Page 55 of Bear

“It was pretty impressive,” Crow says. “Bear takes grizzly to a whole new fuckin’ level.”

“You kill the prospects out there?”

“They’re just taking a nice, long nap.” Sterling shrugs. “But I’m pretty sure their club brothers are gonna kill them when they get back and find the prez dead.”

“We gotta jet,” Ruin says. “There’s movement in the parking lot across the street.”

I grab the bottle of Jack sitting on the table and pour it over the prez’s head. Blood and liquor run in rivulets down his body, soaking the couch and dripping on the floor with a heavypat, pat, pat. There’s enough Fentanyl, liquor, and rat poison in this room to kill all of Atlanta.

“Burn it down,” I say to Saint.

He gives a resigned nod and pulls his lighter from his pocket, tossing it on the ground. I head out and the rest of the boys follow. I came here to kill the piece of shit who killed Bobby Ray, and I did exactly that, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. My woman is hurting, and I could tear apart every mother fucker between here and Uprising, and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference. I can’t bring back her brother and I can’t help her unsee his brutal murder.

Maybe knowing this asshole is dead will help her sleep a little easier at night though.

***

WE PULL UP TO TINK’Shouse and she comes tearing out, hitting me before I’ve even climbed off my bike. “Where were you? Why was Mako here instead of you, Bear? You should have stayed.”

“Well, that’s our cue to leave,” Sterling says. “You okay here?”

I nod, and the boys take off.

I head inside, past her brothers in the living room, and through to the kitchen where I pull a beer from the fridge, throw my head back, and drink the entire can in one go. Aluminum bites into my hands as I crush the empty can and toss it in the trash.

“Where were you, Bear?”

“Bitch, it’s been a night. Back the fuck off and stop riding my ass.”

She shakes her head and follows on my heels, dogging me every step of the way to the bathroom. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“I had stuff.” I shuck off the hoodie, tank, and jeans, discarding them on the floor as I run the shower.

“What stuff?”

“Club business.”

“What the fuck does that mean? Is it code for leaving your girlfriend at home while you go out and fuck the skanks who hang around the club?”

“That what you are now? My girlfriend?” I shake my head. “Baby girl, you don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about.”

“Then why don’t you enlighten me? Where were you, Tennessee?”

I whirl on her, losing all of my patience. “I was out killing the motherfucker who slit your brother’s throat.”

She stiffens, and then a gut-wrenching sob bursts from her.

“Shit, darlin’, I’m sorry.” I pull her to me, even though I smell like sweat, blood, and ash. “I shouldn’t have phrased it like that. I shouldn’t have said a word.”

Her big blue eyes are wide as she looks up at me. “You killed them?”

“I killed the man who did it. Prez is gonna have my ass over it. Ruin, Saint and Sterling’s too.” I dart out my tongue to wet my lips. “I’m pretty sure I just started a war I can’t fight on my own. But I couldn’t leave him alive. I may not be able to get them all on my own, but he threatened your life, and I’ve never wanted to kill a man more.”

Her face crumples, and she tucks herself in tight against my chest as she cries. I pull her into the shower recess, clothing and all. She doesn’t protest, and I thank God for small mercies, because I am done fighting for one day.

“I’m so fuckin’ sorry. I’m sorry this ever happened to your brother, to your family, to you.” My voice cracks over the last word. I press a kiss to the top of her head.

“I feel like I don’t even know who Bobby Ray was.” She sniffs. “He’s always kind of been the family fuck-up, but dealing drugs through Kings territory, through our daddy’s garage? Throughmygarage? I just can’t believe he could be that stupid or put the rest of us at risk like that.”

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