Blade (Silver Shadows MC #1)

Chapter Seven

Blade

I waited just inside the door for Jack to enter. I trusted this asshole completely. That was my mistake. It was bad enough seeing King’s hands on Becca, but seeing her hand on Jack’s arm made me what to rip his arm from his body and beat him with it.

He was the last one to enter, and once the door was closed, I had him up against the wall with my arm at his throat.

“What the fuck?” My anger was palpable as I waited for his answer.

“You better take your damn hands off me before I forget you’re my fucking brother.”

“You had your hands on her. I asked you to be her friend. Not put your hands on her.”

Jack shoved me off him as Gunner, the club enforcer, stepped between us. He was a big son of a bitch, and we all knew not to test him.

“I leaned over to talk to her. It was habit, not a move.”

“Is it a habit that she had her hand on your arm?”

“You would have to ask her. It was a half a second before you walked in.”

“Alright, you two, enough. Let’s get started.” King took his place at the head of the table.

As I turned to my brothers, I announced, “Beck is off-limits!”

“Are you claiming her?”

I turned to glare at King when he questioned me.

I didn’t know what his game was, but there was something there.

With my teeth clenched tightly, I muttered, “No.”

“Then you don’t get to say she’s off-limits.”

I walked over so I was toe to toe with my president.

“Ace didn’t claim Lily and he made her off-limits.”

“Are you saying you see Beck as your sister?”

I knew he wouldn’t back down, but there was no way I was claiming Becca as my sister. Despite her being my best friend when we were growing up, I had never seen her as a sister.

He knew he had me cornered.

“You know I’m not.”

“Then I repeat, you do not get to say she is off-limits.”

I narrowed my eyes for half a second before I turned and took my seat at the table.

“In case anyone has forgotten,” King said in my direction, “I already declared her off-limits as Willow’s granddaughter.”

King banged his gavel as he did every time we started church.

I sat in my seat, stewing. I acknowledged I misdirected my anger at Jack, but I never could keep my head in check when Beck was involved. The meeting went on without my attention until someone kicked my foot.

I looked up to find King glaring at me.

“What?”

“You want to contribute to the meeting, Road Captain?”

I realized now we were coming to the end of the meeting.

King chose me for the job of Road Captain when we settled into Diamond Creek because I knew the roads. Growing up here, I knew the area like the back of my hand. Which made me the logical choice for setting up the runs.

I went over the information for the upcoming run, and when I finished, King closed the meeting the same way he opened it, with a bang of his gavel.

We all shuffled out of church, and I heard one of my brothers yell, “Let’s get this party started!”

I made my way to the bar, and a prospect had a beer waiting for me when I sat down.

It didn’t take long for people to show up. We opened the doors once a month to the outside. Men and women from town were welcome to party with us. Giving the brothers a chance at new pussy and the club girls a break from us, not that they ever asked for one.

I sat nursing my beer, watching Beck in the mirror behind the bar, making sure none of my brothers got any ideas in their heads.

“Hey, Blade, how’s it going?”

I looked over at the man standing beside me.

Ryder Thomas. We were friends growing up. Now he was just one more person from town that didn’t recognize me. One more person who didn’t know I was alive.

“Hey, Ryder, no kids tonight?”

He leaned back, his elbows against the bar as he looked out over the room.

“Nope, my parents take the girls every now and again to give me a night off.”

Suddenly, he stood up.

“Beck?”

I turned toward his line of sight and saw her rushing over.

Shit.

“Ryder? Oh my God!” she squealed, launching herself at him as she hugged him tight, and he spun her around.

I wondered if I would get the same response if she knew who I really was?

“Beck, when did you get back?”

“A few days ago. I came home to help Grams with the house. How are you? Are you still with Tammi? How are your parents?”

“Mom and Dad are good, retired. I took over the bookstore. Tammi and I got married and have two little girls. Chrissy is five and Tabitha is three.”

Ryder was now facing the bar, and I could see him look over at me through the mirror. Not sure what that was about.

“Is Tammi here? Or is she home with the girls?”

“Actually”—Ryder looked away briefly—“Tammi left me two years ago.”

“What? I thought for sure you two would be together forever.”

“Yea, me too. She, however, decided she didn’t want to be a wife and mother anymore. We got divorced, and she left town.”

“She left the kids? Well, I can now tell you I never really liked her, anyway.”

I knew that was the truth.

Beck hated Tammi. Ryder and she must have gotten together sometime between when I ‘died’ and Beck left town. I was sure Beck hated that. She always thought Rachel and Ryder would get together. By the time I came back, Ryder and Tammi were married, and once Cash got a look at Rachel, she was his.

“How are you doing being back in town, Beck?”

“So far, I’m doing good. I’ve stayed pretty close to home, though. Only been to the diner and the grocery store.”

“You need to come to the bookstore. I would love for you to meet my girls.”

“I would love that!”

“Hey, remember that time you, me, Rachel, and Micah broke into the store at night?” Ryder asked.

Hearing my name had me looking up at the mirror again at two of the three people who meant the world to me growing up. We were always together, getting into trouble.

“Of course I do. We went in there to look at the Joy of Sex , and when we got in, you two wouldn’t let Rachel and I see anything. You said we were too young.”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear it in her voice.

Did I just imagine that she purposely didn’t say my name?

Was I an asshole for hoping it was too painful for her?

Was I also an asshole for wanting her to still be missing me?

“You were too young,” Ryder countered, shrugging his shoulder.

“We were all the same age.” Beck smacked him in the chest. She was getting irritated with him just like when we were kids. Ryder had a way of bringing out her frustrated side. Beck never got angry with anyone, really, except her mom.

“Nope, Micah and I were fourteen, you and Rachel were still technically thirteen.”

“You had just turned fourteen. He was the oldest. Rach and I were only a few weeks behind.”

She did it again.

I didn’t realize until now how much I wanted to hear her say my name. I needed to hear her say my name.

Ryder looked at me in the mirror again.

I knew that look.

He looked back at Beck.

“Have dinner with me.”

Sitting up straight, I saw him smirk. Did he really just ask my girl on a fucking date? What the hell was he thinking? Sure, he didn’t know she was my girl, but he also didn’t know she didn’t belong to anyone here. He had to know he was playing a game he couldn’t win.

“I would love to have dinner with you. Maybe one day this week I can come by and meet the girls, and we can get some pizza and catch up?” Beck answered excitedly.

“That would be great.”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I backed off my stool to head outside. As I passed by him, I shoved my shoulder into his, making him stumble.

Too bad he didn’t go down. Next time I would do it harder.

“Blade, what the heck?”

I didn’t turn to look, as I just kept going when I heard Ryder laugh.

“It’s ok, Beck, everything’s good.”

Everything was not good, fucker.

I stepped out into the lot and had a smoke. I knew I should quit, but screw that. There were two choices: smoke or down a bottle of Jack. This way I could keep my head, and that would keep me from putting Ryder in the ground.

“What the heck was that for?” Becca slammed out the front door, confronting me.

“Go back inside.”

“I will not. Do you treat all your guests like crap? I thought that was just for me.”

“You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“That was uncalled for. You didn’t need to shove him. He grew up in this town, just like me and Rach. He doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

I took a deep drag from my cigarette and let it out slowly. I came out here so I wouldn’t do something stupid, and she followed me to rip me a new asshole. She had never talked to me like this.

I had to remind myself she didn’t know who she was talkin’ to.

“You need to go inside and apologize.”

She was fuckin’ adorable, standing there with her hands on her hips. I smiled around the cigarette hanging between my lips and waited. I knew there was more coming.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

She couldn’t honestly think I was going to say I was sorry.

“Do you not have any manners at all?”

“Nope.”

She stood there shaking her head when the front door opened and Ryder stepped out, helping Grams down the few steps.

“Grams, are you ok?” Becca rushed over to her grandmother.

“I am fine, dear. I wanted to make it an early night and head home. Ryder offered to walk.”

“You know the rules. Once you leave, you can’t come back.”

“Are you kidding me?” Becca spun around so fast, it surprised me she didn’t get dizzy and fall on her ass. “He is going to walk my grandmother across the street, and you say he can’t come back? He isn’t really leaving.”

“Rules are rules. Once you walk through that gate, you’re done for the night.”

“Fine. Ryder, you can stay. I will head home with Grams.”

Ryder looked at me as I pulled out my phone to text Jack. He needed to get his ass out here now.

“Beck, it’s ok, I know the rules and I’m fine with it. You go back in and have fun with Rachel. This is your first biker party, not mine.”

“No, I will not be the reason you can’t come back.”

Jack stepped outside. Seeing what I could imagine to him looked like a Mexican standoff between Becca and me with the way she was glaring at me.

“Everything ok out here?”

“No, Jack, it is not ok. Grams wanted to go home, so Ryder, being the gentleman that he is, offered to walk her home, and this imbecile is telling him he can’t come back in if he leaves. So instead, I am going to go home with Grams.”

That had my eyes rolling so far back in my head I didn’t think they would ever come back down.

“How about I walk Grams home and you can both stay?”

Jack walked over and put his arm out like he was a fucking butler. Grams took his arm and smiled up at him as they headed for the gate.

“Thank you, Jack, but I am going as well. I suddenly don’t feel like partying.” Becca gave me one last glare before walking through the gate with Jack and Grams.

“You always were a dipshit.”

I spun around toward Ryder. “What the fuck did you say?”

“You heard me. When are you going to tell her?”

“Tell who what?”

Ryder shook his head and glared at me.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know? Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize my goddamned best friend?”

I stared at him. He knew?

“What are you talking about?”

“Fuck you, Micah!” Ryder turned on his heels and walked to his car.

“How long have you known?”

He turned back around and let out a long sigh.

“Since you came back to town.”

“I’ve been back for five years. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you? I figured you had a reason. We all knew your dad was shady as fuck. When we thought you were gone, the whole town mourned. No one like her though. She almost didn’t survive it.”

I looked down at my boots, not wanting to see the hurt on his face.

“I can’t tell her.”

“You can’t not tell her. Eventually, she’s gonna figure it out. She won’t survive losing you again.”

“Everyone keeps saying that. She’s stronger than you all give her credit for. She always has been.”

“You weren’t here, Micah. You didn’t see her. Tell her. Soon. It needs to come from you.”

With that said, Ryder moved to get in his car.

“Hey, Ry.”

He looked over the hood of his car at me.

“I’m sorry, man. Leaving wasn’t my choice, or how we left.”

“I know. But coming back was. Hiding who you were was your choice. The wrong fucking choice.” He slid behind the wheel, started it up, and drove out before I could say anything more.