Page 22 of Raze

“You knew my dad well, would he have done somethin’ like you did back at the club to another brother?” The kid looks a little troubled. “Not many people talk about him anymore, what happened to him was what caused the charter to divide,” he explains, though he doesn’t have to, I already know. “We all knew Cliff arranged that hit on him durin’ the run he was makin’ and the fact the brothers that were with him bailed—” Rocco shakes his head.

“They weren’t brothers,” I interrupt. “No man who took the Soul vow and meant it would leave another behind. They were cowards, and if I’m right in thinking, they ain’t members anymore.”

“Jimmer and the Colorado brothers killed Rex and Mac, Damon went AWOL straight after, and Finn–”

“I heard about your brother too. I’m sorry.” It must be hard to have lost your brother and your dad. I only met Finn a few times when he was a kid, but I was sad to hear he’d killed himself after two months of being locked inside. He was caught by the police when, unlike all the other members, he refused to leave his dad bleedin’ out on the road.

“Like I said, people don’t talk about ‘em all that much.”

“That’s because they feel like they let ‘em down.” I light myself a cigarette and take a break. Hell, I can relate, I never talk about Eden, I can’t even bear to think about her.

“I never got the chance to really know my dad, my mom wasn't a whore. He met her outside the club and she was a good woman.”

“Was?” I frown.

“Car accident, six months before Dad died. That’s what brought me to the club, she’d always made me stay clear of it before,” he explains.

“I’m sorry for that too.” I can’t help feeling for the kid, but at the same time, I’m curious. “Why stick around, why be part of a club that destroyed your family?”

“Up until a few weeks ago, it was because I wanted Cliff Adams dead.” He laughs to himself.

“And now?” I stare back at him.

“Now, I believe what Ruckus said when he told me you’d make this charter something special. I wanna be someone who my dad and my brother would have been proud of.” I nod my head at him, understanding all too well how that feels. Me and my dad may not see eye to eye anymore but that don’t mean I don’t wanna be a son he’s proud of.

“You know your dad used to have this little thing he said, some cowboy thing he picked up in Montana before the club was founded…”

Rocco listens to me intently.

“Whatever it takes,” I say the three simple words and remember the wink he’d always throw after ‘em.

“I don’t need to tell you what they mean, they speak for themselves, but if you're ever in doubt about how you're gonna achieve something, that's your answer. You do whatever it takes to be that guy, and you’ll do whatever it takes to earn your full cut, right?”

“Right.” He nods back at me.

“Then get back to fuckin’ work.” I smack him round the back of the head and huff a laugh.

Iwake up to the smell of bacon and a sweet humming sound, and when I open my eyes I see Peyton cooking in my kitchen. Her hot, ass cheeks hang out the bottom of one of my shirts, and I have to lay here and admire her for a little while.

“Hey, sleepy head.” She has a huge smile on her face when she turns around and sees that I’m awake.

God, she’s beautiful. irritatingly, bite down on your own fuckin’ fist to stop yourself from wantin’ to eat her kinda beautiful.

“Sorry, I had to wash all mine.” She looks down her body at the shirt she’s wearing apologetically.

“What ya doin’?” I ask the most stupid question ever because it’s very fuckin’ obvious what she’s doing.

“Just being the best roommate ever.” She shrugs, placing a plate on the table and patting the chair for me to sit. I look down at the problem I’m facing and gather up the sheet so it’s wrapped around the lower half of my body, taking it with me as I head toward the table.

“You're not a roommate, you're a house guest,” I remind her, looking down at the plate in front of me and trying to remember when the last time someone made me breakfast was.

“That makes us friends, then.” She smiles as she grabs a plate of her own and joins me. “You were late back last night, do anything exciting?” She pours herself a coffee from the percolator that's in the middle of the table, and I try not to smile when I notice the flowers she’s put in an empty tin beside it. She really is trying hard.

“Not really.” I give nothing away.

“So you weren’t purposely trying to avoid me?” She raises her eyebrows.

“I don’t need to avoid you, Peyton. I made it clear last night where we both stand.”

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