Blood & Bones: Whip (Blood Fury MC 11)
Dane – Deacon and Reese’s son
Maya – Syn’s daughter
Liz – Former sweet butt, Crash’s ol’ lady, Stella’s half-sister & Crazy Pete’s daughter
Nico, Rex & Eddie - Members of The Synners (Syn’s band)
Silvia Stevens – Sig’s mother, Razor’s former ol’ lady
Tammy Davis – Trip’s mother, Buck’s former ol’ lady
Bebe Dietrich – Cage & Rook’s mother, Dutch’s former ol’ lady
Clyde Davis – Buck’s father, Trip & Sig’s grandfather, deceased
Billie/Angel/Amber/Crystal/Brandy – Sweet butts
Max Bryson – Chief of Police – Manning Grove PD, Bryson brother
Marc Bryson – Corporal – Manning Grove PD, Bryson brother
Matt Bryson – Officer – Manning Grove PD, Bryson brother
Adam Bryson – Officer – Manning Grove PD, Bryson’s cousin, Teddy’s husband
Leah Bryson – Officer – Manning Grove PD, Marc’s wife
Tommy Dunn – Officer – Manning Grove PD
Teddy Sullivan – Owner Manes on Main, Adam Bryson’s husband
Amanda Bryson – Max’s wife, owner Boneyard Bakery
Carly Bryson – Matt’s wife, OB/GYN doctor
Levi Bryson – Adopted son of Matt & Carly Bryson (birth mother: Autumn/Red)
Prologue
Losing Forever
“P-pap! Pap!” Whip inhaled another big breath as he sprinted across the yard and up the porch steps. “P-pap!”
Just as he reached for the screen door, it swung open and his grandfather stood blocking his way. “Why are you out here wailing like a Tom cat who’s following the scent of a cat in heat?”
“H-he’s b-back!”
His grandfather’s wrinkled brow pulled low. “Who?”
“H-him.”
“Use your damn words, Whip. Just saying ‘him’ doesn’t work, remember? Form your words and say them clearly.”
He was trying. He’d been better about it. Until now. “D-dad.”
The old man’s spine snapped straight and his cloudy eyes narrowed. “The hell he is.”
“Y-yes. He’s…” Whip gulped another mouthful of air. “He’s h-here.”
His pap stepped out onto the wood porch that needed a fresh coat of paint and let the wooden screen door slam behind him, making Whip jump and glance over his shoulder.
The screen door also needed a paint job, but Pap said he was getting too old to do that kind of “shit” and that Whip’s mom needed to find herself a worthwhile man to do work around the house and help raise Whip. Instead of the one that she was currently married to, who also happened to be Pap’s youngest son.
Blood or not, Pap said both his sons were useless pieces of shit. That was how he actually said it, too. He stated loudly and often that he wished he never had either one.
He also said the only good thing that came out of having those wastes of skin were his grandkids and his daughters-in-law. Whip, Whip’s mom, his Aunt Jennie and his two cousins were the only ones left on Earth who made his life worth living.
Whip loved his pap.
Much more than his father. Or his uncle.
Pap called them low-life losers. A lot. Especially when stuff needed to be done around the house or bills needed to be paid and neither of them were anywhere to be found.
Pap said his Uncle Scott, who always insisted on being called Spider instead, was too busy running around on his motorcycle and getting into trouble with the law. While Whip’s father was too busy getting himself in trouble with other women.
Whip didn’t know why since his dad had a perfectly good one here at home. Maybe if he was a little nicer to Whip’s mom, Pap would actually let him stay.
But his dad was never nice.
Not ever.
Not to his mom, not to Pap and not to Whip, either.
Whip actually hated his father. He was mean. Especially when he was drinking.
He had no idea why his mother married him. Whip asked her that once and she said he wasn’t like this when she met him. Pap said Whip’s dad wasn’t a “mean son-of-a-bitch” until his drinking got out of control.
“B-bet he’s… h-he’s here for m-money again, P-pap.”
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Pap grumbled. He turned and pulled open the screen door. “Get inside and go find your mother. Warn her that your daddy’s here and tell her to bring me my shotgun. The one that’s loaded near my bed. I’m going to handle this.”
Whip didn’t like Pap’s tone. It was the one he got when he was annoyed, like when the Steelers lost and he shouted that he was “done” with that “damn team.” Sometimes he even threw things at the TV.
“P-pap…”
His grandfather shot him a frown and pointed inside. “Go do what I told you. And don’t come back out ’til I tell you, neither. You understand, boy?”
Whip nodded.
“Go!” Pap barked.
Whip went.
“M-mom!” he screamed while running through the house.
“Why are you running?” she asked as she peered around the door from the laundry room. “You sound like a stampeding herd of buffalo.” She must be folding clothes again. She was always folding clothes.
“D-dad’s b-back.”
He wasn’t sure if she was frowning at that news or because of his stutter. It had been a while since he’d done it. The doctor said he had finally outgrown it.