Chapter 6 War

T wo months later

I didn't tell Raptor or Trojan that I called Sydney. Why? Because she fucking rejected me. Rejected us .

She didn't give me a goddamn chance to say hello, tell her we wanted to see her again or ask for her to come back.

"I'm not interested. Please stop calling and lose my number."

Lose her fucking number? What the hell?

And she hung. Up. On. Me.

Nobody fucking dared to do that shit to War. Not even my club brothers, pres, or V.P. They knew my temper. I had a short fuse, and few women could handle my intensity.

But Sydney did. She took my cock like a good girl, smiled into my eyes, and touched somewhere inside me that had been closed off for so long I forgot it was there. I wanted more of her. Every fucking hour since I woke up, and she was gone.

Yeah, she fucking split and didn't say goodbye. Like she was ashamed, or we didn't give it to her well.

I wasn't the only one grumbling about it. Trojan's pride took a hit, but honestly, he needed it. Slick fucker already had it way too easy with women. Raptor? He was pissed and a bit wounded. Since Sydney left, he spent all his time in the repair shop, working through his frustration with hard labor.

Me? I couldn't stop being pissed. The emotion meant I felt something and cared, which set me off even more. I didn't understand why Sydney got under my skin so fast or what it was about her that made me want to try again. She affected all three of us in ways we'd never experienced before.

Was it her sweetness and innocence that drew us in? Maybe. When you lived the way we did, you didn't see it often. But she'd been sexy, uninhibited, and confident that night, too. An intoxicating mixture of shyness and raw need. She'd come on our cocks the entire night, giving as much pleasure as she received. Sydney blew my fucking mind when she kissed me, drawing me close to her as I eased into her tight pussy, forming a connection I never thought possible.

I didn't do this shit. I fucked. I came. And I left as fast as possible. No woman ever tempted me like this.

Why her? Why that sweet brunette goddess?

I hated the fucking fact that she got to me. Three and a half months later, she still wiggled her way into my thoughts. My cock didn't hesitate to harden with the memory of her sprawled out, slick, and eager for me to fuck her. But it was the vision of her taking Trojan in her mouth and Raptor slamming into her from behind that sent a shudder through my body. I had to press on my erection hard and let the slight jolt of pain ground me.

Don't be controlled by pussy, I reminded myself.

"Pussy that doesn't want anything to do with you," I sneered as I pulled a pack of smokes from my cut, smacked the end against my palm, and dislodged a thick rod of nicotine-fueled addiction. Once I had the end lit, I inhaled, staring out across the lot toward the gate where a couple of prospects manned their post.

I felt antsy and fought not to tap my foot or fingertips or any of the other anxiety-ridden things I used to do as a kid. Took a long time to master control over my body, and I wasn't about to let one night with a woman ruin that.

About two minutes into my cigarette, I had company. One of the sweet butts who partied one night a few years ago never left. She kept thinkin' she was gonna snag one of us, and we'd make her an ol' lady. Some women were born for that role. Some weren't. Hades let Barbie hand around because she sucked good cock and took it in the ass as often as club members wanted. Otherwise, her drama would've kicked her conniving ass outta here long ago.

Personally, I didn't like that she always seemed to have an agenda. She wanted to poke the bear. I didn't like getting fucking poked.

"Hey, War."

I grunted a reply.

She moved closer, swinging her hips. "I could help you lose some of that tension."

Doubtful. "Not interested."

"Come on." She lifted her hand to touch me, thought better of it, and placed it on the hollow of her throat. She brushed across her skin with blood-red nails, trying to draw my eye to her tits.

I remembered perfect, perky, natural breasts that made my mouth water. They belonged to Sydney. "Go find another brother to fuck."

She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "You should warm up to me, War. I know I could make you feel good."

"Honey, I doubt your used-up cunt is gonna do anything for me." It was cruel. I didn't care either. She'd done some mean shit in the time she'd been at the clubhouse, including slicing up another of the club girls—one of the good ones who left because of Barbie and her bullshit.

Hades made a mistake in giving her a second chance.

"You're an asshole," she spat, spinning on her heel to stalk toward the garage.

Nobody was gonna take her shit over there, either. Two minutes later, she huffed as she walked back inside, ignoring my chuckle.

The rumble of Harley engines alerted me that Trojan arrived home before I saw him sitting astride his bike. Surprised, I noticed Raptor pull up next to him before a prospect opened the gate, and they rode through. He must have left the garage in need of a ride. I tossed the butt of my smoke and smashed the cinders with my boot, ticking my chin at my brothers in greeting.

"War, just the brother I wanted to see."

I snorted.

Trojan laughed as he cut the engine and stood, clapping me on the back as I reached them. "You think I'm lyin'?"

"Naw. I think you want somethin'."

Raptor grinned. "He knows you too fucking well, Trojan."

We both did.

"What scheme are you cookin'?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Sure, I liked to intimidate Trojan a little. Not that it worked. He was so fucking cocky I couldn't help it.

"No scheme, brother. Just a little adventure."

He sounded too fucking chipper. Something was up.

"Cut the shit. Tell me what's got you itchin' like a meth addict who needs a fix."

Raptor snickered.

"For fuck's sake, War. Can't you drop the conspiracy shit for five goddamn minutes?"

I pinned him with a glare.

"Fine. We want you to take a ride with us."

"Where?"

"To Columbus."

Sydney lived in Columbus. "No."

"War," Trojan shouted, throwing his leather gloves on the asphalt before he got in my face. "We want to find her."

"What if she don't want found?" I asked, getting in his personal space as I took a step forward. "Ever think of that?"

His upper lip curled into a snarl. "You're not the only one who felt something. We all connected with Sydney."

"And we all fucked before she left. End of story."

Raptor's hand rested on my shoulder. "I think it probably overwhelmed her. Maybe she got too embarrassed to come back."

I shook off his hand. "No."

"Why the fuck not?" He wasn't going to let this go.

"She doesn't want us," I finally explained, seething with anger.

"What do you mean?" Trojan asked, clenching his fists like he thought I would make it up.

"I got her number from Void."

Raptor frowned. "So you spoke to her?"

"She said to stop calling and lose her number."

Raptor blinked. "What?"

Trojan shook his head. "I bet she didn't realize who was on the phone."

"I don't think so," I disagreed. "And she ain't said a word or come back, has she? Either of you get a text? No? She hit you up on some stupid social app? No. Sydney don't want this life."

"You want it to be that way," Trojan argued. "It's easier for you to think the worst or not fucking care."

"But when it comes true, it's a lot fucking easier to deal with," I deadpanned.

"Fuck," Raptor whispered. "We need to know for sure. If Sydney isn't interested, that's fine. But I want to give it a try."

Trojan tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck. "Her apartment is empty."

Empty? "She moved?"

"Yeah. We rode by today, and the place is being repainted for new tenants."

Damn. "Void will know where she lives."

"Yeah. I'm gonna ask him." Trojan shook his head before he turned and headed inside the clubhouse, presumably to find information from Void.

"Kinda strange that she moved, huh?"

I shrugged. "People move all the time."

"I suppose so, but I have a weird feeling about it."

When someone said that to me, I tended to blow them off. Not Raptor. He had a sixth sense about shit, and he was rarely wrong. That was one of the reasons Hades named him as our cleaner. Raptor was skilled with blades, damn near OCD when it come to his attention to detail, and he didn't mind getting bloody. Or dirty. I never met anyone more inclined to work with their hands and be so fucking good at it.

His instincts made him an asset to the club. His loyalty made him family.

"Brother, if you got somethin' to say, do it. Trojan is moody. You're holdin' shit in. I'm pissed—"

"Like always," he interjected.

"—and none of it's gonna change until we talk."

He smirked. "You and talking?"

Yeah, yeah. "Just tell me, fucker."

His lips twitched with an almost grin. "When Sydney came to the clubhouse that night, I think she was in trouble."

That instantly put me on alert. "What do you mean?"

"I remember hanging around the bar that night before we brought Sydney back to the room. She said something about a cheating ex and that he'd done some shit to her."

"And you're just now tellin' me?"

"Man, I forgot about it until the empty apartment today. Now it seems like a red flag."

Well, fuck. "Then we're goin' for a ride."

"Yeah. As soon as Trojan comes back."

He wasn't gone more than fifteen minutes. The conversation with Void didn't end well. I could tell right away.

When Trojan left the clubhouse and headed toward us, he looked ready to spit nails. His lips pursed as she spat the news, "Void won't hand it over."

"Why the fuck not?" I asked, growing agitated after learning about Sydney's ex and him possibly harming her.

"Says it's not his place, and Becca would pulverize his nuts."

Raptor shook his head. "She probably would."

"Then we do this our way," I announced.

Trojan ticked his chin at me. "You sayin' you're in this now?"

"Until we find out if she's okay or not, I'm in."

"Raptor?"

"Hell yeah. It won't take long to find Sydney."

"Agreed. We just follow Becca."

Void was a dumbass. Everyone knew Becca and where she lived. Void's stepsister had been coming around this club for years. Hades thought of her as a little sister.

But Void? He didn't think of her as family the way we all did. I saw how he watched her. Fuck, he probably stalked her ass online and had multiple cameras keeping her in view at all times. Wouldn't surprise me none. He'd make a move soon. Guaranteed. Void, like most of us, was quick to strike once he was ready, much like a rattlesnake.

"Let's ride."

As I straddled my hog, pulling back on the throttle before I left the lot, I knew this wouldn't end until I figured out why Sydney told me to lose her number. I needed answers and closure and wouldn't stop until I had them.