he’d been looking for was stability and partnership. Behaviors he’d turned a blind eye towards during their relationship had come into crystal focus once he’d realized the extent of her betrayal.
He might not have wanted to be in his brother’s club, but the life itself had called to him. So, Bane had found one that seemed to be a fit for his desires. Another time when I have to admit how wrong I was. After his prospect period, the truth had unfolded in front of his eyes.
Behind closed doors, the club he’d become a member of had been chaos personified. In the few years he’d been part of it, they’d gone through no less than a half a dozen presidents. The little circle of men he’d grown comfortable with had provided the truth of the kind of brotherhood he’d been seeking, but it hadn’t been enough. The last straw had been finding out the woman his brothers knew as his ole lady had been fucking around, giving it up mostly to men Bane couldn’t stomach, members of his own club.
No matter she’d been offering, they shouldn’t have ever accepted, not in a thousand years. We were brothers, supposed to have each other’s backs. He’d fought with the men she’d fucked, encouraged to engage in multiple fights by the club officers, never mind they should have been forbidding the line-drawing behavior. And Bane had beaten each opponent with echoes of their laughter in his ears. She wasn’t innocent, not a bit.
It had taken a couple of weeks, but he’d finally kicked her to the curb, watched her walk away, and then laughed when none of the bastards she’d been cheating with had wanted her. The first time she’d shown up crying and lonesome on his doorstep, he’d let her know in no uncertain terms she would never be welcome in his home, or bed, again. Not long after, he’d handed his vest back to the latest president and ridden south, looking for a better life for himself.
And I found it.
The Freed Riders were the kind of club he’d longed for, filled with men who stood shoulder to shoulder with their brothers, and who’d been horrified when he’d finally explained the reason behind his tendency to hold back trust. Called out during a drunken pool game with Horse, Bane had laid the stick on the felt, ready to walk away when his brother had caught at his shoulder, pulling him back around. “I wanna understand the man, Bane. Ain’t no right or wrong here. Ain’t no reason for you to dodge a question. In this building, behind these doors, we’re all equals, and there’s no judgment. I wanna hear your side of why you patched out, man.” So, Bane had told him, an hours-long conversation finished over glasses of very good whiskey. He earned my respect that night.
The former club still had his enmity and hatred, a bubbling cauldron of anger that never seemed to go away.
Betrayed twice over.
He followed Myrt down the stairs, watching her ass sway with every step.
My brothers and my ole lady.
He considered the relationships he’d had back then, comparing them to what he had now with the Freed Riders MC. No comparison. It’s like night and day. Bane knew beyond a shadow of a doubt the FRMC had his back. Wouldn’t matter what the ask was, they’d meet it and go ten steps beyond just to make sure he was good. He could pull into a clubhouse with Myrtle on his bike, leave her sitting at the bar with the other ole ladies, and trust that not a single brother would hit on her, even if she asked for it.
But she wouldn’t. She’s class, no matter how Sallabrook treated her.
He shook his head, rounded the corner into the kitchen, and came to a stop when he saw Truck standing in the middle of the room. “Brother.” Truck’s hand rose to meet his as he stepped close, grasping in a warrior’s hold and pulling him chest to chest. A fist pounded his back as he returned the favor, still shocked to see the man home. “Thought you couldn’t break away for a couple more weeks. Good to see you, man.”
“Called in a couple of markers, set up a rotation for what I needed to cover, and hied my ass home.” Truck stared at him and tipped his head towards the door. “I’d like to have a chat, if you have time.”
“Make it for my friends, brother.” Bane settled