Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

My father had never been much of a father, especially after my mother had died. She’d had some heart issue none of us knew about, and it ended her life much earlier than anyone could ever have expected. My dad and I took it hard. My sister, Mallory, even harder. Just months after my mother’s funeral, Mallory packed her bags and went to live with my grandmother. I didn’t necessarily blame her. After our mother’s death, Dad turned to the bottle as a means of coping. It was all well and good as I’d managed fine without him being “father of the year,” and I would continue to do so. I inhaled a deep breath and forced myself to walk out the door.

I’d just started down the front steps when one of them asked, “You Jared?”

“I am.”

“Hmm.” The bigger of the four gave me the once-over as he grumbled, “Thought you’d be.. smaller.”

I didn’t want to look like a complete pussy, so I straightened my stance as I held his glare. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Not important.” A look of skepticism marked his face. “You the kid who helped out Katie with that ticket?”

“Not sure what you mean.”

The older of the men stepped forward as he pushed, “Oh, I think you know exactly what he means.”

“Yeah.” This guy was no fucking joke. At six-three, I was no small-fry, but this guy was towering over me like a fucking brick wall. Doing my best to put on a brave front, I muttered, “I might’ve helped her out a little.”

“From what I’ve heard, you helped her out quite a bit. It took some real masterminding to hack into the county clerk’s office. And the police department too. Hell, there’s no trace of that ticket to be found.”

“It wouldn’t have been much help if they could find it.”

“Mm-hmm.” The guy to my left cocked his eyebrow. “So, my niece was right. You really are good at this computer shit.”

“Wait... Katie’s your niece?”

The guy nodded. “That she is. She was pretty fucking impressed with how you took care of that ticket.”

“It wasn’t a big deal. Pretty easy, in fact.” When they all just stood there staring back at me, I finally asked, “So, is that why you’re here? You got a ticket you want me to make disappear?”

“No, kid. We don’t have a ticket,” the older guy answered. “Are you familiar with the Ruthless Sinners?”

“Yes, sir.” Everyone knew about the Sinners. The stories about them ran through our small southern town like a two-lane highway, and they didn’t even live here. I had no doubt there were some tall tales mixed in with the truth, but I’d heard enough to be intimidated by their presence. Hell, I was barely able to keep my footing as they all stood there glaring at me. I tried not to sound like I was scared shitless when I said, “I’ve heard of them.”

“Us, son. You’ve heard of us.” He motioned his head over to the men behind him. “We’re the Ruthless Sinners. Well, at least a few of them. I’m Viper, the president. This is my VP, Axel, my enforcer, Shotgun, and Widow. The rest of the brothers are back at the clubhouse waiting for you.”

“For me?” I gasped. “What for?”

“To see if you have what it takes to be one of us.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not following.”

“I’m offering you an opportunity, son. One to get out of this fucking trailer and use that talent of yours to make a life for yourself.” Viper’s face was void of expression, his voice low and calm as he continued, “I’m giving you a chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself. A chance to know what it means to be a brother and have a brother stand by you.”

“But why? You don’t know anything about me.”

“You’re wrong there, son. I know everything about you.” The intensity in his eyes grew even more fierce as he crossed his arms and gave a complete rundown of my history. “You grew up here in Nolensville. It’s just you and your father. Your mom had a heart defect and died when you were fifteen, and that’s when your ol’ man started drinking and ran off your sister. You graduated from high school, but you did it without any real effort. You got a few friends here and there, but none that would stand by you when things get tough... really tough.”

“Damn.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “You really did your research.”

“Damn straight I did. It’s my job to know everything I can about the men I bring into the fold.”

“But why me?”

He never took his eyes off me as he continued, “When I got wind of what you’d done for Axel’s niece, I started looking into you. Discovered you have a certain skill set that would be beneficial to the club.”