I had everything a kid could want. A home. Food. Toys. Friends. Loving parents. And it all equaled happiness. Then, my life went up in smoke. Happiness no longer existed. I trusted the wrong person. And in a blink of an eye, the cruelty of the world reared its ugly head. Four walls. Darkness. Memory loss. Chains. Sex. My first love. And people watching in the corners.

Another Ruthless romance that will rip your heart out.

I don’t live in the shadows anymore. Daphne has dragged me into her light. At first, it was bright, and I didn’t know how to live in it. I’m...adjusting. Life for the most part is better than I had ever dreamed. But not better for her dreams. Especially when dreams tread the line of reality. When she tells me the truth, it sends me into a quiet place. A place where I plan, a place where I figure out who her father really is and what he did. A place where I hone in on my target. He is the reason for her mind to be lost.

I am who I am, and I won’t apologize for it. I don’t know how to be...normal. I have my reasons. I've been through hell. I've touched the flames themselves, and I've danced with the devil. Intimately. Damnation torched my soul until it was black. I am who I am, and I won’t apologize for it. I don’t know how to be...normal. I have my reasons. I've been through hell. I've touched the flames themselves, and I've danced with the devil. Intimately. Damnation torched my soul until it was black.

I used to live in darkness, and a comet soared through my night sky. So I made a wish. Blood is my sanction. Pain is my salvation. Fear is what I instill. Especially for my Comet. The warm barrel of a gun against my head? It won’t stop me from protecting what is mine. Even if it means spilling more blood. My love for her has been tested and I’m furious. Seconds has turned to minutes. Minutes has turned to hours. And suddenly months have gone by without a change. Trying to make Daphne remember is getting us nowhere. It’s time to accept our fate. This is the new us.

She holds a special place in my heart. The darkest part of it. A part I never show anyone. From the moment we met, I wanted to show her all my scars, the need I hide inside. Joanna. The woman who wears long sleeve shirts on a hundred-degree day. She's been away at college and when she comes home, I plan on making her mine. One phone call. A broken voice. Time stands still. And everything changes. My plans goes up in smoke when I find her. My chance with her hangs in the hands of fate. I've turned a blind eye to the help she needs. What kind of doctor does that make me?

I miss alcohol. The craving claws against my stomach every day. And being in this rehab center doesn’t help. No one understands how it feels to not be able to save someone you love. And a patient here, Sunnie, she tries to make me feel better. She reads a damn book to me every chance she gets, and it grinds my nerves. Who the hell is that happy? She makes me want to drink. Then, she shares her pain, and I realize her bright disposition is a mask. I find myself wanting to make her smile, to make her happiness permanent. 

I've never known the calm before the storm. The storm never leaves. Thunder raging. Lightning crashing. With me, right in the middle. The worst storm hit when I was 17. My girlfriend? Dead. My daughter? Missing without a trace. That broke me worse than thunder and lightning ever could. Then, the Ruthless Kings MC became my salvation. The brotherhood turned a boy into a man. Never knowing the beast within. Or the storms that followed me everywhere.

Bitterness and anger cloud my judgment when it comes to the MC. What is so great about them that I can't have on the outside? What is so great about the patch? Death? Blood? Fear? That is all I've experienced with the club. I hated to leave my sister. She's the only reason I stayed as long as I did. But it's time for something new.

I see her differently now: my friend, Michelle Douglas. It's the summer of 1994, where the love of the '80s still holds on for dear life. She's wearing a black ACDC shirt that hangs over the shoulder, and she is hanging out with a group of friends. I don't know what it is about her right now, but in this moment, everything has changed for me. Everything about her calls out to me. I think it always has. It always will. Her love isn't easy to get, but I'm determined to get it. There's one problem. She's promised to another.

For the last two years, I've told myself she’s off limits. That a man like me, can't be with a woman her age. Then my little maniac turned 18...and I gave in to my temptation. I shouldn't have, but now it's too late. She's mine now, and I'll never let her go. Then one of the biggest sinners in Vegas thought he could just take her. He's forgetting; it's my job to protect her. Mine. Now, I'm going to burn this city to the ground. I'll reap havoc until my little maniac is back in my arms.

We’ve been traveling all over the country, recruiting new members for our club. Before we call it quits, we make a pitstop in Las Vegas. I’m owed a debt, and I’ve come to collect. It’s been awhile since I spoke to the president of the Ruthless Kings. And I’m calling in my marker. I figured I’d ask for cash, maybe a few new recruits, arms-dealer networks, but he said no. That’s fine. But then I set my sights on her. A blonde bombshell. Yeah, she’s mine. 

There are few things people know about me. I'm Scottish. I really hate pants. And Poodle is me best friend. But. There are always buts. There is one thing people don't know. Me love for fightin'. I come from a long line of fighters. I live it. I breathe it. Flesh. Blood. And brass knuckles. It's me way of life. So I fight, legally. No one knows.

My hand shakes when I read the note. Everyone is here. I think. There are so many people. So many painted faces. How am I supposed to know who is missing? I knew this party was a bad idea. Now, one of my own is in trouble and as the Prez of the MC, I should know not to play a game. But we are on a timer and someone is using us as pawns. It’s up to us to save one of our own.

They think they are safe. Isn’t that sickening? They are decorating for Christmas. Twinkling lights. Wreaths. Mistletoe. Laughter. All that is missing is snow. They are the idea of a perfect family, aren’t they? I wonder how many of them are wishing for a Christmas miracle. How many of them only want peace? A night full of magic and wonder... Well. Not when I'm here. It’s a beautiful time to be the Groundskeeper. Turning miracles into nightmares.