Page 31 of Blood Revealed

Those bastards will pay.

Hero greets us. He headed back here to let Hatchet patch him up again rather than going to the hospital with the more wounded brothers. Thank Christ I don’t have to explain anything worse to Hannah and Brinley.

“Just show me to a stool, and bring me a beer,” Boss says instead of ahello.

He’s lost his mind. “Not with your meds, brother,” I say at the same time Hero goes off on him.

“If I can’t have a beer, neither can you.” Hero pats Boss’s back, but grumpy-ass Boss shakes it off. Today should be fun.

“I’m about to drop-kick your ass into next Tuesday if you don’t stop the whiny bitching,” I grumble and like I thought he would, Boss laughs.

“Need my wife. Need to get laid. Need to see my boy,” he says in way of an excuse. My back goes taut and my jaw gets tight as I try not to look like a teenager caught browsing internet porn. We have to tell him. I don’t want to be the one to break this particular news.

Thank Christ Duke approaches our group. He’s got his hand resting on the back of his neck with his head down. That’s not how Duke walks into a room. At least not since Dawna passed. He stops in front of our little group.

“It appears Blaze’s betrayal was worse than we thought,” Duke starts and my body goes from taut to downright rigid. It was his betrayal that got Brinley kidnapped and Blue injured.

“What the hell?” I ask.

“It ain’t only Hannah, he gave intel on all ’a us. The brothers. Old ladies. Kids. He didn’t hold back. Any friend of the Lords like Tommy and Maryanne. All given over to the Riot. And Blood, as my only uninjured lieutenant, I need to speak to you privately.”

The women I get, but the kids?

He was our brother and he fucked us for drugs. I hate that son of a bitch right now, addiction or not, I hope he’s rotting in Hell.

Our president turns to Boss. “While we were scoutin’ yesterday shit was goin’ down. Blood, let’s go.”

He can’t be serious. “What happened?” I demand, gritting my teeth so hard, I could chip them.

“Not here,” Duke says and turns to walk away. I follow him into the rally room. We’re the only ones in there. He stops, leaning his weight against the wall as if it’s too much weight to bear. And although it’s not my right to sit at the Missouri table, I drop down into the closest chair because my legs won’t hold me up.

“Tell me,” I demand.

“Brother, first, I gotta tell Boss. Want you coverin’ him.”

“This shit’s about go from bad to worse,” I say exactly what we both know.

“So much worse.” He catches my gaze pointedly. “I’m tired. Down to my soul. I got my wife and my kids. I got the club. Love leadin’ this club but some days I wish I could just walk away.”

“Holy fuck.” I press the palm of my hand to my forehead, studying the man I thought I knew.

“Got brothers in the hospital. Carver gone. And now I gotta go out there and tell a good man—my fuckin’ VP—that his wife’s been nabbed for the second time since they been together. This time by a fuckin’ sex trafficker.”

“Boss is gonna go ballistic.”

“Boss is gonna go ballistic,” he agrees.

“What’s the second thing?”

“Brace, Blood. It might be nothin’ but the brothers ain’t seen Hannah around the clubhouse in a while. My gut says she’s doin’ somethin’ stupid.”

I shoot up from the chair. “Goddammit,” I shout. “She fucking promised me she’d stay put.”

“Check yerself, we gotta go deal with Boss and it might not be anything.”

He’s right. It might not be anything and shedidpromise me. Hannah wouldn’t go back on a promise she made me. Not on one as important as this. She’s probably at Brin’s place. One thing at a time. Boss first, then I’ll call Han. Taking a deep breath, I walk back out to the bar where Boss’s shooting the shit with Hero.

“Brother,” Duke starts. “Got some news and you ain’t gonna like it.”

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