by Quinn Ryder
My heart was doing things inside of my chest that I couldn’t control. Scythe—Jimmy had been my best friend since I was sixteen years old. It was his family who saved me from my shitty home life, and I’ve been forever in their debt since. For all the years we’ve been friends, I’ve never once lied to him. Standing here, staring at him with that knowing but unknowing eye—his wheels turning in that big ass brain of his, I knew it was only a matter of time before he found me out, and if I didn’t tell him who I was now, it could be bad for me—real bad.
Tell him the truth.
I stared at Scythe for a few seconds, mulling over if this was even a good idea. The problem was, I needed an ally. With Tank and Cipher on my side, I was golden, but in order for this to work, Scythe had to know who I was, too.
I looked at the open door to his office, wondering how far away Switchblade was hiding because I know he had to be listening. I walked over to the door, peeked out, and when I didn’t see any members nearby, I closed the door so I could talk to Scythe privately.
I rubbed my beard with my fingers and stared at Scythe, wondering how he would take knowing my secret.
“You might want to sit down for this story.”
Scythe looked at me warily. “I think I’ll stand, thank you.”
“Seven years ago, someone murdered me.”
“You look pretty alive to me.”
“It’s more of a metaphor than anything else. Someone tried to kill me, okay? They shot me in the back and then buried me outside of town. They thought I was dead, but I wasn’t. When I dug myself out of the shallow grave they put me in, I decided to leave every part of me behind—the parts that were broken, the parts that felt betrayed, I even left my best friend and the love of my life behind because I was too afraid that whoever tried to kill me, would either finish the job or go after them next. So I left. I left this town and never looked back. It wasn’t an easy decision, and now that I’m back and see the aftermath, I regret not coming back to fight for my life sooner.”
Scythe’s eyes danced with realization. “Wait, are you telling me . . . are you?” his question trailed off, tears immediately forming in front of his eyes.
“I was too afraid to come back before now, Jimmy. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt—I loved you all too much to put your lives at risk.”
“JD?” Scythe’s voice cracked. He stared at me with great scrutiny. “You’re alive?”
“I’m alive, but I really wouldn’t call what I’ve been doing the last seven years living. I’m practically a ghost. I don’t stay in one place long enough to get attached to anybody. When I get to the point that people start to feel comfortable with me, I bounce, roving from town to town like a phantom. These last few days being back home is the first time I’ve felt alive in forever.”
“Why come back now after all this time? Does Faith know?”
“No, she doesn’t know, and for right now I need her to stay in the dark. I need everyone to stay in the dark. It’s the only way I’ll flush out my killer.”
“Wow, if you’re lying about this, you’re one sick fuck.”
I needed him to believe me. I wanted him to believe me. I decided the best way to gain Scythe’s trust was to spill the only secret we both promised to keep secret and never to speak of again.
“One day in June, you and I went on a run for your dad. He told us we had to go grab some supplies for the club and to be back by nightfall. On the way, we ended up getting flagged down by a hot brunette who was stranded on the side of the road. She told us her name was Bambi and asked us if we would fix her car for her. It was something stupid simple like a belt loose or something. She was so grateful for our help that she immediately started making out with you, then turned her attention on me. She told us that she wanted to return the favor and propositioned us to follow her into the woods right behind the highway, this was before your sister and I ever became a thing. Since we were both virgins at the time, and had no idea what we were doing, we agreed eagerly. We followed her into the woods and once we were secluded, she asked us to strip down to our boxer shorts. We did—dicks hard with anticipation. The Bambi chick dropped down to her knees and took turns stroking one of us off while blowing the other. Pretty sure that was the first time either of us had even touched a girl before, let alone get our dicks sucked by one. I busted a nut so fast in her mouth that I’m sure it took her by surprise. You, on the other hand, lasted at least ten minutes before exploding in her mouth. She told us it was our turn to return the favor and took off her shirt, showing off the decent sized rack she had. Each of us were ready to lose our virginities right then and there, so we took turns sucking and playing with her tits. After a few minutes of us exploring the upper half of her body, she asked us if we were ready to fuck her now, and because we were young and stupid, we said yes. She told us to turn around because she was shy . . . so we did out of respect. When she told us to turn back around, there she was, standing there completely naked with her beautiful tits, sexy as fuck body, gorgeous face, and a ginormous dick sitting between her legs—hard and waiting.”
Scythe’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping in shocked realization. “Fuck! It really is you, JD, and dammit, why the fuck did you have to bring Bambi the Tranny back up? I thought we had that shit on lock down?”
“We do. But I needed you to know that I was telling you the truth, and I only had one secret story that I could use to convince you of who I am—the day we lost our oral virginity to a transvestite.”
“Pretty sure we both ran faster that day than we ever had before. Though, I will admit, Bambi the Tranny was pretty damn hot for having a cock.”
I laughed. “Yeah, we were pretty dumb and naïve back then. Neither one of us noticed her Adam’s apple.”
“That Adam’s apple was almost as big as her nuts. We must’ve been blind.”
We started laughing, but Scythe’s face instantly fell into a frown. Tears formed in his bright blue eyes. His shaggy black hair fell lazily over his face, almost as if his long bangs knew to hide his eyes so no one could see this moment of weakness. Scythe was a proud man; I’ve never seen him cry before—not once.
“I can’t believe you’ve been alive this whole time. I could’ve done something . . . prevented . . . avenged . . . god, I could’ve kept you from leaving and staying away for all these years. If I had known someone wanted you dead, I could have put a stop to it, let my dad know or something Why did you stay away so long?”
“This is the part you might want to sit down for.”
“Ah hell, now what?”
“Somebody in the club is the one who shot me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Cuts don’t lie, Scythe. I saw it with my own two eyes as he shoveled the dirt over the top of me.”
Scythe shook his head in disbelief. “Is that why you stayed away? You could’ve come back sooner; I would’ve protected you.”
“I wanted to, but I felt betrayed. To be honest, I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone at the time. Someone I considered a brother shot me in the back and then tried to bury me alive. In my heart, I knew that you and Dutch had nothing to do with it. But I felt like my murder attempt was a threat on the club, and if they couldn’t kill me the first time, then they might take it out on you, your dad, or even Faith. I felt staying away was the only way I could protect you all.”
Scythe nodded, but he couldn’t stop the tears from dripping down his cheeks.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Jimmy, I know that you had nothing to do with it. I still consider you my best friend, Nah, fuck that, I consider you my brother. I don’t need your blood to consider you family. You’re my brother until the day we both go six feet under.”
“But someone already buried you six feet under,” It was more of a comment than a joke, but I didn’t take it personally.
“He buried me three feet deep. I think that’s why I’m still alive and kicking. Any deeper and I would’ve never crawled back out of the ground. It took everything
I had in me to dig myself up out of that grave. I think if I was the size I am now, I would’ve never been able to do it, despite being in better shape than I ever was back then. My size was the reason I didn’t die that night and the only reason I could punch through the dirt so easily.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even recognize you. You look so damn different, but even underneath your disguise, I somehow still felt a strange kinship to you. Like deep down, I knew who you really were.”
“That’s because we’re brothers. Bonded for life by a secret blowjob that shall never be talked about again.” I shot him a wink, and it softened the frown on his face.
Scythe walked across the room and embraced me. He held me tighter than he ever had before. I could feel his tears soak into the shoulder of my shirt. “You will always be my brother, JD. I’m sorry I didn’t look into your disappearance harder. Everything was so fucked up back then. My mom was sick, my dad was starting to lose his mind, and my sister was an inconsolable mess. Once they found your bike and all that blood, I really thought you were dead. I should’ve fought harder to find out what really happened to you. I failed you.”
I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from me. “It’s not your fault, Jimmy. I’m the one who chose to stay away. Shit, I probably would’ve stayed away longer, if I hadn’t heard that Faith’s life was in danger. We need to get her out of this. She’s in more trouble than I initially thought, but I don’t know how to tell her I’m alive without breaking her. That’s why I need to find my killer, if I can prove that Diego didn’t kill me, then maybe she will stop messing around with him.”
“Do you know who it was? I mean, did you see who tried to kill you? Could it have been Diego wearing one of our cuts?”
I frowned. “No, Jimmy, it wasn’t Diego, and it wasn’t a Saint wearing our cut. Whoever it was, was part of the club, and they probably still are if it’s who Tank and I think it is.”
Scythe’s face fell and he stumbled back onto the desk, sitting down cautiously. “Tank already figured out who you are? Why doesn’t that surprise me? That man was a legend at figuring people out. But seriously, are you sure it was someone from the Armada?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Bullet wounds don’t lie.” I took off my shirt and showed him the scar from where the bullet went right through me. I had a matching scar a few millimeters lower where it came out the other side.
Scythe hissed at the sight of it.
“The doctor’s said if the bullet had stayed in me, there would’ve been no way I could’ve ridden to the hospital that night and survive everything I had been through. I got lucky, and trust me when I say this, getting shot fucking hurts.” The residual aftermath of the memory created a pulsing pain deep in my chest. It was like I could feel the wound all over again, dripping with betrayal and oozing revenge.
Scythe grimaced. “What I don’t understand is why someone from the club would want you dead?”
“I thought maybe you could help answer that. Or at least I was hoping you could. Tank seems to think it had something to do with getting me out of the equation.”
“Why?”
“Because I had things other people wanted.”
“Do you mean Faith? Does he think it was Switchblade?”
“Switchblade’s name was one of the names Tank threw around, but he also thinks it wasn’t just about Faith, it might’ve been about rank because he seems to think that I would’ve been in line to be next VP.”
Scythe nodded, “You were. There could’ve been a million reasons why they chose to take you out instead of other members. All I know is that if someone in the club tried to kill you, then we need to figure out who it was and fast.”
“Yeah, before your sister kills the president of the Saints.”
“Fuck. Is that why she’s been fucking Diego for all this time? After Switchblade told me what she was doing, I didn’t want to believe him. I didn’t believe it until I saw that shit with my own two eyes. Word around town is that he’s calling her his Old Lady now, and you know what that means . . .”
I did know what that meant. If Diego was calling Faith his Old Lady, then it was only a matter of time before he showed up here to bargain for her. Diego wasn’t the kind of man who liked to share his women. Not with other men, not with other clubs. Since Faith technically belonged to the Armada, Diego would have to strike a deal to have her join his club instead. If Scythe declined whatever he offered, shit was bound to get bloody. There wasn’t anything in this world that Scythe would sell out his sister for, and it sounded like there wasn’t anything Diego wouldn’t do to have Faith by his side.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Stop her before she does something stupid. When she dropped you off, did she say anything?”
“Only that once she got the information that she wanted about who killed Midas she was planning on killing Diego. That shit scared me, Scythe. The Faith I knew wouldn’t hurt a fly, but I could see a thirst for blood in her eyes. She’s dead set on getting her revenge. I almost told her who I was right then, but she’s so fucked up that I was afraid it would break her and send her into a tailspin.”
“Your murder really did a number on her. My dad and I tried for years to console her, we even sent her to counseling, but nothing worked. She’s gotten more secretive and reckless since mom died. I’m afraid if she doesn’t stop now, she might end up dead herself.”
Hearing those words come out of Jimmy’s mouth made my blood run cold. I wouldn’t let that happen. Nobody was going to harm a single hair on Faith’s head, not while I’m still alive to protect her.
“Well, we’re going to have to stop this then, before it gets any worse,” I quickly said.
“I agree. Which is why I’m officially putting you on babysitting duty.”
“Me? Isn’t that the job of a more seasoned club member? Technically, I’m just a prospect.”
“Yeah, but technically you already know how to do details and trail people without being noticed. Besides, prospects usually end up being club babysitters anyway, only this time you’re not watching bikes for me or running errands, you’re keeping my sister out of trouble.”
“Switchblade isn’t going to let me get near Faith after today, and after pissing her off earlier, I doubt she will either.”
“You’ve gotten pretty good at hiding in shadows. Hell, I had no idea you were standing outside the bar until you sucker punched me in the jaw. If you can be near me without being noticed, you sure as hell can tail Faith without her seeing you. Follow her for a while, if you see her doing something you know she shouldn’t then intervene, but only step in if you absolutely have to. Nobody knows that you’re a part of this club, and for now let’s keep your real identity a secret, it could prove useful later on.”
I cut him off. “Cipher knows who I am, too, he’s the one who found me and told me that Faith was in trouble.”
“Figures. That guy is a technical whiz kid. I thank the stars every night that we found him before another club. He’s amazing. Well, since Cipher and Tank both know, we need to keep your secret limited to just us four. If Switchblade or any of the other original club members figure out your identity, there’s no telling what they’d do.”
“Probably finish the job they couldn’t seven years ago.”
Scythe patted me on the back. “Trust me, Brother, as long as I’m around, I’m never turning my back on you again. They’ll have to go through me to get to you.”
“It goes both ways, Jimmy. I’ll always have your back as well.”
We embraced for a few seconds before quickly dropping our arms. We were men after all—real men don’t hug for too long.
“Alright, head on out there and finish up whatever bullshit job Switchblade has you doing. If Faith is gonna do something it will be later tonight when she thinks everyone is either asleep or too drunk to care.”
I nodded. “On it.” I turned to walk out the door, but Scythe stopped me.
“JD, I’m glad you’re n
ot dead.”
“I’m glad I’m not, too.”
I didn’t tell Scythe about Guerrilla. I didn’t want him to act any differently toward him and throw a wrench in what I was doing. For now, I’d let him be suspicious of everyone who was in the Armada when I was still a member. It was the only way to flush Guerrilla out and take him on once and for all.
Chapter Seventeen
Faith
I didn’t immediately head to Diego’s club like I wanted to. I actually drove home, took a shower, changed into some sluttier clothing and waited until almost six before I drove over there. Diego’s club didn’t open until it was dark, but I could usually find him inside the club around this time. He was a creature of habit and the club was his safe place, which is why he never left it unless absolutely necessary.
“I need to see Diego,” I demanded when I got to the club’s doors. Rodrigo was standing at the door again, and like always, he rolled his eyes at me.
“He’s not here.”
“What do you mean? He’s always here.” My sexual frustration was running a marathon inside my chest. If I couldn’t release this pent-up frustration now, there’s no telling what or who I’d do.
“He’s out on a run. You’re gonna have to come back at another time.”
I glared at him. “I’m his Old Lady, shouldn’t you let me in no matter what?”
Rodrigo laughed. “You’re nothing to me. Rules are rules, club whores and members only. Last I checked, you were part of the Armada, and nobody’s whore but Diego’s. Wanna slob my knob a few minutes and prove me wrong?” He lifted a suggestive eyebrow, knowing damn well I wouldn’t touch him.