Page 2 of Property of Raider
Spinning around, I level my eyes on the man.“As President shouldn’t I be the one to clean up the motherfucking mess?”
Terro shrugs like I wasn’t being a dickhead.“A good Prez knows when to delegate.So delegate and let the Twin Psychos deal with him.”
It’s Mercy’s words that has understanding taking hold.“Oh, he didn’t send us in.We volunteered to make sure you get the best care possible.”
“See, they need this.Don’t take their fun away because he’s a fucking asshole and deserves every ounce of what’s coming to him.”Blitz throws out, leaning against the table with arms crossed over his chest.
“Fine.”I spin on my heels, marching out of the building and away from my last living blood relative.“Let’s clear out and let the boys work their magic.”
As I slam out of the slaughterhouse, the sky lights up with lightning flashes from the impending storm.Standing there with my hands on my hips, I look up at the sky and work on catching my breath and pulling back the emotions trying to sweep me away.Hearing the door slam open behind me, I make it to my bike as the bottom falls out of the sky.The rain falls as if the universe is crying for me.Throwing my head back, I roar at the sky as anger consumes my every being.It wraps its arms around me in a way that I don’t know if it’ll ever let me go.
How the fuck could he do this not only to the club but to me, his blood brother?At what point did my big brother, who always had my back—always protected me and made sure everything I did was on the up and up—become the boogeyman in our lives?As my roar trails off, the thunder booms in response.My chest is tight, my head is spinning, my soul is dying, and my heart is growing colder and darker by the second.
Everything I’ve ever known, wanted, needed, or could have fought for died when I found out my hero was just another piece of fucking shit.Throwing my leg over my bike, I set it up, kicking up the kickstand.I sit there balancing the bike, just letting the magnitude of the truth land squarely on my shoulder as the rain beats down on me.The need to run and bury my head in the sand and hide from everything is unbearable, but I can’t.I have to keep going, keep doing what needs to be done because now not only does the club need me, but I also have something to prove to myself.I am not who my blood family is—I am who I choose to be.
In this moment, I choose to be a fucking asshole and hold people at arm’s length.
Chapter one
Anastasia
“Rush, dinner is ready,” I call down the hall.
I go back over to the stove, plating the chicken, potatoes, and broccoli as I hear him stomping down the hall.As he comes into the kitchen, I hold the plate out to him.Rusher grabs it as he passes me, kissing me on the side of the head.Smiling to myself, I’m finally content with the way things are going in our lives.Once I’ve got my plate fixed, I make my way over to the dining room table and sit across from him.
“How was your day today?”I ask him.
Rusher sighs, flopping back in his chair.“It sucked.”
“Mouth!”I point my fork at him.“Why was it so bad?”
“Sorry, Ma.”He bows his head.“No one takes practice serious so we’re not anywhere close to ready for the season opener.Tylor also told us today that he is moving and won’t even be going to the same high school.Do you know what this means?”
“That you guys are losing a player?”I ask cautiously because I have no idea where this is going, and I can tell he is upset about things.
“That means all the years, time, and training that we’ve put in to be the dynamic duo, to be the ones to beat, were for nothing,” he hisses, dropping his head into his hands.
“Rush, you’re a fantastic catcher.You can catch for anyone, you know that.Coach will get the team whipped into shape before you know it.Just take a breath, let’s eat, and things will look different tomorrow,” I tell him, hoping that I’m telling him the right thing.
He levels his two-tone gaze at me, eyes narrowed.“How do you do it?”
“What do you mean?”I ask him, not understanding what he’s asking me.
“This, all of this.”He waves his hand around above his head.“You gave up your life to come here and take care of a kid that wasn’t even yours.You are my mom in every way that matters, but when Shea blows into town, you just let her step in.You talk to Auntie Lynn all the time, but we never get to go see her because you refuse to go back to thatgodforsaken town, as you say.You work, run me to all the things, and come to all my sport and school events.You never complain, argue, or even ask for anything.How do you do it?Whydo you do it?If my own mother and father don’t want me, why would you?”
With every word he speaks, my heart breaks for the young man in front of me.How do you tell him that his momma is batshit crazy, on and off drugs, and crossed the wrong men one too many times to the point our lives were on the line?That his father gave her money for an abortion because he couldn’t stand to be tied down with a baby.Worst of all, how do I tell himthe same manripped my beating heart out, squeezed it to dust, and I’m too chickenshit to go home and face him?
“I do it all because I love you.I may not have given birth to you, but Rusher, I would fight my worst fears and stand between you and the universe before I allow you to be hurt by people that don’t fucking matter.”Standing, I go around the table and pull him into me, wrapping my arms around his head.
Rusher wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing.“Thank you.I love you, Ma.I don’t need anything from those people.I just wish I knew why.”
Pulling back, I cup his cheeks.“The day will come that you get to ask those questions, and when it does, you will not do it alone.I will stand with you, so no matter what they say, you know I will always have your back.”
He gives me a small smile, squeezing me one more time before tucking back into his dinner.I tussle his hair before going back to my seat.We spent the rest of dinner laughing before moving to the couch to watch a movie and chill.If I had known this would be one of the last normal days that Rusher and I would have, I would’ve cherished it that much more.
It wasn’t twenty-four hours later that I got a call from my sister that Auntie Lynn is dying, and she can’t take care of her on her own.She needs me to come back and help take care of her.
“What about Rusher?He is starting high school and looking to play baseball.I can’t just uproot everything to come back.You said Rusher’s life would be in danger if we were there, and now you want me to just come back?Is he safe?”I ask her as I pace my small living room.
