Rock's Redemption(Insurgents MC Romance Book 8)(6)

He squinted and spotted a car at the side of the road, a slender woman  with dark curly hair waving at him as he neared. She ran up to him and  hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy you're safe and coming home."

He nodded, pulling back a bit. His sister, Isa, looked beautiful and all  grown up. She was the only one in his family who'd come to visit him.  She'd also written to him regularly, and he loved her for it. His eyes  lit up when he spotted her rounded belly. "When's the baby coming?" he  asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

"Not for another four months. You look good, considering what you've been through. You definitely got some muscle action going."

"I didn't have anything to do but work out. Had to make sure I could hold my own in there, you know?"

She nodded, a tear escaping. "It's all over now. You can start living again. This is all behind you."

He looked out the window as the countryside blurred by. It'd take a  couple hours until he'd be back in Lafayette. His stomach twisted in a  knot. So many memories, and he wasn't ready for any of them. He leaned  his head back and closed his eyes.

"Charlie said that he can get you a job at the factory. He's the foreman, and they're looking for help."

"Not sure what I'm going to do."

"You should jump right in and get busy. Charlie said the work is good  and the pay is decent. They always have overtime, so that's something,  you know?"

"Does Clotille still live in Lafayette?" He immediately chastised  himself for asking. He'd made a pact with himself that he wouldn't ask  anything about her, yet he wasn't out even thirty minutes before he  broke it.

"I think so," his sister said softly. "A few years back, I saw the  announcement in the paper that she married Luc Gaulier. You remember him  from high school, the star player?"

He nodded, his jaw jutting out.

"When you were in …  prison"-Isa said it like it was a dirty word-"did you ever hear from her?"

"She wrote me a bunch of letters. The last one told me she was back with Luc."

"Did you ever answer her?"

"No."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "What for? She bailed on me. Most of her letters reeked  with pity and an undercurrent of horror at what I'd done." He shook his  head. "What did I have to say to her, anyway? I couldn't very well chat  about ‘my friends' on the inside. After she told me about Luc, I didn't  see any point in her writing again. I had enough to deal with. I didn't  need that shit, especially from her."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. That's all in the past. I can  introduce you to a couple of my single friends. One of them remembers  you from high school, and she always wanted to go out with you. You'll  have a nice girl and family in no time."

"I doubt that." He was broken, but no one saw that except him. The  pieces had shattered, leaving only bitterness and a dark rage. "Anyway,  I'm not planning to stay."

"What do you mean?" Isa glanced at him her round eyes wide.

"I'm planning to head to Colorado. I got tight with a dude in prison who  belongs to a club there. I'm thinking of checking it out to see if it's  for me. His name's Bones. He was visiting some friends in New Orleans  when he got into a bar fight and did some damage. Got six years for it.  The way he talked about the club intrigued me."

"A club? What kind is it?"

"It's a group of guys who formed a brotherhood. They love the ride. I'll  have to get a Harley, which may be hard since I don't have any money."

"You have money in trust from the sale of the land in St. Martin."                       
       
           



       

He sat up straight, his temples pulsing as the heat rose in him. "Maman's land was sold?"

"Yeah. I didn't want it to be, but I was outvoted. Henri and Lille  wanted to sell it." She glanced at him, then darted her eyes back to the  road. "Of course, Pa didn't have any say since he killed Maman," she  said in a soft voice.

Their father was convicted of second-degree murder and was sitting in  maximum security in the same prison Roche had done his time. Fucking  ironic. The legal system didn't allow murderers to profit from their  crimes, so the land went to the four of them. "How did they sell the  land without my goddamned signature?"

"Henri said he sent it to you and you signed off. Your signature was on  the paperwork." He pounded the dashboard. "He fucking forged my name!"  He glowered and stared straight ahead.

"You've sure picked up some bad language."

"One of the perks of being in the joint," he deadpanned.

"I'm sorry that this came as a surprise. Anyway, Maman's gone, so what's the point in keeping it? I could never go there again."

He didn't answer, the darkness consuming him. He had to get out of  Louisiana before he lost it and ended up back in prison. Henri needs my  fist in his face in the worst way. The fuckin' bastard!

"So, you have money if you need it." She smiled weakly. "What's the name of this club that's taking you away from me so soon?"

"The Insurgents. And my name's not Roche anymore. It's Rock." He leaned  back again and closed his eyes, working hard to push down his rage as  the car sped along the freeway.





Chapter One





Pinewood Springs, Colorado

Seven years later

As Rock and Wheelie entered the Insurgents MC clubhouse, the hoots,  whistles, and shouts were deafening. After four months of political  bullshit, the two bikers had finally been released from jail. The Denver  District Attorney's Office decided not to charge any Insurgents or  Demon Riders in the fight that broke out at the Denver Motorcycle Expo  that summer. Since there weren't any witnesses brave enough to testify,  and none of the bikers were talking, both clubs walked away free and  clear.

Each club knew they'd take justice into their own hands. One of the  Demon Riders had been killed and two Insurgents had just spent four  months in jail for a fight the Demon Riders instigated. Neither act  would be forgotten by its respective club.

"Fuck, man. It's good to have you back," Throttle said as he gave Rock a bear hug. "I've missed your crazy ass around here."

Rock's dark eyes twinkled. "I heard you moved out and got bitten by the  pussy-whipped bug. What the hell is this club coming to?" He lightly  punched Throttle in the arm, then grabbed the shot that was waiting for  him on the bar. Slinging it back, the fiery burn warmed his throat.  Damn, I missed this. Before he could motion the prospect for another,  his glass was filled.

He looked around, his cock stiffening when he saw the bevy of beauties  in barely there outfits wiggling and shaking to the tunes of Guns N'  Roses on the overhead speakers. Licking his lips, he picked out the  women he'd be pounding into after a good game of pool.

"You gonna fuck all of ‘em tonight?" Bones chuckled deeply.

Rock swung around and the two old friends tapped their fists together.  "Damn straight. Shit, all I could think about was riding my Harley,  pussy, and booze. Glad this shit's over. What've you been up to?"

"Just hangin'. We got some new chicks tonight. That's always fun. You up  for some group fun or you want the bitches all to yourself?"

A wide grin broke out over Rock's face. "I love sharing. Damn, let's get three women and have a fuckin' good time."

"You know Throttle's out of commission now. He went and hooked up with Kimber."

"I heard that. Damn, I never would've figured he'd stop wanting easy pussy. You gonna go the same way?"

"Hell no. One time married to the bitch from hell was it for me. I don't  need that shit. The only time a chick doesn't get on my nerves is when  she's got her legs spread real wide." Bones picked up his beer and  guzzled it.

"That's the truth. Anything more than fucking is asking for trouble."  Rock threw back his third shot and ambled to the pool table. Hawk had  just racked up the balls and was chalking his cue. Rock went over to him  and clasped his shoulder. "Your woman did good by me. I don't forget  what people do for me-good or bad. You got a Class-A woman."                       
       
           



       

Hawk nodded and smiled, then handed Rock a joint and lit it as well as  his own. The smoke from the weed wove around them, each of them lost in  thought. Then Throttle came over with three large cans of beer, handing  one to Hawk and one to Rock. The three of them popped open their beers,  clinked their cans together, and drank deeply from them. Warmth filled  Rock as he drank, smoked, and played pool with his brothers. He'd never  felt so close and unified with a group of people as he did with the  Insurgents. The brotherhood was his family, and it was a damn better one  than what he'd left behind in Lafayette, Louisiana.