Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

“You got it,” Menace answered. “Let us know when he gets here.”

“You know I will.”

When Viper started down the hall to make his call to Billy the Butcher, Axel went to gather up the others, and Menace headed down his room to wait for Billy’s arrival. Since I had some time on my hands, I decided to go check in on Danny. I hadn’t thought to ask the others how he was doing, so I decided to go see for myself. When I got down to the infirmary, I found Danny in the room alone. He was lying on one of the gurneys with an IV stuck in his arm. At first look, I thought he was asleep, but as I entered farther into the room, he turned to look at me. “You here to finish me off?”

“Not exactly,” I scoffed. “Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’ve been better, but this sure beats being in that room with that friend of yours.”

“I’m sure it does.”

“You find out what you needed to know from Miller?”

“That’s not something up for discussion.”

“What about my sister?” A hopeful look crossed his face as he asked, “Can you at least tell me if she’s okay?”

If the guy hadn’t taken a bullet for us, I wouldn’t have felt inclined to tell him a fucking thing, but since he’d risked his life, I decided to ease his mind a little. “She’s fine.”

“You still keeping her here?”

“We released her, but we’ve been keeping an eye on her.”

“You know she didn’t have anything to do with all this. Hell, she didn’t even know I was dealing.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m aware of that.”

“Not sure she’ll ever forgive me for putting her in danger.”

“I don’t know. Your sister seems to have a soft spot where you’re concerned.”

“Oh really?” His brows furrowed with confusion. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a hunch.”

“I don’t know.” He studied me for a moment, then replied, “Something tells me there’s more to it than just a hunch.”

“Seems to me that you need to be less concerned about my hunches, and more concerned about what’s going to happen to you now.”

“Like I told Delilah, I’m not expecting to up and walk out of here. I made a bad deal, and instead of facing the shit head on, I shot one of your guys.”

“I don’t disagree. You definitely fucked up, but what you did yesterday with Miller didn’t go unnoticed by Viper.”

“It’s not a big deal. Anyone would’ve done it.”

“I disagree with you there.”

“So, maybe there’s a chance for me yet ... or do you think he’s still set on ending me?”

“You wouldn’t be lying here hooked up to this IV if there wasn’t a chance.”

Danny nodded. “Good to know.”

“I gotta get going. I’ll be back later to see how you’re making it.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.” When I turned and started towards the door, he asked, “When you see Delilah, are you gonna tell her about what happened at the meet?”

As I stood in the doorway, I turned to him and asked, “What makes you think I’ll be seeing her?”

“I guess you could call it a hunch.”

Even though I knew she’d be pissed that I hadn’t told her about her brother being shot, there was nothing I could do about it. Club business was never discussed outside of the club. Period. Whether I liked it or not, I had no choice but to keep what happened under wraps. Before I walked out, I looked him dead in the eye and said, “No, I won’t be telling her anything, and if you’re smart, you’ll do the same.”

When I left there, I went down to the kitchen for some coffee and a quick bite to eat. Sadly, the coffee was long gone, but there were some leftovers in the fridge that I was able to warm up. I’d just finished off the last of the bacon when Menace walked in. “Billy just pulled up.”

“That was quick.”

“I know. Apparently, he was already in the area.”

I got up and followed Menace out to the parking lot. When we got outside, Billy was standing by his van, and like the last time I saw him, he was wearing a pair of slacks with a white button down. His hair was perfectly combed to the side, and his glasses were down on the brim of his nose as he said, “Viper called.”

“Yeah, he’s waiting for you around back.”

He nodded, then went to the back of his van and grabbed his duffle bag. With it in hand, he followed us to the room where we were holding Miller. When we got to the door, Viper was standing there waiting for us. “Appreciate you coming and helping us out like this, Billy.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” His tone was all business as he asked, “So, what exactly are we dealing with today.”