Free Betrayed (Soldiers of Darkness MC Book 2) by Michelle Betham Page A

messed-up…’
    ‘Everything we do is messed-up.’ He puts the gun down on the table and digs his hands in his pockets as he looks at me. ‘What did your father ever do for you, hmm? What do you owe him?’
    ‘This is crazy…’
    ‘Are you with me on this one, Zeb? Or not?’
    ‘You want an answer, just like that?’
    He bows his head and laughs quietly before he raises his gaze. ‘I hear you and Mack had a little, altercation, shall we say, at the clubhouse last night.’
    ‘That man ain’t fit to be President.’
    ‘What makes you say that?’
    ‘He’s weak. He ain’t the man he used to be, his head’s all over the fucking place…’
    ‘Because of Izzi.’
    He doesn’t phrase that as a question, and that pisses me off, big time. ‘He ain’t the man he used to be, Sam. I know what he was, how he used to operate, but now – now he wants to turn us into some kinda freakin’ boy scout hangout. You know about that, huh? How he wants to take us from outlaws to do-gooders? He tell you about church last night?’
    ‘He’s President of this club, Zeb, and it isn’t my place to get involved in any of Mack’s decisions.’
    I can’t help but laugh. Is he kidding me? ‘There won’t be a fucking club if he continues the way he’s going, you hearing me? Ain’t no brother I know want to change the way things are, but Mack – he wants to turn all that around, start again…’
    ‘You think he has an ulterior motive for that?’
    I narrow my eyes and open my mouth to speak, but then I stop myself. Because I think Sam’s leading me here, he’s pushing me. And I ain’t some wet-behind-the-ears idiot who’s gonna get swayed by his way of talking. ‘You’re changing the subject. What the fuck has any of this got to do with you wanting me to kill my father?’
    Sam shrugs, and for some reason that makes me want to smack that almost smug expression right off his face. ‘He took Mack’s mother away from him.’
    ‘Then tell Mack what he did. Let Mack deal with him.’
    He says nothing to that. He just fixes me with a look that I can’t read.
    ‘You really think this is necessary, huh? After all these years?’
    ‘And you’re accusing Mack of being weak?’
    Oh, man, I ain’t taking that crap. No fucker tells me I’m weak. No-one. ‘Don’t call me weak, Sam. Don’t do that.’
    He looks at me, just stares right at me. ‘This fight you and Mack had last night, was it anything to do with Izzi?’
    ‘Why the fuck do people keep asking me that? No. It wasn’t about Izzi.’
    ‘You’re lying.’
    ‘This has got nothing to do with Izzi.’
    ‘You don’t think Mack still has feelings for her?’
    ‘Y’know what? This is bullshit. You want me to go end my father, I’ll do it. That make you happy? Is that what you want? I’ll go right now, put a bullet in his fucking brain…’
    He bows his head and I stop talking, because I feel the atmosphere shift slightly. And he seems different, when he looks back up at me. ‘No, Zeb. That isn’t what I want. Not yet.’
    ‘You’re asking me to kill my own family, Sam.’
    ‘You work for me now, remember?’
    ‘And I agreed to that to keep him safe, to keep him alive. And now you’re changing the rules?’
    ‘There were no rules, Zeb. Not really.’
    I laugh and rake a hand through my hair, turning away from him. ‘Jesus…’ I swing back around to face him. ‘Why haven’t you told Mack, huh? Why haven’t you told him it was his uncle who killed the mom he never knew? You tell him that, and if he’s half the man he should be he’ll go end that bastard’s life himself.’
    ‘I don’t want him to know, Zeb. He doesn’t need to know.’
    ‘So you’re protecting him from the truth but it’s OK for me to kill my own father? And if I don’t want no part of this, what then? Suddenly I’m not worthy of your trust no more? After every fucking thing I’ve done for you?’
      ‘I’m not saying that… This life isn’t an easy one, Zeb.