
“Hey, big brother,” I choke out.
Jack drops me to my feet and holds me at arm’s length, a wide smile splitting his face. “Hey, Gracie. Welcome home.”
5
Time’s up, bitch.
Stomach clenching,I close out of the messaging app on my phone and shove the device back into the depths of my jacket.
Jack presses another beer into my hand. He’s got the long-haired biker thing going on, just like when we were kids. Big, tall, tattooed. And wild. Though as I really take him in, I realize he’s a little more put together now, his hair a little tamer, his beard a little less unruly.
Despite Jack’s warm welcome, the atmosphere is thick with awkwardness. To be expected, I guess. These men might be my brothers, but I’m a stranger to them.
That could be a problem, given the reason I’m here. A blood tie doesn’t always mean loyalty. I’m not their family. The club is.
“Walk me through it again,” Axe says.
He looks mostly the same too. Short dark hair, thick scruff lining his jaw, a permanent scowl. Like our father’s. Like mine. He’s bigger than I remember. Bulkier. Maybe even a little taller. Then again, Axe has alwaysfeltbigger than everyone else in the room.
The Sinner clubhouse is still a total dive. It’s dimly lit and smells faintly of old beer and cigarettes. The wood-panelled walls are covered in framed mugshots, stolen street signs, and pictures of bikes, women, and Sinner parties from decades ago. I know if I looked closely, I’d find photos of my mom riding on the back of Jack’s dad’s Harley or of Jimmy drinking with a woman on his lap. Maybe even some of me. My mom let me spend way too much time in a biker bar growing up. I was practically raised in this place.
“Grace,” Jack says softly.
He’s been talking to me like I’m some sort of victim. Small, awkward smiles, eyes not quite meeting mine. Each time I give my play-by-play, he gets a little more pissed off, a little farther away.
I take a breath. “I told you everything.”
“And you’ll tell me again,” Axe says.
Another vibration in my pocket.Shit.My shoulders tighten. Against my better judgement, I tug out my phone to check the message.
I’m not fucking playing.
“Something pulling your attention, Grace?” Axe asks.
I glare at him. My patience is slipping.
What did you tell them? Why are you here? Why didn’t you call?
The same questions over and over, worded differently each time, like he’s trying to trip me up. Another interrogation. I’ve had enough of that shit tonight.
Our relationship has always been a little icy. We may be half siblings, but Axe never warmed to me. I’m Jimmy’s kid and Jack’s sister, but not his. He blames me, I think. The consequences of Jimmy’s secret love affair and the subsequentchild with his VP’s old lady were pretty severe. When two men fight over a woman, it never ends well, especially when those two men are at the head of a one-percenter bike club. But once Rick was out of the picture, Jimmy stepped up. Took my mom as his old lady, finally claimed me as his kid. I took his last name, and with that, the title of his daughter. As well as all the other shit that last name brings. All the trouble.
After that, Jimmy’s priorities shifted. We all learned quickly who he’d show up for when push came to shove. I don’t think he did it on purpose, but when things got violent, he made a choice. Me and my mom over his son and his club.
A man like Axe could never understand that kind of sacrifice. His dad gave up his empire for his new family. Though sometimes I think Jimmy regrets it. The quiet little existence he created on the East Coast wasn’t easy for him. Or me.
