Read Savage: Iron Dragons MC for Free Online

judgment.
     
    “An illegal business is still a business,” Keith said calmly. “And it requires intelligent thinking and careful planning.”
     
    “There are some things that you can’t always control, Keith,” Emma replied. “No matter how careful or intelligent you are. And in this case… you don’t have anyone to turn to.”
     
    “Are you referring to law enforcement?”
     
    “You won’t be able to report anything if things turn bad,” Emma said sensibly. “Are you willing to take that risk?”
     
    “Every day in this life is a risk,” Keith said unblinkingly. “I knew that the day I made the decision to be a part of the gang.”
     
    Emma sighed heavily and turned her head sideways, in the direction of the small table that held a number of rusted picture frames. Keith knew she was travelling years into the past, with the images in those frames as a guide. He couldn’t help but stare at his fourteen-year-old self, staring blankly back at him from a yellowing photograph.
     
    “You hated taking pictures,” Emma said, noticing the direction of Keith’s gaze.
     
    “I still do,” Keith said. “Taking pictures is a pastime for happy people with memories to capture.”
     
    “We had memories...” Emma said softly.
     
    “You mean the memories of dad kicking you in the stomach, or the memories of him pushing me down the stairs? Which one do you prefer?” Keith asked bitterly without thinking.
     
    After a moment, he realized what he had just said, and he turned to his mother in apology. “I… didn’t mean that.”
     
    “Of course you did,” Emma said unblinkingly. “And I can’t blame you. It’s just that sometimes… I suppose I like to pretend your childhood wasn’t as bad as it had been. It’s the only way I can control the guilt I feel.”
     
    “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” Keith said firmly. “You hear me?”
     
    “I am you mother,” Emma said distractedly. “I should have protected you. Instead… I forced you to grow up because I was incapable of fighting back.”
     
    “You did no such thing,” Keith said. “That was my decision. I knew I needed something to make me strong… so that I could face him.”
     
    “That wasn’t your job,” Emma insisted. “It was mine. I was his wife.”
     
    “And I was his son,” Keith said through gritted teeth. “And he and I had a score to settle.”
     
    Emma sighed again and turned away from his stare. “I remember that life like it was yesterday. I can remember him standing over you with his fists clenched and his eyes bloodshot.”
     
    “You know what I remember?” Keith asked. “I remember you standing between us so that he wouldn’t have the chance to hit me. I remember you jumping on his back so that he would turn his attention on you rather than me. I remember that you only ever wore shirts with long sleeves because you wanted to hide the bruises he left on your skin. I remember the week that you stayed in your room because you didn’t want me to see the black eye he had given you. Those are the things that I remember.”
     
    Emma’s eyes were far away when she looked back at Keith. “I was so scared when you joined that club.”
     
    “I know,” Keith said, as he nodded gently.
     
    “But it changed everything, didn’t it?”
     
    “It did,” Keith said. “The club taught me how to let go of my fear. The club taught me how to be a man.”
     
    Emma nodded as though she were distracted, her mind travelling into the past when she was still beneath the heel of her husband and Keith had just been a scared little boy. “It’s a dangerous life though,” she said after a long silence.
     
    “Nothing in life is perfect,” Keith said. “I may not always be safe… but at least I’m free.”
     
    “Do you still think that… after what happened with—?”
     
    “Why don’t you eat something,” Keith interrupted her swiftly before she could finish her sentence. He did not want to have to