Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

Danny rushed past us as he started running towards the back parking lot. Bruce was about to put Delilah in the car but quickly stopped when he heard Danny shout, “Yo, Dad! Hold up. It’s me ... Danny. I’m here.”

“Danny?”

Bruce turned back with surprise. He kept his gun pointed at Delilah as he watched Danny continue towards him. The brothers and I pulled out our weapons as we followed close behind him. Bruce seemed completely unfazed as we surrounded him. Danny tried to keep his cool as he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I came looking for you. I thought you were in trouble.” Bruce motioned his head towards Viper as he told Danny, “Figured these assholes had something to do with it.”

“Why would you care if I was in trouble or not? I haven’t seen you since I was kid.”

“I had many reasons,” Bruce answered. “You’re not only my son, but one of my prized employees.”

“Employee? What the fuck are you talking about?” Confusion marked Danny’s face as he stared at his father. “I don’t work for you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve been working for me for the last several years.”

“You’re the boss?”

“The one and only,” Bruce answered with a smug tone. “I noticed you weren’t around for a few days. That wasn’t surprising; it’s happened before. But when Miller didn’t return after his meet with you, I knew something was up. That’s when I came to find you.”

“So, what does Delilah have to do with any of this?”

“She was my way to you.” Bruce glanced over to me as he continued, “When I didn’t find you at your place, I went looking for her. I figured, in time, she’d lead me to you, but all she did was lead me to them. When I found out they were the ones selling my product in their strip club, I started piecing two and two together. It didn’t take an Einstein to figure out that there was some connection between them and your sudden disappearance, and I’d bet my last dollar that they had something to do with Miller as well.”

“Miller sold them trash. Took your money and half your take, so whatever happened to Miller, I’d say he got what he had coming.” Danny’s tone turned stronger, more determined as he said, “None of that matters now. If you’re here for me, then you have me. Just let Delilah go, and let’s end this shit.”

“Danny, no,” Delilah muttered. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Bruce gave Delilah a hard shove, knocking her to the ground. She was trying to pull herself up when he kicked her hard in the side. Seeing him hurt her again enraged me in a way I could never explain. My blood ran hot, like my very soul was on fire as I placed my finger on the trigger. I was about to end the motherfucker when Danny beat me to it. He reached behind and pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans, and without a moment’s hesitation, he fired, sending a bullet straight through his father’s heart. Bruce’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at his chest, watching in disbelief as blood started to seep through his shirt.

He stood there for a couple of beats before dropping down to his knees. “What have you done?”

“I just took my life back. My sister’s too,” Danny answered coldly. “I didn’t want you in my life when I was a kid, and I sure as fuck don’t now.”

Bruce lifted his hand, aiming his gun at Danny, but before he had a chance to pull the trigger and end Danny, I fired off a shot at him, knocking him flat on his back. As the gun fell from his hands, Bruce mumbled, “Dead or alive. You’ll always be my son. Nothing will change that.”

Silence engulfed us as we all watched him take his last breath. Unable to stand it any longer, I rushed over to Delilah and knelt down beside her, pulling her into my arms. She quickly wrapped hers around me, pulling me close as she started to cry. I held her for a few moments before I finally whispered, “It’s gonna be okay, Delilah.”

“I’m so sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have put all the blame on you.”

“You got nothing to be sorry about.”

I was about to continue when Viper stepped over to us and asked, “She okay?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“Well, I hate to rush, but we need to get moving.” Viper glanced around Delilah’s apartment complex. “By now, somebody’s reported the gunshots, and the cops will be on their way.”

“Okay. What do we need to do?”

“You tend to her. We’ll take care of this.”

Delilah’s back stiffened as she watched Shotgun and Menace lift her father’s body off the ground and carry it over to his BMW. Knowing I needed to get Delilah out of there, I turned back to Viper and asked, “You sure you got it covered?”