Prologue
Nash - Three years ago
Memories were a double-edged sword. For me, they were mostly a sword that never failed to leave another scar on my heart. And today was no different. Mothers Day; the beginning of my yearly cycle of remembrance. It always began on Mothers Day and lasted for nearly two months. Had been this way for seven years now and I figured it would continue until Gabriella took her last breath.
I re-read the text she’d sent me.
Happy Mother’s Day asshole.
There was no need to reply so I slipped my phone back in my pocket. The pain she’d stirred up hurt like a motherfucker, but I was skilled at dealing with it now. I shoved it away and focused my attention on finding a distraction for the night.
“You okay?” Velvet asked as she slid into the seat next to me, a concerned look on her face.
My gaze dropped to her legs as she crossed them. And then it shifted up to admire the curves of her hips and tits that were encased in the hottest black dress I’d seen in awhile. Her long, brunette hair hung half way down her back. She was a stunning woman, but the thing I loved about her the most was her heart and soul. Caring and kind on the inside, fearless on the outside.
“Yeah, sweet thing, don’t worry about me.”
“I do worry about you, Nash. A lot. And tonight, you’re giving off a vibe. What’s going on?”
I’d known her for a year now, and she had a way of reading me, of knowing when I was struggling with something. But I didn’t want friends like that; friends who pushed you to play with your demons. I pasted a smile on my face. “Just had a busy day, babe. I need to relax, maybe have some fun.” I winked at her. “You wanna help me with that?”
“You never give up, do you?”
I’d lost count of the number of times I’d hit on Velvet. To her credit, she put up with me and let me do it, all with a smile on her face. She’d almost given in a couple of times but even I knew we’d reached the point where it was unlikely to happen. Velvet had chosen our friendship over sex, and for some reason I couldn’t fathom, I was more than okay with that. Still, a man had to try. You never knew when a woman would give in.
I shrugged. “One day you’ll succumb to my cock, sweet thing. I can be a patient man.”
“I’ve got plenty of other cock to keep me occupied, Nash. It’s your heart and your mind I’m interested in. Maybe one day you’ll give me those.”
“Baby, you say the sweetest things but truly, once you’ve had my cock, my heart and mind will be distant memories.”
She leant closer to me and whispered, “One day you’re going to be knocked off your ass by a woman who will own all three. It’ll be a sight to see, Nash Walker.”
“Sorry, babe, but the only item on the menu is my cock. My heart and mind were trashed by a woman a long fuckin’ time ago.”
More like fucking annihilated.
Her eyes widened and she sat back, processing what I’d said. Before she could say anything else, I stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, yeah?”
She nodded, disappointment clear on her face. “Yeah, Nash. I’ll be here and I’ll come and find you for a chat.”
I forced a smile. “Good,” I said, and walked away from her without a backwards glance. It was all well and fucking good to have friends, but what I needed was pussy. That’s what would make me feel better. Losing myself in it helped me forget. And Mothers Day was a day when I really needed to forget.
Chapter 1
Lookin’ For A Good Time ~ Lady Antebellum
Nash
Storm.
My boys.
As I watched them give J shit about something he’d done, I thought about some of the stuff we’d been through lately. A lot of people didn’t understand our club, didn’t understand what we stood for. When it was all said and done, we stood for family. For loyalty and trust. Things that were hard to come by these days, and things that when broken, could never be repaired. At the moment, our loyalties and trust were being put to the test.
Griff lifted his chin at me before walking my way. “You and J good at the moment?” he asked.
“We’re working on it, brother. It’s been two months since his wedding, and Madison’s done her best to push us together.”
“I can imagine.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she’s running herself ragged holding get togethers all the fuckin’ time. I think J’s had enough; I know I have.”
“Never thought I’d see the day you and J talked like civilised men. Madison’s a miracle worker.”
“Fuck you.” I grinned at him. “We all know J was a dickhead when it came to his caveman attitude towards Madison, so that was all on him.”
“Takes two to fuck it up,” Griff muttered, his gaze drifting to Marcus who’d just hit the clubhouse.
It was Friday afternoon and all the boys were gathering for Friday night drinks. Tension within the club had hit an all-time high over the last few weeks. After the fallout between Marcus and J a couple of months ago, Marcus was strengthening his ties with some of the boys. It looked like he was using those ties to create a divide between them and those of us behind J.
“He’s a sly bastard,” I said.
Griff turned back to me. “Marcus?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Some of the boys told me the shit he’s been spinning them. Making them promises of huge payouts if Storm runs drugs again. What I can’t fuckin’ work out is why the hell he got us out of drugs years ago if he’s just going to dump us back in that shit.”