Page 41 of Rooster

“Oh, you’re going down, kid.”

Ronin tossed the tip on the table, and we were on our way.

Going bowling was a wonderful idea. The kids laughed and opened up to Ronin in ways I didn’t expect. I won’t say that he’d won them over—at least, not completely. That would take some time, but he’d made some definite progress—with them andwith me.

I was really starting to like him,a lot, and it scared the hell out of me.

I’d come a long way over the past year. I’d worked really hard, and I liked the life I’d created for me and the kids. The last thing I wanted to do was screw it all up, but there was something about this man that made me wonder if my fresh start had really just begun.

Rooster

“She lived in a dump right in the middle of the hood. I told her a hundred times that she needed to move, but she wouldn’t listen.” Beckett took another slug from his drink and swallowed hard. “It was her grandmother’s place, and Amy couldn’t stand the thought of walking away. She was just so damn stubborn.”

He was on his third round of drinks, and the more he drank, the more he talked. The angry kid with fire in his eyes and rage in his step had been replaced by a pitiful sight. The poor guy looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders as he sat there staring at his drink.

I’m not sure how we got on the topic of his girlfriend, but it was the first time he’d really talked about what happened to her. Knowing it was something he needed to get off his chest, we all sat back and listened as he said, “She saw them. She knew they were watching her. The Assassins watched everyone, including me.”

His voice wavered with the raw emotions he’d carried with him for much too long, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears of frustration as he added, “They saw me countless times. They knew who my father was. They knew I had connections to Fury, and they knew she was my girl. But that didn’t stop them from...”

Anguish etched his face as he took the bottle of whiskey and refilled his glass. He immediately downed it, and I thought that was going to be the end of it until he said, “She was just letting her dog out. She opened that back door like she’d done a million times, but this time, they were there waiting for her in the shadows. They drug her back into the house and...”

His voice broke, but he didn’t have to say the words.

We all knew what had happened.

It took him a second to pull himself back together enough to add, “And when they’d had their fill, they slit her throat and left her to bleed out like some animal.”

“Damn, brother,” Torch muttered. “That’s all kinds of fucked up.”

“Yeah, it is.” He filled his glass once again as he grumbled, “And my father is letting them get away with it. I just don’t get it. Those motherfuckers deserve to burn for what they did to her, and he knows it.”

I could see the torment in Beckett’s eyes. He loved and respected his father, but he was clearly struggling with his father’s decision not to retaliate against the Assassins. It was a hard call, but I knew Preacher had his reasons for choosing not to go after the Assassins. And it didn’t matter that Preacher was his father.

He was the president of their chapter.

And his words reigned supreme.

“I know it’s tough, brother,” I started. “But in the club, we gotta follow the president’s rule even when we don't agree or when it goes against our personal beliefs."

Beckett frowned, clearly having some reservations. "But what if he's wrong? What if he’s taking the pussy’s way out?”

“First of all, your father is anything but a fucking pussy. He’s led that club through thick and thin, and because of him, you guys have grown to be one of the most notorious MCs in the south.”

“Yeah, but what kind of message does this send to those assholes.”

“Something tells me this thing isn’t over.” I tried to keep my tone calm and steady as I continued, "You gotta trust in his judgment on this, and if it is a mistake, then you will deal with it as a club.”

Beckett turned to me with a pained expression. “I was gonna claim her, man. She was my whole world, and they took her from me. How am I supposed to just let this go?”

“You take the time your father has given you here, and you do what you can to put it behind you.” I reached over and picked up the bottle of whiskey, slowly pouring him another drink. “It won’t be easy. It’s gonna take a lot of hard work, but eventually, the burn will start to fade, and you can move on with your life.”

“You actually sound like you know what you’re talking about.”

“Let’s just say I know a little something about losing someone you care about.” I shrugged. “Nothing as tragic as what happened with your girl, but it hurt nonetheless.”

“I’m being a real dick, aren’t I?”

“Nah, you’re good.” I motioned my head over to Smokey and the others as I told him, “We get it, and we’re glad you trusted us enough to tell us what happened.”

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