Chapter 1

2 months later - November

Jason

I checked the time.

Again.

Fuck.

I wanted to go home, wanted to be with Madison more than any-fucking-thing in the world, but I couldn’t make myself do it.  Everything had changed; I had changed.  And I didn’t know if she could accept these changes.  And the not fucking knowing was driving me insane.  It was driving me to do things I never did.  Like not chasing her pussy like I fucking wanted to.

Shit.

I craved her pussy like a man fucking possessed.  Craved those eyes of her on me.  Craved those lips of her; wrapped around my dick and every-fucking-where else on me.  And yet, here I was, at a fucking strip club, at eight o’clock at night when I should have been at home with her.

I reached for my drink and swung my eyes to Scott as he came towards me.  I nodded at him and then drained my glass.

His face creased with concern as he pulled up a seat next to me.  “You alright, brother?”

There were no secrets between us, not even where his sister was concerned.  I shook my head.  “No.”

“What the fuck’s wrong?”

“Marcus.  That’s what the fuck is wrong.”

“Christ.  What did he do now?”

I stood up.  “Need another drink to do this.  You want one?”

He nodded yes and I headed to the bar to get them.  When I came back with the drinks, he took his beer from me and threw half of it back fast.

“Figured this is going to hurt,” he muttered.

“Yeah, brother.  You could say that,” I agreed and followed suit.  The bourbon burned on the way down, just the way I liked it.  I slowly placed the glass on the table between us and then started talking.  “Marcus is a cunt.  Sent me into some situations when I was away that caused me to do things I never fucking thought I’d do.”

“And?”

“And now I don’t know how to live with some of that.  And I sure as hell don’t know how to live with him in my life.  And to top that the fuck off, I want to marry his daughter.”  I stopped and reached for my drink again, draining it faster than the last one.  Eyeing him, my words sliced through the air, “You tell me how the fuck I do that.  How do I love a woman whose father I want to take a fucking knife to and gut like the fucking animal he is?”

Scott quickly reached for his beer and downed it.  “Christ, J.  What the fuck did he make you do?”

This was about to hurt but it couldn’t be avoided.  “Your father is a master manipulator; more devious than I ever gave him credit for.  I’m sure he has an agenda that neither of us are going to like.”  I paused and took a deep breath. “Marcus sent me to the Adelaide chapter, wanted me to deal with a suspected paedophile in the club.  I found the fucker alright and confirmed the dirty shit he was up to.  What Marcus failed to mention was that there was a ring of them in the town and that he already knew they existed.  He also failed to mention that the asshole was the fucking VP of the club and that he was standing in the way of a club deal to move some coke.”

“How long had he known they existed?”

Yeah, Scott was a smart guy.  He could already see where this was going.  “For over a fucking year.”

His face constricted in anger as he connected the dots.  “That motherfucker.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything else.

We sat with our fury for awhile before he asked, “He wanted you to take out the VP for him so they could move the coke deal through?”

“Yes.”

“And he played on what happened to your cousin and your hatred of paedophiles.”  It wasn’t a question; he knew.  And it would only increase his hatred of his father once he’d put it all together.

“Yeah, brother.”

“What did you do?”  He said this as he motioned for more drinks to be brought to us.  Thank fuck we owned this club; we’d need a lot more alcohol to get through this.

“I fucking played right into Marcus’s hands.  And, even though I don’t regret what I did, I fucking hate that I walked into his trap.”

“Fuck, J, get to the point.  I’m not used to you being so god damned reflective.”

The rage I’d been holding in for a long time reared it’s ugly head and threatened to explode out of me but I kept it in check.  Just.  Scott hadn’t done anything to deserve it.  No, it could fester for awhile longer until I decided to unleash it on the one person who did fucking deserve it.  After sculling the drink we’d just had brought over, I gave him what he’d asked for.  “I walked into  the worst fucking situation you could imagine; something I’ll never wipe from my mind.”  My heart was beating wildly in my chest as the sick images flashed through my head.  My mouth went dry and I fought the rising bile.  “I lost it, brother.  I used my bare hands to kill the two assholes in that room and then I found the VP who was the fucking ringleader and I dragged his death out so that he experienced pain like he’d never fucking dreamt of.”  I eyed the waitress and lifted my chin at her while holding up two fingers to indicate I needed two drinks.  Scott did the same.

He took a moment; letting it sink in.  “So, you’re telling me that Marcus knew this was going on but he held off on dealing with it until it suited his fucking purpose?  And he used you because he fucking knew you’d do exactly what he wanted due to your cousin being abused as a kid?”  His anger was building.