Animal (Royal Bastards MC 1)

“We need to get out of here. Half the fucking neighborhood heard this shit,” Stealer panics. I’m half tempted to put a bullet between his eyes, but there are enough bodies piling up.

“Call the doc,” I bark to Kai, who’s checking Jimmy’s wound. Jimmy breathes in gasps, his face ashen.

“It’s…not…I’m…not…going…to…make…it.”

My blood roars in my ears. I don’t know how to fucking help him.

“Fuck that. Stop trying to speak,” I tell him. Kai gives a curt bounce of his head, a severe look morphing his face. No. He’s going to make it. This asshole has had plenty of bullet holes.

“Shit, shit, I shot him by accident. There’s blood in my eyes, because of that stupid bitch,” Stealer cries out.

“Shut the hell up,” Kai growls.

“Stay with me, Jimmy, you asshole, you do not get to die on me.” I hold my hand to his stomach, blood, warm and sticky, seeping out, coating me in the last of his life. I grasp his fist with my other hand. “It’s okay,” I tell him, my chest constricting. “I’ve got you, brother.”

His eyes gloss over as he gasps for air. “Loved…you…like…my…own.” He dips his head. “Proud…of…the…brother…you…became…”

“Shhh, don’t speak,” I choke out, squeezing his hand in mine. The strength in his hold wanes, his head lolling to the side as his chest rattles, then deflates.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” I grind out. My head is pounding.

“He’s fucking gone. He’s dead.” Kai frowns.

I want to smash this place to bits using Stealer’s face, but I can’t lose my shit.

Halo joins us, his eyes taking in the fucking shitshow.

“What the fuck happened?”

“Get the shit out of the safe,” I bark out, giving him the card with the combination. My bloody finger smears across it, ruining the white.

When I look around, Stealer’s gone. Motherfucker. That pussy assed, little cunt. He’s getting Jimmy’s name carved into his dumb un-loyal fucking skull when I get my hands on him, piece of worthless shit.

“We can’t leave Jimmy here,” I tell Kai.

“His blood is already here, brother. This is all fucked.”

I look to the dead woman. The fucker was supposed to be here alone. “Bitch was screaming like a cunt, her dumb ass trying to run.” Kai shrugs.

“We can’t leave Jimmy here,” I say again. “Look for some keys to that fucker’s car. We need to get the fuck outta here.”

I pull out my cell to call my old man.

My old man is pacing in front of the clubhouse when we pull up. Darting forward, he opens the back door of the Range Rover before we come to a complete stop. Seeing Jimmy’s body, he slams the door and punches his fist into the panel until his knuckles bleed and hand looks deformed. Jimmy wasn’t just his VP, he was his oldest friend.

“Tell me again what happened.” He turns to Kai and me, his eyes wild with fury. “Bad information. Situation went bad. Jimmy got hit with a bullet from a prospect,” I grind out. I feel like I’ve popped a thousand uppers. My blood vibrates through my veins. Adrenaline is fucking crazy.

“Who!?” he roars.

“Stealer. He fucking took off while we contained the situation,” I try to explain, but there’s no excuse. I should have shot out his kneecaps. The dried blood all over me gains flared tempers from my brothers. I feel it too, brothers, the need for retribution.

“He what?” His tone is deadly.

“He fucking ran. I’ll go find him and bring him to you in pieces, Prez.” Kai pipes up, fisting his knife. Body shuddering with the violent need to punish.

“Fuck that. I’ll go to him. Get me an address. He dies tonight by my bare hands.” He’s not my old man in this moment, he’s Viking, Royal Bastard President. A merciless killer.

“I’ll come,” I tell him, the dried blood flaking off my trembling hands. He rattles his head no, placing his palms on my shoulders. “Get Jimmy inside, then send Rage and Jameson out to burn that fucking car so there’s no trace of it.”

“You don’t want me with you?”

“I need you here. You’re VP now.”

I look around the brothers who have gathered outside, all nodding their heads in agreement.

I’m VP now.

Fourteen

Drew

Twenty-five years old

One year later…

I’ve heard the saying “of all the bars, why did you have to walk into mine,” but I never thought I’d be thinking it until this moment. My eyes clash with Kai’s, and my feet halt.

Shit.

“You okay?” Willa, my boss and friend, asks.

She’s also running from something, but hasn’t told me what. I think it’s her teen son’s father. When I rolled into this town, I hadn’t planned on staying, but she recognized the broken parts inside me and took me in—gave me a job and a room to rent. Now, my head is exploding looking over at the familiar face. “It’s fine,” I lie. She grabs her purse and waves goodbye, off to the suppliers.