Chapter 1
Emily
Here I am, hiding again, in the Country Club women’s washroom. Every Sunday my grandparents make me put on an elegant dress and conservative heels and drag me along to show me off to all the other old money families. Their hope is I’ll start courting one of their friends’ grandsons, get married, have perfect babies and become a respectable upper class socialite. I can hear my grandmother, Cecilia, now.
“Oh, William, have you met our grand daughter Emily? She’s going to medical school. Yes, she’s going to be a Doctor, isn’t that lovely?” or “Emily, dear, have you met the Petersons’ grandson, Steven? He’s a lawyer and single!”
I take a deep breath and practice my smile in front of the mirror. I can’t help but roll my eyes and stick out my tongue. I would much rather be practicing my Arabian for my Balance Beam routine. I would even rather be studying for medical school, which I absolutely loath. Becoming a Doctor is not my chosen life path. My grandparents have done everything in their power to ensure my future is a successful and brag worthy one. If you’re just keeping up with the Jones’ you’re not playing the game right, according to the Hawthorne’s.
My grandparents, Cecelia and Richard Hawthorne, have been my guardians since my parents died in a car accident when I was 11 months old. I stopped asking about them a long time ago, it always brought tears to my grandmother’s eyes whenever I did. All I have is a few pictures of my Mother and her necklace, that I wear every day. My Father was in and out of my Mother’s life when I was born, I was told he wasn’t bread for the family life and they didn’t even know his last name. My mom gave me her last name at birth.
My grandparents are very wealthy. They come from a long line of old money, each Hawthorne making their money in various business transactions ranging from real estate, finance and of course Oil. My great grandfather made his millions through Insurance, which my grandfather, Richard, inherited and built it up as one of the largest Insurance brokers in the United States and sold it to the competition, making him billions.
My upbringing was nothing short of the most elite of private schools and most reputable sports clubs and horse riding camps. I asked to attend a gymnastics camp when I was 6 years old with one of my old school friends at the time. My grandparents agreed, as they thought I would be beneficial to introduce self-discipline at a young age. To their bewilderment, I loved it. I was offered a spot in one the most elite gymnastics teams to train. I was an Olympic hopeful, which was what my coaches kept telling me. I won so many medals and trophies, too many to count. One day my coaches set a meeting with my grandparents to discuss my future within the sport. They wanted to offer me a spot on the Junior USA Olympic team. This would mean pulling me out of private school and obtaining a GED so I could train fulltime. Well, the Hawthorne’s do not make a living with athleticism, absolutely not, they are known for their intelligence and an upper class role within society. My grandparents kept me in private school and threatened to pull me from the program. I begged for them to let me stay and train for fun and ensured it wouldn’t interfere with my schooling.
I am now 25 years old and in my second year of medical school. I still train at an elite gym for gymnastics, more so for fun and to help me blow off steam. I started coaching younger kids a few years ago and absolutely love it. It would be my dream to open my own gym and train the next American Olympic hopefuls. I sigh loudly and it echoes throughout the marble bathroom. Unfortunately dreams are beneath the Hawthorne name, so it’s medical school or bust for me.
I put on my fake smile, adjust my petal pink dress and walk out of the washroom, my heels clacking as I go. I grab a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and head in the direction of my grandparents, who are talking with the Senator of the State. I see my grandmother give me a look, indicating for me to lose the alcohol. I toss it back and down in all in one gulp. Great, cue the cameras, it’s time for me to put on my award-winning smile and put on a show.
Ryder
I look at the file my Dad has just given me. Emily Hawthorne, age 25, daughter of Christine Hawthorne and Jack Douglas. In the file is a small picture of a pretty blonde with green eyes. Her features soft but her eyes look intense. The picture is older, probably taken when she was 13 or so. I look at the next photo with Christine and Jack, holding their baby girl. I grimace, remembering my Dad telling me about the massacre. Jack was the President of our outlaw motorcycle club, Wheels of Satan. He was the most feared man for miles around. You didn’t want to fuck up or owe the club any money when he was running the show. Even the cops ran scared from him; he was untouchable.
When Jack met Christine, everyone said he went soft. Christine lived with her snooty rich parents who frequented the Country Club where the Wheels of Satan dealt prescription pills and other illegal drugs at the time. The employees of the Country Club were always buying up merchandise, probably to stay high enough to get them through a shift with those demanding rich assholes. Christine pretended to be an employee, keeping her well-known last name a secret. Christine fled the club on the back of Jack’s motorcycle and didn’t look back. Of course, they fell in love fast and hard. Christine eventually told Jack who she really was and what her last name meant. They told no one but my father, Duke Montgomery, second in command of the MC Wheels of Satan.
One night Hogan Kline, the President of the Devil’s Keepers MC, decided it was time he claimed more territory. He was done sharing with Wheels of Satan. He was and still is an evil, money hungry motherfucker. He ordered a hit on Jack to take over his territory. Hogan himself kicked down the door of Jack and Christine’s home and killed Jack in cold blood. Christine took their baby girl, Emily, out of her crib and hid her in a bassinet in the closet. Hogan found Christine hiding under a bed and killed her too, to show Wheels of Satan that him and his MC were the new territory kings in town.
When the police showed up, my dad ran passed the crime scene tape to see if the rumors were true. After seeing a lifeless Jack and Christine he asked about their daughter. The cops looked around at each other confused, they hadn’t seen a baby. Duke found her in the closet swaddled in a pink blanket, sleeping, unaware of the horrors that surrounded her. Jack had told my dad Christine’s real last name and of her family ties before they died. They agreed it would be best to keep it a secret within the MC so no one would try and take her and harm her for ransom. My dad took baby Emily to the Hawthorne mansion and explained to them what happened. Mourning the lose of their daughter, Duke and the Hawthorne’s agreed that this would forever be a secret and that Emily would always be protected by Wheels of Satan. The newspapers were paid to release that Christine was killed in a tragic car accident with an unknown man.
My dad, Duke Montgomery, is planning to be stepping down as President of the Wheels of Satan MC over the next few years, the title would be passed to me, Ryder, or Chains, what my MC brothers all like to call me. It was time for me to become familiar with all MC dealings, illegal and legal. My first task is to take over check-ins on Emily Hawthorne, ensure her safety and ensure that the Devil’s Keepers MC and anyone else didn’t figure out her true identify as the daughter of Jack Douglas.
