“The Kings will come for you.” I warn. “Grim loves her, he won’t let you have her.”

“Then I’ll kill him too.” He turns his back to me and begins walking towards the doors.

I run towards him, but before I even reach him shots are fired and I’m gunned to the ground. My back burns from the bullets and I feel the warmness of my blood oozing from my back. I watch from the floor as a large truck pulls up and Savage carefully places Raven in the back.

Someone steps from the driver’s side, and I’m stunned to see Venom nod to Savage and then walk towards me. He looks down and shakes his head. “You never make things easy for yourself, do you?”

“Venom?” I cough. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I trust you to finish the job.” Savage announces, looking to Venom.

The men who fucking betrayed me, follow Savage out to get on their bikes. “Fucking bastards!” I shout at them. “See you all in fucking hell!”

They don’t listen they just get on their bikes and follow the truck that Savage drives away. My fucking woman in the back.

Venom kneels beside my dying body. I’m not an idiot I know I will die here tonight. I can’t believe my own brother has betrayed me. I’m in agony and I’m not surprised because I was shot over ten times.

Whether my brother gives me the dying shot or not, tonight will be my last.

“Why?” I manage to ask Venom.

“You treat me like shit.” He honestly answers. “I’m fucking sick of it, all the men were glad to follow Savage because he doesn’t shit in his own backyard.”

“He’s a rat.” I growl out.

“Maybe but he’s the best we have.” I get his insult. Having a rat as a president is better than me.

“Do you know how it feels to be disrespected by your own flesh and blood every fucking day of your life?” He shouts in my face. “I’ve had enough! You treat dogs better than me, even your fucking whores!”

“Raven isn’t a whore.” I snap.

“No, she’s the president’s old lady.” He answers and I roar in both pain and anger.

“She doesn’t belong to Savage.” I spit out blood. I’d rather see her back with the fucker Grim than being with Savage.

“You’re here because you’re a fuck up.” Venom adds. “You only have yourself to blame.”

“I’m sorry.” I admit. I have treated him bad in the past. “I wanted to toughen you up. Be the best that you can be.”

“And look what you created.” He spreads his arms.

“What about Simone?” I ask in panic. “You need to protect her.”

Unknown to almost everyone, Venom and I have a half-sister called Simone. She has a different mother, but shares our father’s blood. She knows nothing of Venom and me, and nothing of the life we live but we know all about her. She lives with her mother in a tiny two bedroomed house, goes to college and is the typical twenty year old girl. I do my best to keep her a secret and give her mother money every month to help support her. Most of it goes into a savings account for her, but she gets looked after. Her mother knows about me and is grateful for my help but agrees that Simone should know nothing about me. I would only fuck up her life. I’m a fucked up man but I know that I shouldn’t enter her life.

“I’ll look after her.” Venom grins and a scene of dread fills me.

“Don’t contact her Venom! She doesn’t know us or this life.”

“Maybe I should change that.” He laughs.

“No!” I plead.

“I love you.” Venom ends the conversation and leans down to kiss my forehead.

“You’re not gonna shoot me?” I ask.

“No.”  We both know I’ll bleed out. It’s his way of saying I deserve this long and painful death.

“I love you.” I speak as loudly as I can as Venom turns his back and walks outside.

He doesn’t turn back though and I have to watch him as he straddles my bike and rides away. Leaving me to die alone.

With a belly full of food fit for a biker on his way to get his woman back, I give my mother a kiss goodbye.

“Be careful.” She warns us all, before having a private moment with my dad.

They always do this, every time he goes on a ride, they embrace each other. As I look around I see other brothers with their Old Ladies and families also. It’s part of the MC life.

“Where’s Lauren?” Grim asks nobody in particular as he looks around.

“I think I saw her go to your room earlier.” Elise adds as she hugs her dad, Uncle Brace.

Frowning, Grim quickly storms towards their room. That’s odd, Lauren knows we’re going to save Natasha from Strike. Why wouldn’t she be here to see us off? Unless it’s too much for her, Natasha is her closest friend and having her snatched away by the man who also has a fucked up addiction to her must be fucking hard. Especially after Drew reported Strike saying that he would let Natasha go in exchange for Lauren, otherwise he’s coming to get her anyway and also take Drew and Elise. That will never happen, we just need to focus on getting Natasha back and no longer letting him get so close to our girls. If that means upping our security, then so fucking be it.

Grim comes running from the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, scanning around. “Lauren?”

Everyone looks around and he becomes angry. “Lauren!”

“VP!” My dad shouts over to him. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t find Lauren.” He immediately answers. “This was on the bed.”

In his hand he holds out a letter. I have a feeling I know exactly what has happened. By the look of dread on everyone’s faces, I’m not the only one.

“What’s is say?” Elise asks, stepping closer to Grim.

He hands her the letter, wiping away his tears and facing away from all of us. Elise looks down the letter and her eyes widen. When she looks back up to us, she beings to explain.

“It’s says she has gone to find Natasha alone and to not follow. Any Kings members who show their face before she gets there, will be shot.” She wipes at her eyes, looking back to Grim and then shakes her head. “The rest is for Grim’s eyes only.”

Elise hands the letter back to Grim and holds him in his arms. Grim lets her and wraps his own arms around Elise’s tiny frame. He kisses her forehead and folds the letter, treating it as a treasured item and tucking it away into his jacket pocket.

“I’m going to get my woman.” He declares and I nod my head in support. When he catches me he signals me back.

Dad steps out and places a hand on Grim’s shoulder. “We gotta take her words seriously Grim.”

“How did she even know where to go?” My brother asks, furious.

I look around at everyone, seeing if I notice anyone’s guilty looking faces. But all my brothers are looking right at their VP, their sympathetic looks obvious to see.

“We don’t know, but we have to listen to what she said.” My dad repeats. “We have to be more prepared, they know we will come to get the girls.”

“Some of us will stay here.” Spliff announces, looking towards Travis. He has his kids to think about, he can’t be risking his life when his kids have just lost their mother.

Dad calls the room to attention. “Brothers who are prepared to come with us, step forward.”

Almost all brother take a step forward, so he has to choose who has to stay and protect the clubhouse and family members inside.

When that’s settled, Grim still doesn’t look pleased. “We gotta hurry. Both of them could be in danger.”

“They might not be there any long.” I add which panics Grim more. I get it, I’m feeling exactly the same.

“How the fuck does she know where Strike is?” He asks again.

“I can answer that.” Drew announces and everyone stops talking.

“What?” I ask, confused at our little sister.