Page 45 of Shared By Her Brother's Best Friends

I tentatively reach out and place my hand on top of his. To my relief, he doesn’t move it away.

“Her mom and I were young when we had her, barely out of high school. I was working two jobs to pay the bills and put food on the table in the shitty apartment we lived in. Then Danielle’s mom cheated on me, moved in with some gangbanger, real trouble. I tried to tell her it wasn’t a safe place for a little girl to grow up, and that Danielle could stay with me, but she threatened to keep her from me. For a while I put up with it, only seeing my little girl on the weekends, but when I heard about the types of people around that house and thewild parties they had, I started legal proceedings to sue for full custody. But I was broke, and it was a slow process,” he pauses for a moment, lost in the memory his eyes watering slightly.

“It was my day to have Danielle, but when I turned up at her mom’s house they weren’t there. I was a little late and still wearing my uniform from my shift working as a delivery driver. I assumed Danielle’s mom had taken her out to the park or somewhere just to tell me off for being late. After it started to get dark, and they still weren’t back I went and spoke to some neighbors who told me they’d gone to a cookout being held by the gang. I knew how drunk and wild those parties got, they were no place for a little girl, so I got back in my car and drove around the neighborhood looking for them. When I saw the flashing blue lights, I knew something terrible had happened…” Ty gulps as though struggling for air.

“It’s okay, take your time,” I soothe, feeling with every fiber of my being as a mother how hard it must be for him to recall all this. The thought of losing Max makes me feel sick.

“There’d been a drive-by shooting. A rival gang. No one knew how it happened, or no one would admit to not watching her, but somehow Danielle had gotten in the way and been shot. She died on the scene.”

“Ty, I’m so sorry,” I say, moving in closer to hold him. He pulls me in closer, wrapping one arm around me and holding me tight. “Did they catch who did it?”

“Yes, though that didn’t make it any better. The police were aware of the gang's growing violence and turned a blind eye. The person who fired the shots was just a kid himself who was put up to it as part of an initiation. He went to juvie, his life was ruined by it too. It’s the adults, both members ofthe gangs involved that I blame, and my ex. She should never have taken her there, and someone should have been watching Danielle. When the shooting started, they all fled and ran for cover, leaving a little girl to fend for herself,” he says bitterly before adding. “Danielle was the only casualty. The papers and the cops didn’t care. If she’d been from a ‘good’ family there’d have been uproar, but as her mom was involved with one of the gang members, it was seen as bad parenting, and she was quickly forgotten.”

“I can’t imagine how awful that must have been. How awful it still is,” I say tears glistening in my eyes.

“I was in a dark place for a long time, the Iron Serpents helped save me, in more ways than one. I was reluctant at first, worried they were just another gang, but I quickly realized how different they were from the mindless thugs I’d known. They’re a family, a brotherhood. I know it might not seem like it to you, but it’s rare that there’s ever violence between the club and other clubs. It’s only because of this new leader of the Hell Riders that things have been escalating.”

“I feel like I’m starting to understand the Iron Serpents a lot more now. No wonder you’ve kept your distance. It must be so painful for you to be around me and Max.”

He tilts my head up to look at him with his free hand. “No. It hasn’t been. I’ve felt the happiest I’ve ever been since Danielle died while we’ve been here, because of you and Max. That’s what I’m afraid of. That I’ll lose you both too.”

“You won’t,” I promise, softly kissing him on the lips.

I feel as though something palpably shifts between us, that we’ve finally breached the invisible line dividing us andwhen he returns my kiss, perhaps as hungry to forget the world for a moment as I am, I allow myself to let go.

Chapter 24

Jax

When we arrive at the deal's location, J-Bird and a dozen or so of our guys are waiting for us. It’s an abandoned warehouse miles away from civilization, so we had to slowly drive the last leg of the journey without our lights on to avoid being seen or heard and arousing suspicion. We pulled over when we spotted the guys, parked about a half mile or so from the warehouse.

When he sees us pull up J-Bird stops looking through his binoculars and shakes both of our hands. “You made it just in time,” he says. “There’s no sign of anyone there yet but we can’t be too sure. We’re going to head down on foot in stages and find hiding spots around the site.”

“And then what’s the plan? How exactly are we meant to disrupt the deal without turning this into a suicide mission?” Mason asks, voicing my thoughts.

J-Bird raises an eyebrow at Mason’s tone but doesn’t chastise him. “We expect that there will be a drop of some kind, a no-contact exchange. We plan to intercept and take the drop. Whatever we end up getting, the money, or whatever the Hell Riders are buying, it will cause a war between the two. Either side will think they’ve been screwed by the other.”

“Or we get caught and we add another unknown enemy against us into the war,” I reply agitatedly.

“Jax is right, J-Bird, this plan feels half-cocked and reckless. We don’t even know who the Hell Riders are dealing with,” Mason adds.

“We can’t let them keep attacking us without retaliation. Three of their guys raped Chopper’s wife tonight on her way home from work. He’s in the hospital with her now,” J-Bird says barely able to control his anger.

“What the fuck?” Mason and I echo in unison.

“Is Jen alright?” I add.

“A little beat up, but she’ll heal, at least physically. You know Jen, she fought back, didn’t let those fucks take her without a fight. Chopper’s torn up about it and blames himself for not being there to protect her. That’s why we have to do this. No matter the risks,” J-Bird explains.

We both nod, completely understanding why J-Bird has decided to take such drastic measures.

“Alright, we’re in, let’s take these fuckers down,” Mason says with a determined expression.

“Agreed,” I add with a nod, looking at J-Bird for instruction.

“Good. Right, let’s head on in. We’ll split into pairs. You two work together. Keep the line open but don’t use it unless you need to,” he says handing a walkie to us while the rest are passed out among the group.

J-Bird then proceeds to instruct us on where we should each go. We don’t know exactly where the drop is going to take place so we need to cover as much ground as we can. We moveout, moving quickly and quietly in stages toward the warehouse. Mason and I head inside the abandoned warehouse upstairs where we have a view of the dimly lit lot and the majority of the buildings. The place is eerily quiet, the only sound is the crunching of broken glass underfoot and the rats in the building running to hide as they hear us approach.

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