Raven’s Climb: Wrath MC by Tiffany Casper
Chapter 1
Cam
Seven Years Later
“Cam, let’s fucking go already,” I growled at Gage as I applied oil to my beard. He has been pounding on my door at the clubhouse for the past hour, okay, it was more like five minutes but Jesus Christ.
There was no damn respect in this club. Well not for Gage anyway, fucker didn’t care that I was the V.P and he was the SAA.
No, all the fucker cared about was getting laid.
We were all headed out to a new strip club that we had opened up, well all of us except for Powers, Heathen, and Skinner. Powers and Heathen had ole’ ladies at home and they didn’t care to look at naked women. As for why Skinner wouldn’t be coming tonight, that was a story for another time.
It was wrong to feel sorry for another man but I did for Skinner. Fucker had received a horrible blow years ago. Shit that changed everything about him. Gone was the carefree jokester. And in its place was a man that nine times out of ten wore a hood over his head. A man that never spoke but one word and that was fucking rare.
When people met Heathen he at least would say a few words, but Skinner, yeah that wasn’t going to happen.
The reason why Greek was going tonight was that Melia was going. When she had heard our plans for the evening she had given Greek a look. The man looked thrilled, to say the least.
No way I could ever be in a relationship like theirs. Sure they had been together for going on years, and they felt the need to spice things up but no way in fucking hell would I allow another man to touch what was mine. And no way in hell would I expect my woman to allow another woman’s hands on me.
Fuck that shit.
“Keep your fucking pantyhose on,” I growled out at him.
As soon as I finished I stomped to the door and threw it open. “What’s the fucking rush?”
“We don’t hurry up; we won’t have a good seat to see the women up on the stage.” He grumbled.
“Brother, we own the motherfucker. We have a reserved section for a fucking reason.” I reminded him.
“Oh yeah. Well, the good-looking ones always get claimed first.” Brother had an excuse for everything. Asshole.
“Since when has that ever bothered you? How many times have you simply crooked your finger and they have left whoever they were standing beside to get a ride on the Gage train?”
Rolling his eyes he said, “Just come the fuck on.”
“Jesus he sounds pussy fucking whipped already.” Savage chuckled as he stood beside Zeke and Lincoln.
“Thinking there’s a certain woman he wants to see.” Zeke chimed in.
“Fuck off. Let’s fucking go.” All the while Gage was grumbling out to the bikes I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The moment we walked into the club I saw Gage scanning the club with a keen eye. And when I saw the man’s face freeze, I looked to where his eyes were now narrowed. Damn.
I’d hightail my ass over here to see that too.
“Who is she? Think she wants a wild night with a real man.” Savage quipped.
But the normal laid-back man that we all knew Gage to be turned his stare to Savage and gave him a glare that I knew, withered his balls.
“Leave. Her. The. Fuck. Alone.” Gage bit out.
“Let's go sit.” Lincoln said as we made our way while the crowd parted to let us by over to one of the two reserved booths.
The moment we had sat down the woman in question walked up to our table with a pad in her hand as she pulled a pencil out from behind her ear.
“Conleigh, how you doin’ darlin’?” Gage asked her softly.
“Gage. Fine.” The beauty replied.
“Told you I’d help. Don’t want you working at a place like this.” The moment he said that all of our attention moved from the woman to Gage.
“I know and I really do appreciate it, Gage, but Collins needs more treatments. What I make just isn’t enough.” The woman sounded tired.
Gage started to say, “Done told….”
“Gage, please. I’m hanging on by a thread here. Don’t start.” She took a breath and then she smiled at all of us, “What can I get y’all to drink?”
Around the table, we gave her our orders.
The moment she walked off I asked, “The fuck is up with that?”
“When she was seventeen she created a software program that she sold and made millions. Then at eighteen, she created another program and the same thing happened. Her sister, the fucking bitch, got pregnant and didn’t want to keep the baby. Conleigh went to bat for that baby. Not exactly sure how she managed it all, but she was granted guardianship over Collins. Then at twenty-one, she was able to adopt her niece. When her sister, Hazel had the baby, as soon as she had her, I’m talking like within six hours, she left the hospital against medical advice, they haven’t seen nor heard from her since. What is pretty cool is that if you put a picture of Hazel and Conleigh side by side with Collins, she looks more like Conleigh.”
He stopped talking when the woman, Conleigh, brought our drinks over.
The moment she walked away he continued. “Seven months ago Collins was diagnosed with leukemia. During the day, Conleigh works on programs and at night she works here then after her shift she sleeps at the hospital with Collins. Collins is at the hospital in the children’s ward right now fighting. I go up there twice a week and read to her. And before you ask, how do I know all of this, they’re my neighbors.”
When Powers had told us one morning that Gage was excused from Church two days a week, we had all wanted to know. But now that I understood, I made a mental note to let Powers know that I would be on the rotation.
I had just taken a sip of my whiskey when I looked up and froze.
Sitting on one of the barstools was that all too familiar long blonde hair. It's been seven years and I can only imagine that she has gotten even prettier with age. That was just her. Michelle.
Placing my glass back on the table, I stood, straightened my kutte then I waded through the patrons until I was ten feet behind her.
Walking up behind her I ran everything over in my mind on what I was going to say. I knew the first words to come out of my mouth were going to be, I’m sorry.
I had just stepped up behind her when she turned her head and I felt the excitement that I had been feeling wash away.
“Well hello there handsome.” The woman that was most assuredly not Michelle said saucily.
Shaking my head I said, “Sorry, thought you were someone else.”
“Well, I can be whoever you want me to be.” She purred as she brought her hand up to place it on my chest.
Stepping back reflexively I offered her a small grin, “Appreciate it honey, but even though you’re a mighty fine woman, you’re not the woman I’m looking for.”
I ignored her huff of outrage as I walked back to our booth. I didn’t give a fuck.
As soon as my ass hit the booth, I knew that they weren’t going to say a goddamn thing to me. They all knew about the woman that I would give every breath in my body to see again.
So with Powers’ blessing, two weeks later I sat there beside Collin’s hospital bed as I read one of my favorite books to her, Percy Jackson and the Last Olympians.
After I finished reading the second chapter to her I saw her eyelids drooping, I leaned down and placed a kiss on her temple.
Her next words stopped me in my tracks, I didn’t even bother to correct her.
“Thanks, Uncle Cam.”
“Welcome sweet pea. I’ll see you Thursday.” I told her softly as I placed the book on her little nightstand and then left the room.
Furious at all the assholes that had kids when they had no intention of being there for them when they needed them. Besides Gage, Collins and Conleigh had just found another person at their backs.