“I think so,” his sister said softly. “A few years back, I saw the announcement in the paper that she married Luc Gaulier. You remember him from high school, the star player?”
He nodded, his jaw jutting out.
“When you were in… prison”—Isa said it like it was a dirty word—“did you ever hear from her?”
“She wrote me a bunch of letters. The last one told me she was back with Luc.”
“Did you ever answer her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “What for? She bailed on me. Most of her letters reeked with pity and an undercurrent of horror at what I’d done.” He shook his head. “What did I have to say to her, anyway? I couldn’t very well chat about ‘my friends’ on the inside. After she told me about Luc, I didn’t see any point in her writing again. I had enough to deal with. I didn’t need that shit, especially from her.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. That’s all in the past. I can introduce you to a couple of my single friends. One of them remembers you from high school, and she always wanted to go out with you. You’ll have a nice girl and family in no time.”
“I doubt that.” He was broken, but no one saw that except him. The pieces had shattered, leaving only bitterness and a dark rage. “Anyway, I’m not planning to stay.”
“What do you mean?” Isa glanced at him her round eyes wide.
“I’m planning to head to Colorado. I got tight with a dude in prison who belongs to a club there. I’m thinking of checking it out to see if it’s for me. His name’s Bones. He was visiting some friends in New Orleans when he got into a bar fight and did some damage. Got six years for it. The way he talked about the club intrigued me.”
“A club? What kind is it?”
“It’s a group of guys who formed a brotherhood. They love the ride. I’ll have to get a Harley, which may be hard since I don’t have any money.”
“You have money in trust from the sale of the land in St. Martin.”
He sat up straight, his temples pulsing as the heat rose in him. “Maman’sland was sold?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want it to be, but I was outvoted. Henri and Lille wanted to sell it.” She glanced at him, then darted her eyes back to the road. “Of course, Pa didn’t have any say since he killedMaman,” she said in a soft voice.
Their father was convicted of second-degree murder and was sitting in maximum security in the same prison Roche had done his time.Fucking ironic.The legal system didn’t allow murderers to profit from their crimes, so the land went to the four of them. “How did they sell the land without my goddamned signature?”
“Henri said he sent it to you and you signed off. Your signature was on the paperwork.” He pounded the dashboard. “He fucking forged my name!” He glowered and stared straight ahead.
“You’ve sure picked up some bad language.”
“One of the perks of being in the joint,” he deadpanned.
“I’m sorry that this came as a surprise. Anyway,Maman’sgone, so what’s the point in keeping it? I could never go there again.”
He didn’t answer, the darkness consuming him. He had to get out of Louisiana before he lost it and ended up back in prison.Henrineeds my fist in his face in the worst way. The fuckin’ bastard!
“So, you have money if you need it.” She smiled weakly. “What’s the name of this club that’s taking you away from me so soon?”
“The Insurgents. And my name’s not Roche anymore. It’s Rock.” He leaned back again and closed his eyes, working hard to push down his rage as the car sped along the freeway.
Chapter One
Pinewood Springs, Colorado
Seven years later
As Rock andWheelie entered the Insurgents MC clubhouse, the hoots, whistles, and shouts were deafening. After four months of political bullshit, the two bikers had finally been released from jail. The Denver District Attorney’s Office decided not to charge any Insurgents or Demon Riders in the fight that broke out at the Denver Motorcycle Expo that summer. Since there weren’t any witnesses brave enough to testify, and none of the bikers were talking, both clubs walked away free and clear.
Each club knew they’d take justice into their own hands. One of the Demon Riders had been killed and two Insurgents had just spent four months in jail for a fight the Demon Riders instigated. Neither act would be forgotten by its respective club.
