Reaper
I had just walked out of church when I heard her yell after me, “MAX!”
Yep, that was my cue to run.
I quickly looked around and ran. Dodging my brother’s laughter, I quickly headed toward the kitchen. Seeing the back door, I bolted outside and sighed, “Thank fuck.”
Leaning against the back wall of the clubhouse, I looked around to find no one. Moving quickly, I ran for the shed. I knew she wouldn’t look for me in there. I had just slipped inside when I heard the back door slam open. “You coward! You can’t hide from me forever!”
“That’s what you think,” I muttered, walking deeper into the shed.
I had fucked up.
In a moment of weakness, I said something I shouldn’t and now I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Technically, I was getting what I deserved, but in my defense, I was only trying to protect my kid. How was I supposed to know that taking away a newborn from its mother just days after birth would cause this much drama?
Instead of helping my woman plan the wedding of her dreams, I was fighting for the life of my club. I needed to get everything back on track and fast. The club was disintegrating before my eyes. Brothers were becoming suspicious. Talk had already begun. The bodies were piling up and it was all my fault.
Men I had grown up with, best friends with, men I would die to protect were dying all around me. I couldn’t stop the carnage. Those who couldn’t take it anymore were leaving, like Savage, who left and took my sister Jessica and his niece Hailey with him. My legacy was a fading memory. If I didn’t do something fast, those who remained would be dead soon. I couldn’t save them all. As much as I wanted to, it was impossible. The hardest part was deciding who was expendable. No matter what I did, my actions would be my downfall.
I was a dead man walking.
I knew it.
Because when they found out the truth, none of them would think twice about killing me. I was never going to see my son grow up. My past actions ensured that. Then there was Remi to consider. The one woman on the planet that I loved above all others. She was innocent in all of this. Maybe I should send her and my son away. Hide them where I wouldn’t know how to find them. I could do it too. I loved her enough to go against the rules and do it. No one ever needed to know. I could make it clear to her that under no circumstances could she ever return. However, I knew the second I did that, it would be the club’s end. I was only alive right now because of her.
They were watching her.
They told me as much.
One mistake. One simple mistake forever changed my life and the Golden Skulls’ future. Some people believe those who forgot the past were doomed to repeat it. I never believed that.
I did now.
Like my Pop’s before me, I wanted to do the right thing. To save the Golden Skulls and just live my life as free as the wind. In doing so, I condemned us all. Now, all I could do was save who I could and pray that those left behind were strong enough to survive the coming storm. Because it was coming.
It was about to roll in with a vengeance.
I played my part to perfection.
Now it was time to pay the piper.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and whispered, “Why didn’t you warn me, Pop’s?”
I’d done a long dance. I fought the good fight. Now it was time to face reality. I wasn’t what the club needed. Reaching for my phone, I dialed the private number I had memorized and waited for the call to connect. When it did, I heard him say, “Call to apologize?”
“No.”
“Ready to fall in line?”
“I can’t do that either.”
“Then why are you calling?”
“I need more time.”
“Time isn’t something I can give you. You know that.”
“How much time am I looking at?”