Relent (Sydney Storm MC 1)

Years of doing this shit for King had numbed me.

My job was to get the shit on people, throw that shit at them and sit back and watch them crap their pants. It was to bend them to our way of thinking, and I was the fuckin’ best at it. It was why King kept me so close. He knew I had good contacts, and he knew the cold heart beating in my chest meant nothing was off the table when it came to getting what we wanted.

If Gambarro didn’t come to the party now, I had other options to force him. But it seemed the first option I’d gone with would be enough.

He pushed his chair back and stood. When he spoke, his voice was low. Cold and calm. “Consider the debt wiped.”

I nodded once but didn’t say anything. He had more to get off his chest and I knew it.

“Also consider this a warning. I don’t like the way you conduct business and I intend on showing you just how much it displeases me. And I don’t care how long it takes me to do that, be it months or years, I will see it through. Now get the fuck out of my office,” he said in a low, menacing voice.

With my goal achieved and nothing else left to say, I turned and walked out of his office. I knew he’d make good on his threat so my next stop was the clubhouse. It w

ouldn’t take Gambarro long to figure out I was Storm, so I had to let King know what had just gone down.

While I figured Hyde would be pissed, I suspected King would rally the boys. The crazy motherfucker lived for shit like this.

***

It took me nearly an hour in traffic to get to the clubhouse and, in that time, word had travelled. Gambarro was on the warpath. He hadn’t worked out my connection to Storm yet but Hyde had already heard about what had gone down.

Hyde found me before I found King. Anger rolled off him. I’d never seen him this fired up. “What the fuck did you do?”

“I sorted some family shit out,” I threw back at him. “Just like you would have done if it was your family on the line.”

“No, what you did was create club shit and that’s something I sure as fuck wouldn’t have done. When Gambarro figures out who you are and that you’re with Storm, he’ll come, gunning for us, and he won’t fucking hold back. I can promise you that.”

“You don’t think I’ve already thought of that?”

“I seriously don’t know what the fuck goes through your mind anymore, Kick. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a head full of pussy and had lost your fucking mind, but seems as though I know you’re a cold-hearted bastard who doesn’t ever let pussy control him, I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”

“Hyde,” King’s voice sounded from behind me and as he got closer, he said, “we’re backing Kick on this.”

Hyde’s anger and frustration grew and he channelled it into a punch to the wall closest to him. “Fuck!” he roared as he stood staring at us, his eyes wild, his face flushed. “Do you know what the fuck that will do to Storm, King?”

King was the master of controlling his emotions when he wanted to and he did that now. The vein pulsing in his neck was the only giveaway he was angry. “Of course I fucking know what this will do to Storm. I also know we have the connections to take him on. And win.” He turned to look at me, his eyes flashing from anger to that wicked look he got when something excited him. “And I’m in the mood for some fun. Let’s shake this shit up, boys. Let’s show Sydney what the fuck Storm is made of.”

Hyde shook his head. “Fuck, you’re an insane motherfucker sometimes, King.”

King grinned. “It keeps life interesting, my friend.”

“And what about this other shit with Silver Hell? If they figure out that was you, then we’ll have two lots of assholes coming after us,” Hyde said.

King shrugged. “Bring it on. Like I said, Storm is connected, and if need be, I’ll fucking drag our other chapters in.”

Hyde raised his hands. “I’ve had my say. You’re the President, so whatever you say goes, but I’m letting you know I think this is some fucked-up shit.”

King took in what he’d said and then grew serious. “Hyde, we’re brothers. If one of us needs help, we all pull together. Kick always has our backs. It’s time we take his.”

Hyde stared at both of us for a long moment and then blew out his breath. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Yeah.” And then he walked away, leaving King and I alone.

“Thanks, brother,” I said.

“No thanks needed. Whatever you need from me, you have it. Just ask.”

I nodded and watched as he, too, walked away.

Storm had become my family when my own had fallen apart years ago and King had always been there for me. He’d just shown me I was true family to him because King never offered anyone whatever they needed. He never told anyone just to ask for what they needed. Usually you had to sell your soul to get that kind of offer from King.