Page 3 of War's Witch
Steffy glances at me, her eyes sparkling, lips curled into a mischievous grin. “Let’s go, babes, I need Lottie and her man, Locke. He is the VP of the club,” she says, looping her arm through mine.
Together we cross the room, surrendering to the night, ready to see what this night—and this place—have in store.
Chapter
Two
WAR
I arrive in Las Vegas for the Three Kings’ Halloween party, that I was threatened into attending by the Pres’ Ol’ Lady, Harley. You do not want to mess with this woman— she will cut your balls off and feed them to you, or just kill you in the most painful way in one of her books.
My bike rumbles down the Strip, the lights shining off the black tank where my eagle sits, watching over me as I ride the roads of the country.
I have been a nomad for the Three Kings MC for eight years; not once have I wanted to settle down since my wife, Lilian, died. She was healthy one moment and gone the next.
After that, I felt like I was suffocating and needed to be out on the open road. My folks understood what I needed, but my in-laws hated that I left. They believed that I abandoned by wife, who was six feet under, and was not coming back.
She would not have wanted me to stay there if I was thatunhappy, and believe me, I was fucking slowly dying a death that I wished would just take me.
From the day I put her into the ground, I swore that no other woman would tie me down. It was not worth the heartache of losing them when the time came, and it would fucking come.
Feeling love for a person, only for it to be ripped away, is like no pain I have felt before.
Every time I see one of my brothers fall for a woman, it makes my skin crawl, and I fucking hope that they do not feel what I have felt. Over the years, the pain has slowly dissipated, but I can still feel my wife in my heart.
My nightmares of losing her have now turned into dreams: ones of us together, but others are of us sitting in a tattoo studio getting matching tattoos of a saying. The words always reverberate in my mind for days after I have that dream.
That is why I keep women at arm’s length, or just the length of my dick. I fuck women and move on before they ask for more.
It’s easier that way—keep the strings loose, the ties frayed.
The open road is my only companion these days, asphalt stretching beneath my wheels, taking me anywhere it wants. I don’t apologize for how I live. Each bar I roll into, each nameless motel, each quick fuck in a dingy room, is nothing more than a waypoint on my journey to anywhere I please.
Truth is that the loneliness makes you numb, and this is why I get called back to Vegas— so I get the familiarity of the brotherhood before I forget what it feels like.
I have no expectations, just the hum of my engine and the wind tearing at my jacket. That’s all I need in my life, but I get why my club brothers want to check on me, so I give them this. A few days here and there just to show them that I am still alive.
Some people have called me cold, broken maybe, but they don’t know what it’s like to have your whole world buried in the ground. So I ride, I keep moving, and if the rest of the world can’t handle that—well, that’s not my problem. I choose the road, every damn day.
The clubhouse comes into view, and I smile, seeing the huge motherfucking gates, and the lights that shine behind it.
“War, long time no see, man.” I smile at the prospect on the gate.
He just started prospecting the last time I was here, so he must be close to patching in.
“Harley dragged me back for this Halloween party.” I smirk.
He chuckles. “No one can say no to Harley, man. Have fun tonight. Some fucking hotties are due to arrive later tonight, thanks to VP’s Ol’ Lady.”
“That’s the plan.” I wink. The gates grind open, and I ride through.
My gaze lands on the row of bikes that are polished to perfection, sitting under the awning that the club had built so that the paint does not get damaged by the sun.
Something settles in my chest as I stop, taking in the sight before me.
I park up, planting my feet on the ground, and switch off the engine, looking at the clubhouse. It has been months since I have been here, but some things have already changed.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” I smile hearing a familiar voice.
