Page 1 of Riding the Edge
Prologue
You can’t kill history. You can’t fucking shoot it with a bullet and watch it recede to a memory. Can’t torch it and watch it dissolve to ash either. Especially a fucking history laced with deceit. That shit stands the test of time and outlives the men who write it. If you don’t believe me, all you gotta do is take a long, hard look at the members of Satan’s Knights MC and you’ll find history living amongst every man with a reaper on his back. However, the secrets and lies, those cancerous fucks, have been exclusive to only two brothers—me and Lincoln Brandt.
To the club, Linc has been known as one of the four lost nomads I stumbled upon on my crusade to save our dying charter. No one knew his father was the former president of our charter or that, moments before his death, Cain asked me to watch over the kid.
Thinking back, I probably shouldn’t have been so eager to grant his dying wish. Maybe if I had asked questions I might’ve pieced together the puzzle earlier. I would’ve realized he wasn’t asking me to make sure the kid didn’t long for anything but rather I protect him from the repercussions of his father’s sins. Instead, I agreed to Cain’s request and held his hand as he took his final breath. I guess part of me never thought the kid would actually need me.
I was wrong.
By the time the call came from Linc’s mother, I had forgotten the kid existed. But being a man of my word, I made my way down south and when he opened the door to the trailer I was caught off guard by the striking resemblance, he beared to his father. The little boy I saw for a split second in a grainy photograph had become a young man with a tortured soul. Having just witnessed the murder of his young girlfriend and running from a gambling debt, he was lost and at the end of his rope. I think what really drew me to him was the tragedy reflected in his eyes. I feared he’d wind up like his old man…alone, with a needle in his arm and poison in his veins. Having three sons of my own, I couldn’t let that happen. It didn’t matter his father was a cunt who left our club in shambles; he was still an innocent kid in need.
Though, I didn’t think it was safe for Linc to come to Brooklyn with me. Cain had made a lot of enemies and most of them were still itching to retaliate. On top of that, Cain’s successor, Jack Parrish, was mentally ill and a loose fucking cannon. I feared the revelation of Linc’s identity would send our new president over the edge—a liability our club couldn’t afford.
Therefore, I set him up in a North Carolina charter where my sister was shacking up with the president. Joanne was a selfish bitch and a lousy mother to my niece which is why I made routine visits down south. With Linc and Kelly in the same place, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and keep an eye on both of them.
Of course, the son of a bitch fell for my niece.
He also fell right into his old man’s shoes and became a member of the club.
Haunted by the blood of one girl, he couldn’t stand the thought of something possibly happening to Kelly too and so, during one of my visits he decided he was no longer going to park his bike in North Carolina and headed home to the concrete jungle.
The secret of his identity hasn’t been the only lie burning inside of me and earlier today I decided it was time for me to unleash the truth.
Slamming the meat mallet against the wood, my attention was diverted to the head of the table—to where Jack sat, looking ragged. On top of battling his failing mind, he was also struggling to keep us all alive. We were at war with Vladimir Yankovich, a Russian gangster who not only was in the business of trafficking drugs but also abducting young girls. He’s been ruthless in his vendetta against the club and until recently, he was a fucking phantom.
The closer we got to executing an attack, the more concerned I became. We didn’t have a solid plan and I couldn’t shake the thought we were setting ourselves up for disaster. Digging up old skeletons soon had me piecing together a nightmare and revealing a truth that would not only bring our club to its knees but also commit Jack Parrish to a fucking mental institution.
“It’s been a long night for everyone,” he started, turning his attention to Blackie and Pipe. “Got our VP and our Sargent-at-Arms back at our table so, I’d call it a success.”
He was referencing the detective who had a hard-on for Blackie’s late wife. Apparently, the son of a bitch didn’t think we had enough on our plates and decided he wanted to fuck with us too. Not only did the bastard threaten to dig up Blackie’s wife, which sent our vice president off the grid, but, he also pulled a gun on Pipe’s new woman.
With that mess playing front and center and the club on lockdown, there was no time to share what I had discovered.
“We need God,” Jack said.
“I told you going to that place was a bad idea,” Riggs hissed.
The man was losing his mind, there was no reason to rob him of his faith too especially when it was the only thing keeping him somewhat sane.
“Shut it, Riggs,” I warned, turning my attention back to Jack.
“What place?” Blackie questioned.
“We went to church. Real church and not this thing,” Riggs supplied, waving a hand in the air. “There was a priest and chalice, not Parrish and a mallet.”
“Enough,” Jack demanded in a controlled voice. “I know what I mean.”
“Maybe you can explain it to the rest of us then,” Pipe suggested.
“Before any of you assholes ask me if I’ve taken my medication, the answer is yes,” Jack began, pulling the orange prescription bottle out of his cut as evidence. “But, the Lithium isn’t giving me the answers anymore.”
Swallowing, I looked away and bit my tongue. All of us knew the Lithium hadn’t been working for some time and Jack was living on borrowed time but no one wanted to admit that truth either.
Suddenly a phone rang, drawing our attention to the other end of the table. We all watched as Stryker ignored the call and apologized to Jack for the interruption.
“We shouldn’t have to do that,” Jack said. “What if it’s your fiancé? What if she needs something from you? None of you should have to turn your phones off to hear me preach, especially when the sermon hasn’t changed.”
“It’s fine,” Stryker replied carefully. His eyes moved to me and I gave a curt nod. I’m not sure when everyone began to question Jack and started looking to me for validation. “Continue with what you were saying. The Lithium isn’t working.”
