Free Outlaw Road (A MC Romance) by Nora Flite, Adair Rymer

met. For a while, the Steel Veins lost their way. Poet was the man who stepped up and ripped out all the weeds, something now referred to as the 'changing of the guard.' Poet brought this club back to the roots it was founded on. Because of that, I have nothing but respect for the man.
    “You're a selfish prick, Ronin. You've never seen nor cared about the bigger picture, and that's why I fucking sent you! Do you have any idea how many guys we cut loose after the old guard was removed? Our membership has been cut down to almost half. We don't have the manpower to support your fucking sad conscience. The Steel Veins can't afford a war with the Knights, at least not right now. For the good of the club we had to call an emergency vote.”
    His edge softened considerably, and he added, “I'm sorry, but it was unanimous. You're in the wind.” 
    My chest tightened at his words. “Remy, I know I fucked up, but don't do this, man. You can't kick me out!”
    “You almost castrated the Knights' president.” There was a deliberate pause to let the words sink in. “Severing ties with you was the only way to smooth things over with Lucky. The only way to keep from full on war breaking out.”
    “It was one mistake. All I have is this club!”
    “No. You lost that the second you let Repo walk out of those doors alone,” Poet growled.
    This was a huge deal, I was crushed. I was so caught up playing checkers that I fucked up The Veins' chess game. Remy had every right to be pissed at me, but this was too far!
    There was a resigned sigh on the other end of the line. “You know the news will go public the second I let the Knights know, but I'll push that to the end of the week.”
    I could hear it in his voice that, although he was pissed at me, this was out of his control. Sure, he wanted to kick the shit out of me, but kick me out of the club? No, he understood what the brotherhood meant to me, even if I was just a nomad.
    Remy said, “That should buy you a few days to get some miles under you. Disappear, Ronin. Find a quiet place and lay low for a while. You made a lot of enemies, and without the Veins to back you...”
    He let the words drift, but in that space there was no vagueness. Without a club to watch my back, I was fair game for every asshole and old grudge to take a swing at. It might as well have been hunting season, and I was on the menu.
    I was completely fucked.
    “Yeah, I know.” I couldn't keep the bitter resignation from slipping out.
    “We'll try to figure something out on our end, but until then, keep your head down, brother .” Poet's voice held more defeat than hope. Technically, I was no one's brother now, but it still felt good to hear the president call me that. It was his way of telling me that he was pulling for me, even if he couldn't support me publicly.
    I folded the phone shut and took the heaviest breath of my life. Standing there, I was unable to think or move. The residuals from the conversation seeped ever deeper into my mind and heart.
    My gaze drifted upward, not for any kind of prayer, but to will the ceiling to give way and crush me.
    Loneliness gave way to something even more primal. I was extremely good at letting heavy shit slide right off me, usually with a joke and a smile. This time, I couldn't find the levity.
    Like the red-tinted fog of dawn over an eerily calm lake, this time, there was no holding back the dormant anger from invading my.
    My eyes glassed over. I stepped forward and launched a nearby wooden chair into the door frame that separated the fireplace from the foyer. Two thick, spindly legs broke off, the delicate backrest shattering across the floor.
    One call from Remy, and that was it. I was nobody again.
    I'd been riding for the Steel Veins since I got back from Afghanistan. All those years, and in the end, it didn't amount for shit. I'd spilled so much God damn blood for this club, both mine and others, and they were just going to hang me out to dry because of a