After I finish the paperwork bullshit, I switch gears and focus on my role as the head of Devils’ Wolves MC and pet rescue – run by myself, my brothers and a few other bikers. Devils’ Wolves was my brainchild about five years ago, fueled by my deep respect for two things that my parents instilled in us: the love of pets and motorcycles. That and a bout of insomnia is how I came up with the perfect plan to actually do something with my life that made me feel like I had some purpose again.

My mother runs Wolfy’s Place, a pet shelter and sanctuary here in town that operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And while taking in strays, getting them medical attention and adopting them out is great, I wanted to find the ones that were too lost to be seen, save the ones that were being abused, and basically fuck up the people that were hurting them. Like the assholes that run underground dog fighting rings. Or the old ladies that go out of their minds and horde two hundred cats in their dilapidated houses. Okay, so I don’t fuck up old ladies, but I do go in there and use my charm to get those cats out before they start eating each other.

We use the club to run charity events and rides to raise money to support our rescue equipment, and we donate a portion of the funds to Wolfy’s Place. So, it’s a win-win.

It also coaxes Tyler to come out of his house hidden in the woods. Just like the lost, scared, and abused dogs, he’ll only come out in the dark when no one can see him. Or hear him. My brother Ty is a legit psychopath. He has a special gift for being able to creep around the woods unheard and unseen. Stalking, hunting, and capturing are his specialty, second to his ability to get in and out of houses without making a sound or getting caught. And that’s how my brother has saved over fifty dogs – and also how he’s put several animal offenders in the hospital nearly beaten to death. To say he likes to inflict pain and suffering would be an understatement.

I haven’t seen Ty in the daylight in years, and he’s said less than ten words in that time. We communicate solely through text messages and meet in the parking lot of the shelter late at night when he has a captured dog or cat to drop off.

Every month I deposit money into his bank account. Partly because he deserves profits from the family business, and partly from my own guilt over what happened to him.

I shove that thought down into my chest with the rest of my mistakes and regrets.

Last night’s recorded video feeds from my night vision cameras on the trails didn’t catch anything and neither did my feeding traps. A few weeks ago a limping dog was seen several times roaming that area by the river. I’ve caught him on the feeds a few times, sniffing at the cage, wanting to go in and grab that food, but he’s leery and won’t go in. Sometimes they’d rather starve than give in and get caught, and that’s a position I can respect. Freedom to do what we want, even for a short time, can be worth the pain and suffering we have to endure to have it.

Just as I’m about to go out to the shop to start doing some real work, my cell phone rings.

Lisa.

I swipe the screen and hold the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”

“I figured if I didn’t call you, you’d never call me.” She’s right about that. I don’t chase. If you choose to walk out that door, you can keep fuckin’ going.

“As you pointed out, I don’t have much to say. Remember?”

“Tor, I’m trying. I heard you were with Sydni last night. Are you back together?”

“I wasn’t with Sydni. We were at Asher’s house with about twenty other people. I didn’t go with her or leave with her. We talked for a few minutes and that was it. Tell your gossip hounds not to quit their day job. They suck.”

She sighs a mixture of relief and annoyance. “Maybe we could try again? What are you doing tonight?”

“After work I’m going to refill my feeding traps. You can come with me, if you want. It’s right by the river. We could sit there and talk.” If she wants to talk, I’ll try to talk. The truth is, I like Lisa. She’s attractive with long dark hair, almond-shaped bambi eyes, and a nice body. She works at the bank, has no kids, and doesn’t party. In theory, she’s the perfect kind of woman to settle down with. She’s the kind of woman I could bring home to my mother and not be embarrassed of, or have to worry about her flirting it up with my brothers.