Page 64 of Reconciling the Consequences

Marcos watched her warily and sighed again. He stepped toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I may be a shit brother,” he stated softly, “but you will always be important to me.” He kissed her cheek before he turned and strode away.

Kara was left speechless, her heart racing and her stomach sinking as she watched her older brother walk away from her without a backward glance.

Marcostossedandturnedall night, thoughts weighing him down: his sister, their relationship, over a decade’s worth of lies—all to keep her as far away from this life as possible. All to protect her from the dark dangers of the world. All in vain.

She had fallen into this life anyway and now found herself in the arms of the enemy.

Marcos had no idea how Kara had ended up with Knights Ravagers President Johnny “Mayhem” Taylor as her… boyfriend? Lover? Whatever they were. But he had seen how Kara had leaned back against him, how she’d rested her hands on his. There was no doubt that she trusted him.

Trusted him probably a hell of a lot more than she trusted her own brother at this moment.

He sighed and threw the sheets off. He hadn’t slept. Even after he had gotten absolutely shit-faced, landed face-first in bed, and had a club whore suck his cock, he still hadn’t slept.

He had ungraciously kicked her out some time around three a.m. only to stare at the ceiling, lost in thought until the sun came up.

He stumbled into the bathroom and took a shower. He zoned out, trying to wake up while the hot water rained down on him. He didn’t move until the water turned cold, and only then did he stumble through his hygiene routine.

A half hour later he was on his bike, flying down the road. He needed to clear his head. He needed coffee. He needed to speak to his sister. In that order.

Two hours later, Marcos pulled up to the gates of the Ravager Knights compound. He made sure he had shown up unarmed, pulling over down the road to remove all of his weapons and stashing them in the saddlebags on his Harley.

A quick glance at his watch told him it was just after nine a.m. He hoped like hell his sister was here. He didn’t know where she was staying these days. They hadn’t talked much since her accident. All he could hope for was that she was at the clubhouse or someone could get ahold of Taylor and let her know he was there.

The men at the gates made him get off his bike at the gate. Marcos watched as one of them parked his girl in the lineup of bikes while two Knights patted him down for weapons. When they didn’t find anything, they let him go.

They led him into the clubhouse while one of them called Taylor. “Wait here,” the Knight grumbled and pushed Marcos into a chair at the bar.

Marcos didn’t have to wait long before Kara and Mayhem came walking out of a back hallway with Devil and Rockstar behind them.

Kara had on a pair of blue jeans and an oversize white T-shirt, probably one of her men’s. The front of the shirt was tucked into the waistband of her jeans, the back left loose behind her. Her long blond hair was up in a messy bun and trailed around her face.

As usual, his sister looked beautiful and badass. The tattooed sleeves were a stark contrast against the white shirt. A pair of flip-flops slapped the wood floor as she walked toward him. Her face was guarded, her mask in place.

“Morning, li’lManita,” Marcos greeted her. “I brought donuts, but I think the guys on the gate confiscated them.”

Kara kept walking toward him, fire in her blue eyes. He didn’t even get a chance to block before she swung back her left fist and set it sailing for his face. He heard the crack of bone on bone, felt the hit reverberate through him as his head was forced to the side with the force of her punch before the pain even registered. He never thought he would regret those boxing classes he made her take as a kid.

“Hot damn.” One of her Knights laughed.

Marcos groaned as blood filled his mouth. He spat blood on the floor and turned back to his sister as his fingers grazed over his split lip, inspecting the damage. “I deserved that.” He nodded at Kara.

His heart broke as he saw the silver lining her eyes. Tears welled there.

“I’m sorry, Kara. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted you as far from this life as you could get,” he said softly. He kept his eyes on his sister, ignoring her three goons behind her.

“W-why are you here?” Her voice cracked as a tear slipped down her cheek.

His heart squeezed in his chest seeing her pain. Knowing he caused it. “There’s something you should know… about your father,” he started.

She froze, going utterly still. “What about my father?” Her voice turned to stone and she quickly wiped away her tears. He watched her take a deep breath and pull her mask into place, shelving any emotions she might have shown.

Her men moved in closer, ready for anything. To protect her, he realized, even from her own brother. Marcos sighed. “I didn’t realize who he was at first. You know I’ve never met your father after all these years?”

Kara watched him warily and nodded slowly.

“He’s been coming around the Psychos’ clubhouse for years. He’s friends with Buckley. They’ve been meeting recently to discuss whatever deal they’ve got going on. I overheard them talking one day,” he said, turning to meet Taylor’s gaze.

Taylor moved forward, his steel-blue eyes boring into Marcos’s. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

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