Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

We’d assumed it would be our last time having to deal with Danny ... until we discovered that part of the shipment was counterfeit. That discovery hadn’t come until days later, when we started breaking down the shipment. Viper was pissed to find that over half of the take was counterfeit, especially since it was the half we hadn’t tested on delivery. That was on us, but the fact remained, Danny was the one who’d swindled us. He’d crossed a line, a big fucking line, and he damn well knew it. The motherfucker knew he would have to answer to the club for what he’d done. That’s why he was laying low and hadn’t returned any of my fucking calls. I glanced over at Shotgun, the club’s enforcer, and Rafe, then shook my head when I saw him gawking at Candy’s ass as she stepped off the stage. “The sooner the better.”

“Can’t disagree with you there.” A concerned look crossed his face. “This whole thing is fucked up.”

“Yeah, but one way or another, we’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t doubt that ... It’s just ... we need to keep in mind there’s the possibility that Danny didn’t know the product was counterfeit.”

“Maybe, but there’s also the possibility that the asshole just got fucking greedy and was hoping to pull one over on us.” I reached for an Ultra-Light and took a long pull. “But I hope, for his sake, that’s not it.”

“Yeah. If that’s the case, it won’t end well for him.”

“Well, we won’t know for sure until Shotgun gets his hands on him.”

Axel glanced over at Shotgun, snickering as he watched our brother pull Candy onto his lap. “As amped up as those two are right now, they’re liable to kill the stupid sonofabitch before he ever gets a chance to talk.”

I chuckled as I stood and walked over to Shotgun. Our enforcer wasn’t a small man, but he wasn’t as big as one might think. He was tall with an athletic, muscular build, and he could handle himself just as well as the rest of us, but his physical appearance had nothing to do with why he’d been chosen as the club’s enforcer. The choice was simple really. Shotgun had talents the rest of us just didn’t have. He was missing that part of the brain that made a man feel empathy or the slightest bit of remorse for the pain he dished out, especially when that person had gone against the club. When vengeance took over, torture and all the other things that might make another man squeamish wouldn’t affect him in the least. There was nothing he wouldn’t do when it came to extracting the intel we needed from a particular individual. That, and the fact that the man could do some real damage with a shotgun, like wipe-out-an-entire-army kind of damage, made him a force to be reckoned with. With his particular skill set, the guy was invaluable to the club, and I knew I could trust him to figure out what the hell was going on with Danny. Candy was trying to squirm out of his lap when I said, “’Gun ... I got something I need you to do.”

“All right.” He let out a deep sigh as he lifted Candy off his lap. “What do you need me to do?”

“I want you and Rafe to head over to Danny’s place and see if you find any sign of him.”

“And if I do?”

“Bring his ass to the club. We have things to discuss with him.”

His brows furrowed. “This about his last shipment?”

“Yeah.” I crossed my arms as I continued, “It’s time he gave us some answers about what the fuck is going on.”

“Understood.”

“He’s gotta know we’re gonna be looking for him, so watch your back,” I warned. “You can never be too careful in situations like these.”

“I got it covered.”

I watched as he motioned over to Rafe, letting him know it was time to go. Rafe took one last glance at the new chick on the stage before standing and following Shotgun out the door. Once he was gone, I turned my attention to the stage, watching as our second new stripper, Kaleigh Jo, removed her top and tossed it to the guys. Like Candy, she was a pretty girl, young with a killer body, and the lights shimmered against her mocha-colored skin. There was no doubt that the girl had mad skills when it came to working the pole. Hell, she had all the guys completely captivated, including me. It was one of the reasons I hadn’t noticed that Lisa, Stilettos’ bartender, had come up next to me until she asked, “Enjoying yourself there, handsome?”

“Hmph.” I grunted. “I’m doing all right. You?”

“Same.” She inched closer as she purred, “I’d be a lot better if you paid me a visit later tonight. I could use the company.”