She knew me too well. After fending off a major attack on our club’s territory, only to find out that my cousin, Derek, was behind it all, I realized life is just too damn short. I’d fucked up by keeping my distance, but I couldn’t leave this world without telling her how I felt. I knew it was selfish of me, especially since I had no idea how things with Derek were going to turn out, but in the end, I was just a man—a man completely captivated by the woman who stood in front of him, and I couldn’t wait a moment longer to have her.
“You needed the words,” I teased, hoping she wouldn’t push for an answer I couldn’t give. Before she had a chance to question me further, there was a thundering knock at my door.
“Cotton?” Big Mike called out.
“Yeah?”
“You got a minute?” he asked. “Something’s come up. It’s important.”
Cass gave me a nod, letting me know she understood club business came first. Turning my head toward the door, I shouted, “Need a minute. Office in five.”
“Sure thing, Prez.”
I waited until I heard him head down the hall, then I turned back to Cass and said, “We’re not done here. Not by a long shot.”
A sexy grin spread across her face as she said, “Good to know. I’ll be here when you get done. For now, I need to get back out to the bar and see to my girls.” She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed me, making my dick strain against my zipper as she took her time exploring every inch of my mouth. When she was done, she looked up at me and winked before heading toward the door. Just before she walked out of the room, she looked back over to me and said, “Just so you know… you are the best part of my day, too.”
I followed Cass out of the room and headed straight to my office. His timing couldn’t have been worse, but I was eager to see what had come up with Big Mike. Our club was under attack, had been for weeks, and when we discovered Derek’s face on the surveillance video, I knew things were only going to get worse. Derek wasn’t only after our territory. He was after revenge, plain and simple, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure he didn’t get it. But before I could stop him, I had to find him. That’s where Big Mike came into play. If anyone could find that piece of shit, it was Big Mike. When I reached my office door, he was standing there, waiting for me. He had several folders in his hand, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was anxious.
“Whatcha got?”
“Right now, I’ve got more questions than I do answers. I need some help filling in the blanks.”
I opened the door to my office and motioned for him to follow me inside. As I sat down at my desk, I said, “What do you need from me?”
“Your history with the club… how it all started and how it all led to Derek losing his shit,” he replied.
“Hell, that was a lifetime ago. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Big Mike wasn’t the kind of guy who skimped on details, so I wasn’t surprised he had questions about our past. Actually, it’s one of the reasons he’s the best.
He took the seat in front of my desk and said, “Just start at the beginning. I want to know anything and everything you can remember. It doesn’t matter how insignificant. There has to be something that might help me put the pieces together.”
Needing a smoke, I reached in my pocket and grabbed my pack of cigarettes. I quickly lit one and took a long drag before I said, “As you know, I got my in with the club when I started working for Uncle Saul. I didn’t officially start prospecting until the summer after my junior year of high school and didn’t patch in until I was almost nineteen, right after I graduated. By then, both my brothers had started prospecting.” I took another pull from my cigarette as I thought about everything Uncle Saul had done for my family. He was a guiding force in our lives, and I missed having him around. I exhaled, then continued, “We were young. Hell, we were the youngest to ever join the club, but we all knew this was the only life for us. We just had to graduate first. Uncle Saul wouldn’t have it any other way. We were family, and he was like a father to all of us.”
“And Derek?” Mike pushed.
“Derek was just a piece of shit. Always has been, always will be. I tried to make the best of it with him, but just never really trusted the guy. Hell, none of us did. He couldn’t stand the fact his father had chosen to take me under his wing, teaching me everything I needed to know about running the club.” I took another drag of my cigarette, then after I exhaled slowly, I continued, “Uncle Saul had only been working with me a few years when he had the accident. It was tough, but he gave it a good fight. When he didn’t fully recover, he gave me the nod to take the gavel, and with the club's unanimous agreement, I was voted in as President.”
“Did you ever wonder if Derek had anything to do with your uncle’s motorcycle accident?”
“Yeah, but none of us were ever able to tie it to him. I knew in my gut he was behind it and wanted to make him pay for what he’d done, but it was Uncle Saul’s last order as President for us to let it ride.”
Mike looked down at the folders in his hands and started rifling through them. When he found what he was looking for, he asked, “What about his mom? Were they close?”