by L. Wilder
When my father died, a part of me died with him, and the direction of my life changed forever. As I grew older, I always tried to remember what he said about being a strong man… a good man. In the life I’ve lived, I have made my mistakes—lots of them—but I’ve never had a problem admitting when I fucked up. The hard part wasn’t learning from the mistakes I’d made; it was finding a way to fix them.
Sophomore Year of High School
I was fourteen when my father shocked us all by dying of a massive heart attack. His death damn near destroyed our family, ending the safe and secure world I’d always known. My mother hadn’t worked in years, making it difficult for her to find a job that could sustain the life we’d grown accustomed to. When she’d finally managed to find a few odd jobs, it just wasn’t enough, and I was overcome with the need to protect my mother and brothers. I loved them and couldn’t stand to see the worry in their eyes. I knew I had to do something, anything to make things better for them. I started mowing lawns and running the local paper route, helping out the only way I knew how. I was doing all I could, and we were still barely able to pay our bills. That’s when my Uncle Saul stepped in, helping out in a way I couldn’t.
Until then, I really didn’t know much about my uncle, other than he was the president of some motorcycle club. I didn't know why we never spent time with him or his family, but I’d gotten the impression a long time ago that it had something to do with my mother. A look of disgust would cross her face whenever my dad mentioned his brother’s name or his club, and eventually, he just stopped talking about him altogether. It was obvious to all of us she didn’t care for him or what he represented, but at the time, she was in no position to turn down his offer to help. I never did understand her distaste for him. I liked Saul from the start. I could see my father when I looked into his eyes or heard his voice, reminding me of that secure feeling I had whenever my dad was around. I felt a pull to my uncle, and each time he’d come by the house, I’d stare out the window and watch as he pulled up on his motorcycle. There was a mystery to him that intrigued me, making me want to know more about his life and his club that existed on the outside of town.
Years passed, and even though I knew my mother wouldn’t approve, I asked my uncle if he could help me find a more substantial job, thinking the money would help out with the bills. I’d heard him talking about a house renovation the club was doing for one of their members, and since I was good with my hands, I hoped he’d be able to find a place for me. When I brought it up to Uncle Saul, I figured he would say no because of my age, but I knew I had my father’s build which made me look older than I really was, so I took a chance. At first he hesitated, but after I explained it would really help us out and promised to keep up my grades up at school, he finally agreed. It didn’t take me long to realize the job I so desperately wanted wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. Since I was much younger than any of the club members, they had me doing all the grunt work that they didn’t want to do themselves. I’d never worked harder in my life, but I liked being there, working with all of those men my uncle called his brothers, and soon began to feel like I was a part of something more than just a work crew. I felt like I belonged, especially when they’d let me tag along on some of their rides to blow off steam after work. Being on a bike with them was all that I thought it would be and more. The only thing better would have been having one of my own.
I’d been working with them for almost six months—we had finished one brother’s house and had moved on to the next—when my cousin, Derek, showed up on the work site, and as soon as he stepped out of his truck, it was clear to us all he was on a war path. At first glance, he reminded me a lot of Uncle Saul with his tall, thick build and coal-black hair, but unlike his father, his greenish-blue eyes showed no warmth behind them. I watched as he stormed over to Doc with his fists clenched and a scowl on his face, all the while grumbling curses under his breath. Doc wasn’t the kind of man who took shit from anyone, especially some angry kid. He was a retired military medic, and he expected respect, and he always received from his crew. After a brief one-sided argument, Derek’s face flashed red with anger. While grumbling under his breath, he grabbed one of the tool belts off of the table and walked over to me. He gave me a quick grunt and chin lift, then immediately got to work. It was almost an hour later before he ever actually spoke to me.
“You actually wanted to work here with these fuckers?” he asked with a frustrated look.
“Yeah. Guess I did,” I confessed.
“You got a screw loose or something?” he huffed. He didn’t wait for me to answer before he said, “Pop’s all pissed ‘cause I got pulled over for speeding last night. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if that nosy ass cop hadn’t gone digging in the back of my truck and found the cooler of beer and my bag of pot. He blew a gasket when he had to bail me out of jail again. Told me I had to work out here as my fucking punishment, but the old man’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’m going do this shit for free,” he complained.
“That’s a tough break,” I responded, not really knowing what to say.
“Ah, hell. This isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last,” he laughed. I looked over at him, noticing the mischievous smirk that spread across his face. There was something about that look that set me on edge, but I quickly forgot about it when he said, “You should come out with me and the guys tomorrow night. Some of us are heading over to Mindy’s party after the football game.”
I was only a sophomore at the time and spent most of my time working or helping my mother out with my brothers, so I hadn’t gone to many high school parties. I couldn’t help but get a little excited about going to one of Mindy’s blowouts. Trying not to sound too eager, I said, “Yeah, that’d be cool. I’ll just meet you at the game.”
I spent the next few hours listening to Derek gripe and groan as we finished the last of the demolition. By the time I finally made it home, I was beyond exhausted, and it was all I could do to take a shower before I crashed for the night. The next day, everybody was hyped up about the party. It was all anyone was talking about, and by the time we pulled up at Mindy’s house, the place was packed. The music was blaring through the house as I followed Derek and his buddies through the crowd and into the kitchen. We shuffled through the different groups of popular kids, each one totally absorbed in their own conversation, until we passed a couple of seniors. They glared at Derek as he passed by them, making it known to everyone they weren’t happy about him being there, but Derek didn’t care. He didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of him, and it showed. He had an air of confidence that was almost too much for me to bear, but his friends ate it up, laughing and carrying on right along with him. They were like a pack of wild dogs sniffing through the crowd, marking their territory along the way, and I found myself wishing I’d skipped the party altogether.
We’d been there for almost an hour when Derek came over to me and asked, “You ready for another one?”
I was on my fourth beer and already feeling a buzz when he handed me another full cup. With a wicked grin, he pulled out several pills from his back pocket and dropped them into his drink. After swirling it around for a few seconds, he said, “I’ll be right back.”
I was surprised to see that he was heading over to Sara Locke, one of the girls from the club. Her father was one of the brothers of Satan’s Fury, but that didn’t seem to slow him down. In fact, from the way he was eye fucking her, he obviously had a thing for her. Sara was a little younger than most of the girls at the party, but she was by far the most attractive around. She was wearing a short skirt with black cowboy boots and a sweater with a slight V, showing off all of her curves. Her long, dark hair fell loose around her shoulders and barely covered her breasts. There was no doubt about it—she was a fucking knockout. When Sara noticed Derek walking in her direction, she glared at him suspiciously, her fierce, blue eyes watching his every move. A lustful smile spread across Derek’s face as he approach
ed her and offered her his drink. She hesitantly took the drink from his hand and seemed leery as she studied what was inside the cup. For several seconds, she just held the cup in her hand, swishing it from side to side, but when her friend encouraged her to take a drink, all of her doubts were quickly forgotten. Just as she brought the cup to her mouth, Derek glanced back at me and winked, giving me an evil grin. He continued to talk to Sara and her friends for a few more minutes, then he playfully swatted her on the ass before strutting back over to me.
“What the fuck did you just do?” I barked.
“Relax, man. I just got the party started, brother,” he snickered. “Nothing better than easy pussy.”
“You fucking drugged her?” I roared.
“Fuck, yeah, I did. Now keep your damn voice down.”
“Look, man, I’ve got no problem if the chick is willing, and hell, Sara looks hot tonight… damn hot. I’d be all over that shit, but taking what hasn’t been offered isn’t an option.”
“Didn’t realize you were such a fucking tight ass, Cotton. Guess I was wrong about you after all,” he huffed, then turned back to his buddies, bragging once again about what he’d just done.
Everyone except Derek’s crew seemed completely unaware of what had taken place, which pissed me off even more. I couldn’t take my eyes off Sara, but I wasn’t the only one. Derek was watching her like a hawk, waiting for his drugs to kick in. Seeing the hungry look in his eyes when he ogled her repulsed me even more. The guy had no honor, no reservations about what he was doing, and I hated him for it. I had no idea how many girls had come before Sara, but I refused to let him get away with it again. Along with one of Derek’s sidekicks, I noticed that her eyes were glassing over and her balance was off, but I caught my break when several girls approached Derek and his buddies. They were momentarily distracted and didn’t see Sara when she started staggering toward the stairs. Knowing it might be my only chance to help her, I cautiously followed and found her in Mindy’s parents’ room. I’d prayed Derek had just been fucking around, but when I found Sara’s lifeless body sprawled out across the bed, there was no doubt he’d drugged her. She was completely out of it, and I knew I had to do whatever I could to protect her.
When I heard Derek’s voice drawing closer, I rushed over and locked the door. I turned back, glancing at Sara lying there on the bed, and it was all I could do to keep from slamming my fist through the wall. I wanted to stomp Derek’s ass, but unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t take him on with all of his buddies in tow. There were just too many of them and they weren’t the type to fight fair. When I heard the taunting shouts of my name vibrating through the walls, I knew I had to act fast. Trying to buy myself some time, I grabbed a chair and propped it against the door, bracing it firmly, so no one could get in.
The doorknob turned and jolted, and when it didn’t open, Derek started pounding on the door. “Cotton, I know your ass is in there. Open the fucking door.”
“Not going to happen, Derek. Just back the hell off,” I roared.
“You’ve got thirty seconds to open this goddamn door, or I am going to knock the motherfucker down,” he barked.
“Yeah… you go ahead and do that. Won’t take any time for everyone to come running to see what’s going on up here. Either way, this thing with you and Sara isn’t gonna happen,” I scoffed.
“The hell it isn’t! She’s mine, motherfucker, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me from having her!” he shouted as his fist slammed into the door once again. “Open the fucking door!... Fuck! You’re dead, Cotton! Dead!”
Knowing I was running out of time, I picked up the house phone and dialed 911. When I heard the operator answer, I laid the receiver on the bed next to Sara, rushed over to the window, and slipped out onto the roof.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, I heard someone shout, “There he is! Hey, Derek. He’s out back.”
I knew things were about to go south, so I took off running, hoping like hell I might have a chance to make it to the railroad tracks before they could catch me. I was wrong, and it cost me. I’d barely made it a half a mile down the road when Derek’s truck pulled up next to me, and one of the guys jumped out and tackled me to the ground. Even though he was much bigger than me, I managed to get back on my feet, but in a matter of seconds, all six of them were on top of me. I did my best to fight them off, but it was difficult with all of them coming at me at once. I was holding my own until Derek slammed some kind of board across my chest, cracking several of my ribs with the force of the hit. When he hit me with it again, the pain got to be too much, and I dropped to my knees, unable to defend myself any longer. After that, everything was just a blur. Their grunts echoed around me as they plowed their feet into my side, chest, back, and head over and over again. I was just about to pass out when I heard police sirens coming down the road toward Mindy’s house.
“Fuck! Get in the damn truck,” Derek barked.
“You’re just gonna leave him here?” one of them asked. “Shouldn’t we take him off somewhere so nobody can find him?”
“We don’t have time. Get your ass in the truck,” he ordered.
I’m not sure how long I lay out there in the dark before Doc found me. I barely remember anything after Derek’s truck drove off down the road, leaving me there to die. I woke up the next day in a room I’d never seen before, feeling like I had been put through a fucking meat grinder. Doc was standing over in the corner, talking to Uncle Saul, and I could see the concern in their eyes as they spoke.
When Uncle Saul looked over to me and saw I was awake, he walked over to the bed and rested his hand on my shoulder as he said, “You’re gonna be okay, Cotton. Doc found you lying on the side of the road on his way in this morning. He almost passed you by, thinking you were some drunk, but when he saw that Mariner’s baseball jacket of yours, he realized it was you. He was just going to take you on home until he saw the condition you were in.”
I tried to sit up on the bed, but stopped when a pain shot through my side. Fuck. They’d done quite a number on me. My left eye was almost swollen shut, and my entire body was covered with bruises. I started to feel a little dizzy, so I laid my head back down on the pillow. Knowing I would’ve been in even worse shape if it weren’t for Doc, I turned to him and said, “Thanks, Doc. Appreciate you helping me out.”
“No problem, kid. You took one hell of a beating last night. Glad I came across you when I did.”
As soon as he left the room, Uncle Saul said, “Just so we’re clear. I know what happened last night. All of it. Sara’s still a little out of sorts, but she’ll be fine. Luckily, her father is a brother of the club, so the situation has been dealt with. And Derek… he will be dealt with as soon as I leave here. You can count on that.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “You did good helping Sara last night. Glad you were there. She’s family, and we do what we can to protect what’s ours. You’re already showing you can be trusted to do just that. Now, get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”
Just before he walked out the door, I called out to him. “Uncle Saul… what about my mom? She was expecting me home last night and she’s …”
“Don’t worry about her. Just get some rest and plan on staying here at the club for the rest of the weekend. I’ll come up with something to tell your mother,” he assured me.
I spent the next few days mending and learning my way around the clubhouse. I often worried about what was going on at home, but Uncle Saul assured me that my mom and brothers were fine. He’d told her I was helping one of the brother’s out with a side job, and he’d make sure I got to school on Monday. I had no idea how he got her to go along with it—I was just glad he did. While I was there, I decided to make the best of it. I’d always wanted to know what it was like at the club, and since I was going to be staying for several days, I finally had my chance to see it for myself. Being there was everything I thought it would be and more. The clubhouse wasn’t just a place to meet and dr
ink beer, or even a place to work—it was home. The guys treated me like I was one of their own, and I found myself wanting to stay… even if I had to deal with Derek. I kept expecting to run into him, but he never showed. Later, I found out Uncle Saul had been true to his word, and Derek had been punished. After one hell of a beating from Sara’s dad, Uncle Saul cut him off, telling him he wouldn’t get another dime from him until he cleaned up his act. That never happened. Instead, he’d stolen money from a notorious drug dealer on the east side of town, and the trouble with Derek only escalated from there. He was set on a path no one could deter him from, and in the end, it cost him everything.
Get the rest of Cotton,
Book 3 in the Satan’s Fury series,
on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTLXKUS
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
