Love, Loyalty & Mayhem: A Motorcycle Club Romance Anthology

by Ryan Michele

  L. Wilder’s Author’s Note

  For those readers who’ve read Satan’s Fury - Memphis Chapter, you know that there’s more to this story. To find out what becomes of Gus and Samantha, be sure to check out Gunner’s book, which will be releasing late July or early August.

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  At Your Service by Laramie Briscoe

  A Heaven Hill Generations Novella

  Introduction

  Author’s Note: If you don’t want to be spoiled, you should read this book following “Wild” book two in the Heaven Hill Generations Series. The next generation of the original Heaven Hill MC Series.

  In case you’re going in blind, I’ll do my best to make it easy for you!

  Cast of Character

  Drew: Adopted son of Liam Walker (ex-president of the Heaven Hill MC). Biological son of Denise Walker. Twin brother to Mandy. Half-brother to Tatum. Married to Charity, and father to twin girls Harley and Justice. He is now the president of the Heaven Hill MC.

  Charity: Wife to Drew, mother to Harley and Justice. An attorney in their hometown of Bowling Green, KY.

  Dalton: Best friend to Drew, husband to Mandy, father of Walker. He is now the VP of the Heaven Hill MC.

  Mandy: Twin sister to Drew, half-sister to Tatum, adopted daughter of Liam, daughter to Denise, wife of Dalton, mother of Walker. She also works alongside Charity in her law firm.

  Remy: Member of the Heaven Hill MC. Boyfriend to Tatum, the daughter of Liam and Denise.

  Blurb: When Drew Walker takes over the Heaven Hill MC, it means lots of changes for his family. It’s hard to make it all work, but he’ll stop at nothing to be the man who can do everything.

  1

  Drew

  “Looks good on you.”

  The rough, southern-tinged accent flows through my veins like Jim Beam and University of Kentucky blue, it’s home. Looking up in the mirror, my eyes meet the ones of the man who adopted me as a mouthy teenager. Liam Walker is my dad in every single way that counts. He’s the one who taught me how to ride, helped me purchase my first bike, caught me and Charity in the most compromising of situations, but at the same time didn’t embarrass me. Earning his respect has always been one of the biggest goals of my life. Wearing this president patch on this cut? It’s right up there with them.

  “Still can’t believe you stepped down,” I move my arms within the brand-new piece of leather, stretching it this way and that. A gift from him after I publicly accepted the new position yesterday. In the next few months, the cut will soften, will mold to my body like butter, and eventually I’ll feel naked without it on.

  “Nobody else I’d rather have as leader than you, my man,” he answers, smoothing it over my shoulders. Reminiscing of him checking to make sure my tie was done correctly right before my wedding. He and I, we’ve gone through just about every rite of passage a man can, together.

  Turning to face him, I stand straight, slightly taller than he is. “It’s a lot of pressure.”

  He nods, knowing what he’s gifting me is the oldest club in the area, the one to come to when things go to hell, one of the pillars of our Bowling Green community. “If anyone can handle it, it’s you.”

  My dad has always had more confidence in me than I’ve ever had in myself. Typically, I brush it off, act like it’s no big deal; today I take it all in, let it permeate my bones. Hope like hell I can be the leader he thinks I can be.

  “You really think so?”

  He nods, putting his hand out for me to shake. “I still remember you,that almost-teenager standing up for your mom. You weren’t scared, or if you were, you didn’t show it. Then taking up for your twin sister – you’ve always been a man.”

  I wince as I think back to my early-twenties. There was some shit I did, I wasn’t proud of. “Maybe not always a good man.”

  The look he gives me is one of understanding. “You had your heart broken. The woman you wanted to spend the rest of your life with left here and went to college without you. We lived that pain with you, Drew.”

  “And you rejoiced when she came back,” I remind him, my chest cavity filling with contentment as I think about my wife.

  “We did,” he nods, with a grin. “Then the two of you gave us the cutest granddaughters to ever walk the face of the Earth.”

  “You’re biased. They are holy terrors,” I argue. “They keep me and Charity up at night. Ya know, not thinking about what’s gonna happen when they hit their teenage years. They legit keep us up. We’ve got to get them out of the same bedroom. They giggle, play games, and whisper for hours. I’ve tried to get Charity to stop putting the baby monitor in there, but she’s scared to. So all night I have to listen to the giggling, when all I really want is to go to sleep,” I complain, running a hand through my hair.

  “Welcome to parenthood, son. You think I wasn’t worried about you every time you left the house? Especially when you got your first bike, you were so much wilder than I ever was.”

  Running a hand down my face, I give my dad a look of honesty. “How am I going to live up to the man you are? You’ve been the leader of this club for years. People respect you, they come to you when they have a problem, they don’t question when you lay down an order, you’re so well-respected.”

  “So are you,” he speaks the words softly. “Those guys have watched you. They’ve seen you go from a hot-headed young man to a level-headed father and husband.”

  “I’m still hot-headed,” I remind him. “I haven’t ever been able to shake it all off.”

  “But for the most part you’re fair and you don’t get too far ahead of yourself. As long as you respect these men, they will respect you. It’s as simple as that.”

  It’s not as simple as that, but I do get what he’s saying. “Thank you for trusting me with the job. I know it wasn’t easy to step down.”

  “Easiest thing I’ve ever done, giving the reins over to you. I don’t even think I was this sure about marrying your mom,” he grins.

  “Don’t let her hear you say that, she’ll cut your dick off.”

  “Of that I’m sure,” he lights another cigarette. “If you need help I’m always here. The door will always be open, and you will never be alone.”

  “I know, Dalton will be with me,” I mention the name of my brother-in-law. Never in a million years could I have picked a better man to marry my sister. He and I have been best friends for the biggest part of our lives, and to know he’s the one taking care of my twin means the absolute world to me.

  “And I’ll be a phone call away, as will Tyler.”

  Squaring my shoulders, I nod. My eyes take in the cut one more time. I have a feeling seeing that president patch will throw me for a little while, but I will rule the Heaven Hill MC the best way I know how. My heart thuds against my chest, all at once causing me to feel the weight of the gift I’ve been given.

  There were other men who deserved this more than me, but it will always mean the world to me that my dad thought I was the one who should have it.

  “I’ll make you proud,” the promise is in my voice.

  “I have no doubt about that, Drew. Don’t ever think I worry about you making me proud. You’ve done it many times over. That’s not even a blip on my radar.”

  It’s hard to hold onto the emotion his words invoke. For so many years I grew up without a father, my mom doing double-duty and me worrying. Fucking worried about everything. Would we have enough food to eat, would we have money to make bills, would I hear my mom crying at night when she thought no one could hear? The worrying has followed me into my adulthood, but for the most part, I’ve been able to push it down and live my life. I have a suspicion I’m about to start again.

  “Did you know he was gonna do it?”

  Glancing over at my best friend and now VP, Dalton, I shake my head. “No fuckin’ idea he’d name me or you, didn’t even know he was thinking about it.”

  “I think he did it th
e way he wanted to. Kind of how he’s lived his whole life to this point.”

  Those words truly sum up the man who adopted me and my twin after he fell in love with my mom. I hope like hell I can be half the man he is, but I know it’ll take time. For a long time our club has been on a good path, no one has tried to bother us, we’ve been straight. However, me and everyone else know that won’t happen forever. There’s always someone in the shadows ready to pounce, ready to take away what’s ours, and turn the tranquility we’ve experienced for the past few years into a time of violence and panic. That time is coming. We all know nothing good lasts forever, and it looks like I’m going to be the one to lead us into whatever battle we’re going to be facing.

  “You’re right about that,” I take a drag off my cigarette. “Just hope like hell I’m the right man for the job.”

  “Brother trust me, there’s no other man who could do this job. When push comes to shove you’re gonna push right the fuck back. I will follow you into the depths of hell and I will stand beside you through whatever gets thrown at us. Liam is a goddamn amazing leader, you learned from him. Give yourself some credit.”

  I let his words roll around in my head until they settle. There they take root, holding tight as they start to grow. “C’mon, let’s go make some plans.”

  “That’s the man I know.”

  The two of us leave the garage, heading to the clubhouse with the wind whistling against our ears and the sun beating down on our backs. Free as a bird, with nothing to cage us in sight.

  2

  Charity

  A few days later

  “How have things been going at your house?”

  I glance up at my paralegal who also happens to be my sister-in-law, squinting my eyes at her. I get the feeling she asked me a question, but damn if I heard it. “What? Did you say something?”

  She giggles, rolling her eyes. She’s used to me by now, but this is even a little bit more absent minded then I normally am. “You look like you slept here last night and you’re paying attention like you did too.”

  Sighing deeply, I pull a mirror over to me, gasping as I get a good look at myself. My hair is every which way, at some point I put it in a bun, and pieces have fallen out haphazardly. Any make up I had on is gone, and the dark circles under my eyes can have their own zip code at this point. “I did kind of sleep here last night. I have to get this brief over to the courthouse in less than three hours,” I explain, taking a huge chug of the coffee on my desk.

  As soon as it hits my tongue, I lean over the trashcan, spitting it out. “I don’t know how old that is, but it’s cold,” I shiver with grossness.

  “Why didn’t you tell me last night?” She shrieks. “I would have stayed here to help you. I wouldn’t have gone gallivanting off with my husband and left you here to do all the work. We took a two-hour ride while Dad watched Walker.”

  “You need to gallivant with your husband,” I argue. This is my business, I’m the one who started it, and I feel as if it’s my job to make sure it does well. That’s not up to her; I make the hard decisions. Last night just so happened to be one that sucked for me. “Now that he and Drew have taken the lead for the club, I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing less and less of them.”

  Mandy gets up, going to the bathroom where I hear her rummaging under the sink, then running water, before she comes back out, handing me a wet washcloth. With a sigh, I accept it from her, running it over my face. It feels good to wash some of the grit from my eyes, wakes me up slightly, and gives me the renewed energy I need to power through.

  “So, what about you?” She asks, holding her hand out to take the washrag back.

  “What about me?” It may be the fact I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours, but I’m not entirely sure what she’s talking about.

  “If I’m going to be seeing less of my husband, you’re going to not be seeing yours at all. Why didn’t you go home last night?” She presses, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

  Letting out a deep breath, I push the laptop away from me, and lean back in my chair. “I love my family, don’t get me wrong. My girls are my life, Drew is the only man in the world I can see myself with, but they require a lot of work and attention.”

  Mandy laughs, an unladylike snort working its way from her nose. “Yeah babe, that’s what they do. They expect us to take care of them.”

  “Which is fine,” I run my hand through my hair. “When I don’t have a deadline like this beating down on me. This case means a lot to me,” I bite my lip, hoping I’m explaining it in a way she can understand. “It means a lot to the community, and I don’t want to let any of them down.”

  “Your children mean a lot to you too.”

  “They do,” I agree. “But I can’t be in two places at once and burning the candle at both ends has been killing me. I asked Drew if he could take over last night. Ya know, get the baths done, make sure they got in bed on time, I’m sure he got them pizza and they loved him for it. All the cool things Mom never does,” I wrinkle my nose, thinking of how much grease they probably ate.

  “What did you tell him you were doing?” She puts a hand on her hip, jutting it out further than she needs to. When she knows she’s right, she gets sassy.

  “A little extra research, he may have thought I had to drive up to Bardstown,” I give her a shrug. “Too long of a trip to make it back home in one night after leaving late in the afternoon.”

  “So, he thinks you stayed the night out of town and got a good night’s sleep?” She finishes it up for me, her tone more accusatory than I would like for it to be, but right now I can’t force myself to give a shit.

  “He may think that.”

  She taps her nails on the desk in front of her. “He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out what you did.”

  Fuck my life. Those two don’t keep shit from each other. Given the fact that they’re twins, and for the longest time the only people they could trust were themselves. “Please don’t tell him,” I beg. I’m not beyond begging. I just want to get this damn brief over to the courthouse and go on with my life. “He’ll never get it, and I don’t want to waste time trying to explain it to him.”

  “That’s not fair,” she answers. “He will get it, you can’t assume your job and your life aren’t as important as his. That will piss him off more than anything will.”

  “I made a choice, maybe it was wrong, but it was my choice.”

  “I can’t keep this from him,” she folds her arms across her chest, shaking her head. “If you do it once, it’ll become a habit.”

  “He has his bad habits too,” I point out. Drew Walker isn’t perfect and never has been, so I’ll be damned if I’m the only one getting drug across the carpet right now. “Which more than likely will double now that he’s president.”

  “Don’t turn this around on him, honey, this is about you.”

  My gaze peers into hers, hoping she’ll cut me a break, hoping this is the one time she won’t have to tell her brother, but I know their bond, and I know I’ll need to be strong. “Do what you need to do Mandy, and I’ll do what I need to do.”

  Quickly my fingers type the remaining words, I quickly save the document and send this over to our printer. Slamming my laptop shut, I gather up my things, not bothering to say anything to her. Out of habit I automatically put my highlighters, white out, and pens back in their place. I make sure the picture of Drew and I on our wedding day is just slightly left of the newest picture of us and our girls. There are many times a day I look to it for strength. Right now I feel like it’s taunting me.

  “I take it you got done.”

  Her tone is annoying.

  I’m pissed and slightly petty, I don’t even acknowledge she’s speaking to me. Silently I give myself a pat on the back for remaining strong. I hate when people are mad at me, but today I’m angrier at her.

  “I’m gonna let Drew know what happened here, he won’t be happy. You know he hates when you keep thing
s from him, and he automatically assumes the worst. Is that really how you want to start out your day?”

  Walking over to the coat rack, I grab my purse and briefcase, slinging the purse over my shoulder, I tighten my grip on the briefcase. It takes a lot, but I breathe in deeply, breathe out, slowly and steadily, forcing my racing heart to return to normal speed. When I’ve calmed down enough, I glance at her. “Go ahead and tell him, I’m going to pick this up, swing it by the courthouse, and then I’m going home. Whether or not he shows up early will let me know what you’ve done, but the fact of the matter is we all have to live with our choices. Can you live with yours?”

  Her laughter follows me as I step into the mid-afternoon daylight. Wincing, I feel like a vampire who has just woken up and is seeing the sun for the first time. Placing sunglasses over my sensitive eyes, I hope like hell the fight I might possibly have with my husband isn’t going to take a long time. I desperately need to sleep.

  3

  Drew

  My phone vibrates in my pocket as I bend over the car I’m working on. Half the time I ignore it, but fuck I’m feeling old today and my back hurts like a son of a bitch. Taking the moment to straighten up and work out some of the kinks, I reach in, grab it out, and take a look at who’s texted me. Fuck, my twin sister. I’ve got a shit ton of stuff to do today, and messing with her isn’t on my list. Still though, I go ahead and read what she’s sent me.

  M: Do you know where your wife was last night?

  The fuck? What’s that supposed to mean. “Can you finish this up?” I ask one of the other members of our club, Remy. “I need to go take care of this.”