Page 9 of Sin

"Sin, brother, what's with the look?" Bubba asks.

Keith Bubba Dawson is one of my brother's best friends. He's also Dyke's son. Cut and Bubba were the first of the next generation born to the club. Three years after Cut was born, I came along. Six months later, Hound, another founding member of the club, had his son, Hawk. Dyke and Hound didn't have any more children. Their baby mammas weren't cut out for the club life and took off. Leaving the boys in the hands of their fathers. My mom stepped up. She was and still is the ultimate mother bear. In the club, blood doesn’t matter. We are family and it doesn’t waver when it comes to the kids. It was like a gift from God when my mom gave birth to my sister, Sienna, only twelve months after I was born. She was finally blessed with pink and frills in a world of black, blue, and leather.

"It's what I thought." I say.

"Shit! “ Cut slam his fist into the bar.

"Yeah. She's running from a whole shit load." I respond.

"Again, Matthew. She is not Sienna." Cut’s voice goes soft as he says our sister’s name.

"Yeah, I know. This time the girl got away. From what I understand, she was with him for a while. He sent her a shit ton of sick as fuck messages about how she's gonna regret what she's done."

"This is nothing like Sienna then, Sin. She’s not your sister." Bubba speaks up.

"Yeah.” Hawk chimes in. "This isn’t the same thing at all. You've got to keep your head on straight with this shit."

"Got it." Dyke comes back in. "Her name is Savannah Elizabeth Ray. She's twenty-three. She was abandoned by a drug addict at birth, and then adopted by a couple, James and Trisha Ray. They live in Fort Worth as well. She just finished her bachelor's degree in business. Has been offered scholarships to obtain her MBA at most of the major colleges around the country, but she's turned every single one of them down. Now it gets exciting. She's currently engaged to none other than Tyson Gerald Redding." I catch the frown on Cut’s face when Dyke gives us the news.

"Fuck me. Tyson Redding?" Bubba asks.

"Yep, Tyson Redding." Dyke confirms.

"The same Tyson Redding whose family owns Redding Oil?" Cut wants to know.

"Yep." Dyke replies.

"The same Redding Oil who all but forced Jerry Jones to sell his beloved Cowboys?" I can’t help it; I’ve always been a Cowboys fan.

"They haven't been able to prove that, Sin. It was time for Jerry to retire." Lick spouts with a smirk.

Bubba being a bigger fan than I am, speaks up. "Tell that to his family when they didn't get to say shit about the sell."

"Again, no one says that the Reddings had anything to do with that. They didn't strong arm Jerry, I’m sure of it." Lick defends his stance.

"Yeah, that's why the stadium and the football team had a name change before the ink was dry." Bubba doesn’t let it go.

"It's Texas, things are always done bigger there, or so the saying goes."

"So it's Tyson Redding who beat the shit out of her.” Cut brings the group back to focus. “It's Tyson Redding who sent her all those threatening texts."

That’s something I wasn't expecting. I figured it was just some punk ass guy she was running from. Well, he’s still a punk, but one with money and connections.

"Yeah, and its Tyson Redding who's gonna make big trouble for this club and what we do when he finds out his fiancée is here. It's time for her to go, brother." Lick says.

“That’s not your call to make, Lick. That’s not the way we do things around here.” I tell him. “I may not be happy to be a part of this club, but I know how it’s run, and I know it’s not up to one of us to make that decision.”

“No one is making any decisions right now. We’re just getting the facts.” Hawk says. “This isn’t some random chick you came across, Sin. She has baggage and we all know the power that’s behind the Redding name.”

“That’s not a reason to abandon her. Not when she needs us.”

“She doesn’t need us, Sin. You know that.” Cut argues. “You’re confusing who needs who here.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!” I snap.

"Yeah, Mama, I'm here."

"Savannah Elizabeth Ray, you’ve had us worried, darlin'. Tyson is beside himself with grief. He says he came home and you were gone, vanished. Without so much as a note.”