page6 (1/2)

Taylor let me into her home, sent me off to shower, found out some of her husband’s old clothes for aveanywhere She wouldn’t let o back out there to fend for myself with no one to care about me Both Jack and Taylor asked about my family, of course, they did I merely told them I had none, which wasn’t a lie Taylor thenMade sure I ate three times a day, learned how to be respectful in her hoht manners the way normal kids are But I soon learned with Taylor there to reht me martial arts every day because she said it would help ood at jiu-jitsu, the woman is a black belt Wouldn’t like to meet her in a dark alley, that’s for sure

I never had a e that Taylor treated me like one of her own, but I liked her, I liked Jack, I liked their kids Dante and Dominic were crazy little shits even then, but I loved the little idiots right away

I was a prospect with the club within days Jack toldto focus myover things a e Not that I’ve cried since I was a small child, but I knehat heof martial arts, I knew I’d soon be someone other than the skinny kid from the streets

I loved the club right away Didn’t care about the shit jobs I was given to do I did them with a smile on my face I earned the respect of my elders within days, received my road name just as fast

Stryker

Why?

Because I had a habit of striking when a person least expected it Strike theun Strike fast and fierce

The day I got e the club owned I’d been giving an apprentice job there with Cueball as my mentor, a way forup the iven ood practice for me to learn the art of mechanics If I fixed up that bike, as soon as I became a patched member of the Snakes, he’d buy me a real motorcycle Any Harley that I wanted I mean, shit, come on, what kid of nineteen-year-old would ever turn that down?

The guy who broke in hadn’t seenhie that would kill half the da seen by one of the others hanging around outside How he’d even gotten through the gate without being seen was beyond rounds someone should have seen him

Cunt didn’t see ot hiry, even with the , I still had so much of it built up inside ofout eventually It just so happened to be right then

I hadn’t even realized the garage was filling up with people Not until I swung uy’s neck That’s when I noticed Shepard, VP back then, clapping, s

It ht have been funny to him, a proud moment, but I won’t lie and tell you I didn’t feel sick, didn’t feel my stomach drop I’d never killed anyone in my life before that moment That kill would haunt me for many months to come, but it wouldn’t be my last kill

‘A real tough striker’ BlackJack had said

‘Stryker,’ Cueball, one of the older e had said Spelled the name out and told me it would make me stand out ‘Welcome to the family, Stryker’ I’ve been one of them ever since

I’ve never asked for anything in this life Anything I’ve wanted, I’ve gotten myself I’ve worked da I have now The only thing I want is the one thing I can’t have Shepard would kill me, just as he’ll kill Ice when he finds out what he’s done

The little hands aroundon ive in to what I feel it would be more than my life’s worth Would a taste of this beautiful wo for?

Of course, it wouldn’t

I pull up outside the house she’s staying at with her friend who down her offer of taking her ho her senseless I didn’t even ask Coral if she wanted to go hoet her away from Ice

“How did you knohere I live?” She cli

Not like I want to tell her that I follow her hoht to make sure she’s safe She’ll think I’ht of anything happening to her She’s part of the club, Shepard’s surrogate daughter, and we all knohat soet to hi Coral

She folds her arht little body of hers and huffs “I know you’re not aa one-sided conversation”

I keep my eyes on her while I cliainst it with my arms folded around my chest

“Seriously?” She raises her eyebrow I can’t help s to be the death of o throughthis woman

She rolls her eyes at asps, eyes looking at , Stryker?” I slide my hand into the side of her hair So soft it’s unreal “You just had sex withme like this?”

Oh That

“Why would that stop you? You just slept with Ice, or have I got that wrong?” Ah, fuck Why do wouy with so much force you can feel it in your toes? For such a little woman, she sure has a powerful slap

“How dare you!?” She takes a step back “I did not sleep with that man I don't sleep around, and I od for that!

“I didn’t sleep with your friend either She offered, I turned her down She wasn’t pleased, but it is what it is”