CHAPTER ONE
CRASH
Laughter fills the yard at the back of the clubhouse as I sit with my brothers from the Phoenix chapter of the Rugged Skulls MC, but also the men from Fort Lauderdale, who arrived this afternoon.
It is Racer’s birthday, not that the grumpy fucker wants to celebrate, but he got out voted. The guys threw him this party, and Magnum, my old president from Fort Lauderdale, wanted to come here to make a big announcement and thought with everyone here, it would be the best time.
It has been a month since I became a full patched member of the club and fuck, life has been good. The club took me in when I needed to come back to Arizona to deal with some shit from my past; they have my back just as much as I have theirs.
We have looked into Valarie and her brother Vince, and found out that they are in deep. Vinnie is in prison, while Valarie is dealing with the aftermath of his arrest. She has been dragged into his debt, paying it with her freedom.
I always knew that Vinnie would fuck up so bad and drag Val down with him, which is why I couldn’t stay around to help him, or her, in a way. When she took his side when I wanted her to run with me, it crushed a part of me.
I am an only child, so I do not know the feeling of having the sibling trust and loyalty like they have, so I get why she stayed to help him.
I just couldn’t.
“Well fucker, this looks good on you.” I smile, standing and hugging Jack, before turning to Lilith.
“Logan, we have missed you.” She kisses my cheek, and hugs me back.
“I missed you guys, too.” I look at Dom. “Fuck, little man, you are not so little anymore. What the fuck happened?”
He shrugs with a wide grin on his face. “I grew up, old man,” he jokes.
“Old man. Cheeky shit. I am twenty-four.”
“Yeah, like I said, old.” He looks to Lilith. “Mom, can I go and play with Target’s dogs and the twins, please?”
She nods, her eyes filling with love for this boy who she sees as a son even though they do not share the same blood.
“Go on, and ask Target before giving them any treats.”
“Will do.” With that, he is off to the other side of the room where Target and Maddie’s dogs sit with the twins.
“You good?” Jack asks, taking the empty seat next to me.
I nod. “All good, brother.”
“Can I just say that I love your road name, Logan. I think it suits you,” Lilith comments, making me laugh along with the men around us.
“It is fucking poetic, if you ask me. He looks like that Formula One driver: his name is Logan, he loves cars, ad he crashed one into a house,” Calder calls out from the other side of the fire pit.
Everyone laughs, and I salute him with my beer bottle.
“He is a sexy fucker, though,” I reply.
“Just like you, baby cakes,” Savage calls and when I look at him, he blows me a kiss.
I catch it, tucking it in my pocket with a wink, which he returns.
“I see that you are handling Savage. Good to see; I thought he would eat you alive,” Slide calls out.
“I would, if he let me, brother.”
Looking to Slide, he is still a good-looking guy for his age; the silver mixed with his dirty blond hair adds to his appeal. From the stories I've heard, women would fawn over him. He was the biggest whore out of all the men in the club, until he found Farrah.
“Slide, you are forgetting that I lived at your clubhouse, was around you, Maverick, Calder, and Luna for nearly a year, so not much embarrasses me or takes me by surprise anymore.”