BLURB
For more than two decades, Banshee has been riddled with guilt because his little sister was abducted right in front of him.
It doesn’t matter to him that he was also a child.
It’s irrelevant that the kidnapper knocked him out before he grabbed Ryleigh.
For him, the bottom line was his job, his responsibility, was watching her and the other club kids while the ol’ ladies prepared food for a family day, and the club brothers had Church.
When his sister was initially found, she was going by the name the people who took her used. No one suspected she was actually a club princess, until one of the brothers, RiffRaff, said she looked like Lorelei, his deceased mother. Brick, their current president, took matters into his own hands and several weeks later, DNA confirmed she was his sister and he’s spent countless hours with her, watching old home movies so they can heal from the trauma of their past. She’s made it clear she bears no resentment toward him; she’s loving, sweet, and kind despite the hell she endured. Still, his guilt haunts him.
While he puts on a brave face, his nights are fraught with nightmares of that day and the subsequent months that followed which eventually ended in him being an orphan. When Wrecker, a club brother from the Cedar Creek, Texas chapter, calls and practically demands he come for a visit, he does, desperate to root everything out so he can get back on track.
He never expects that while he’s heading home to Roanoke, Virginia via their chapter in Dallas, Texas, he would meet the woman who’s going to become everything to him.
The only issue is, she doesn’t trust anyone, especially those of the male persuasion.
After Rory escapes from her Hell thanks to some awesome pre-planning her grampy did, she decides to leave her home behind and take her cat, Sassy, on the road in the RV she and her grandfather rebuilt. When it breaks down leaving her stranded near Dallas and her past attempts to catch up to her, she’s reluctantly forced to accept the help of a tall, tattooed biker.
She doesn’t expect to feel anything; her past has numbed her completely and she figures she's too damaged to bring much to the table, especially with a man like him who is every woman’s dream. But Banshee has found his forever in her, and he’s determined he won’t fail to save someone who he cares about ever again.
***Suitable for ages 18+ due to adult content, language, and situations***
Banshee, over twenty years ago
“Are you ready to meet your little sister?” my dad asked as we waited for the elevator to arrive.
I think about what he just said, because in all honesty, I would have preferred to be at the clubhouse, playing with my best friend, Brick, as we worked on the dirt bikes his dad found. We were ‘too young’ for a real motorcycle, according to our fathers, but these would give us the experience we needed so when that day came, we would know how to ride. Right now, we were learning how to do basic repairs while his dad, RiffRaff, helped us rebuild both bikes.
But I was also excited because I was going to have a sibling. Brick and I had already decided, even if the baby was a girl, we would teach him or her everything we knew. Only, he didn’t know about her yet because he was with his grandparents during our spring break. His granny came around the club from time to time, so I knew he was getting to eat all of the yummy treats she was making. I just hoped she would remember to send some home with him so he could share them with me.
“I guess so, Dad,” I finally replied. He chuckled, squeezing my shoulder as we entered the elevator that would take us up to my mom’s room.
Even as young as I was, I saw how the other people inside moved away from the two of us, so I mean mugged them to let them know I was aware. I was proud of the club my dad was part of, and someday, when I was old enough, I would sit around the table with Brick and our other friends in the club as we drank beer and decided what we were going to do.
My dad leaned in and whispered, “Doesn’t matter, Ban, what they think of us, remember? We know who and what we are.” Guess he saw me glaring at the two women who were clutching their purses against them.
As if a Roanoke Raider would ever steal someone’s purse. I knew the club did a lot for the community, but still, as Brick and I figured out, people were very judgmental about what they didn’t understand.
“I know, Dad, but it’s not fair that they think we’re going to hurt them just because we’re wearing our cuts,” I replied.
Okay, mine wasn’t a cut like my dad’s; his had the Roanoke Raider rockers on the back, his road name on the front, and a bunch of other patches he’d gotten throughout the years, while mine said ‘Future Roanoke Raider’ on the back, with my road name, Banshee, on the front. But still, even though any of the brothers in the club would stop to offer assistance to anyone who needed it, we got treated like we were dog shit.
“Well, today’s about seeing your mama, and meeting your baby sister. Just remember, what other people think or say about you is none of your business nor does it define who you are,” he stated, loud enough that I saw both of the women turn red.
My dad was good like that, though. He was able to put people in their place without ever raising his voice or losing his temper. I saw one of the ladies glance at the two of us and knew she saw a man with his son in front of him, his arm lightly embracing him. She didn’t see the man who went out late at night when his wife wanted a particular snack, or the man who loved to joke around with his brothers.
No. She saw his leather cut, tanned face, hair pulled away by his bandana that was wrapped around his forehead, his muscles in his arms, and the rings he wore on his hands and decided he was a bad man. When the ding sounded and the doors opened, we went to walk out and I looked up at her and said, “Sometimes, the good guys wear leather, lady.”
My dad chuckled as we walked down the hall to my mama’s hospital room, and I started to get excited about meeting my baby sister.
“Careful, Ban,” my dad warned as he placed Ryleigh in my arms. I nodded but didn’t take my attention away from the tiny pink bundle now carefully cradled against my chest.
“I’m your big brother, RyRy,” I whispered as Dad went over to sit next to Mama on the hospital bed. “I’ll always protect you. Me and my best friend, Brick, already decided.”
Big blue eyes stared at me as I continued to tell my baby sister all the things I was going to teach her once she was a little bit older.
“She’s so little,” Brick exclaimed, looking down at Ryleigh who was currently enfolded in his arms. He’d finally made it back home from his grandparents, bringing me my own package of ‘goodies’ from his granny. “I think she smiled at me,” he stated, grinning at me.
“Mama said she’s too young, it’s probably just gas,” I advised.
“Nope. It’s definitely a smile,” he rebutted. I watched in awe as RyRy’s little fist reached out and grabbed hold of Brick’s finger, bringing it close to her face.
“I think she likes you,” I replied. According to Mama, she was an ‘easy baby’ unlike how me and Brick were. We were both apparently ‘hell on wheels’, even though I was the only one straight outta her belly, because we woke up every two hours to eat, took a long time to settle, and both of us had colic, whatever that was.