Fractured Brotherhood (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation 7)

Zag

“But why?”

I finished my beer and threw the empty can on the floor. “We don’t know anything more than what I’ve told you, babe. He didn’t like the way the club was being run, so he left.”

We had been home for almost an hour, and I still didn’t know what the hell had happened.

Zig had left the Devil’s Knights, and that was it.

“What is wrong with t-t-the way the club was being r-r-run?” she asked.

“Something about the club making decisions and then plans changing.”

“Isn’t that how life goes?” Tess asked.

I pushed off the porch's railing, grabbed another beer from the case I had stopped, and bought on the way home. Tess and I hadn’t even been in the house yet.

The porch had become one of my favorite places to be with her.

“That is how life goes, but it seems like Zig didn’t like that.” But why didn’t he shout, yell, and argue about it?

He just up and left without so much as a bye to any of us besides King.

I popped open the top of the beer and drank half of it.

“So w-w-what happens now?” she asked.

Not a fucking clue.

“I drink this beer, probably one more, order pizza, and then get you naked.”

She laughed and tucked her feet underneath her. “Right here on t-t-the porch?”

I shook my head and smiled. “As much as I love this porch, we’ll have to take the naked part at least into the living room.”

There wasn’t anything I could do about Zig.

He had made his choice, and as much as I thought it was the wrong one, he had to live with it. I didn’t know if he would actually come back, but I had to have faith that he would.

He had lived with the Devil’s Knights all of his life. Maybe he just needed to have some freedom and wind on his back.

I would miss Zig, but if this was what he wanted, I had to respect that.

“How about I order the pizza, and you get a head start on getting naked?” I suggested.

Tess was the only thing I wanted right now.

She and I were the only things that made sense to me.

She jumped up from her chair and unlocked the front door. “I thought you were g-g-going to drink one more beer?” She pulled open the door and glanced at me over her shoulder.

“Changed my mind. I want you more than I want another beer. You’re better at making me forget everything than a six-pack of beer.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “You’ve got about sixty seconds to be butt naked on that couch, babe.”

“Zag,” she laughed. “That isn’t my couch. It came with the duplex.”

I shrugged and connected the call to the pizza place. “I’m sure Marco has to know that if he furnishes a house that there is going to be some crazy, wild sex on the couch.”

“Crazy, wild sex?” she whispered.

I winked and chugged the rest of my beer. “Go get ready for me, babe.”

She slipped into the house and shut the door behind her.

I ordered our usual and tossed my phone on the table next to the unopened beers. I had come home with the expectations of getting drunk until I passed out, but I realized that wouldn’t fix anything.

I grabbed my empty cans off the floor and tossed my phone on the chair Tess had been sitting in. I had made sure to always have my phone on me before in case Zig called me, but now I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

He was off making his own new life, which didn’t involve me right now.

The brotherhood we had was gone.

I pushed open the front door and hollered for Tess. “You better be ready for me, babe.”

I stepped into the living room and froze.