Read Online Only Witness, The by Shannon Flagg - Free Book Online Page A

memorialize the spot where his brother had been killed. It had been three years; thirty could pass and Deacon knew he'd never be able to pass the spot without feeling a sharp searing spike of pain through his entire being. In the three years since Finn had been killed, Deacon had never been able to drive past the spot and not think of him.
                  He shoved down the feelings, forced his mind to stay on track. The summons from The Old Man hadn't been unexpected, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to be really bad; so much that could go wrong. Recently The Old Man had changed. Once he'd been a father figure to most of them; though he ruled with a strict hand and inspired fear he'd always been fair. About six months back his nature had changed. Strict but fair was no more. Put quite simply, these days if you stepped out of line The Old Man was likely to take off your head, literally. The numbers were down as challenger after challenger fell in an attempt to take control of the pack, only to be cut down without the current leader even breaking a sweat.
                  There was no doubt in Deacon's mind that the remaining members of the pack, The Old Man included, expected him to be the next one to issue a challenge. Three years ago, he wouldn't have had to. Finn was the younger brother, but even from an early age it was pretty clear that he was a born Leader. He'd been scary smart, stronger than he had a right to be, and Deacon had realized one day he'd bow to Finn proudly.
                  Deacon's gut clenched tightly as they rounded the last bend and the cabin came into view. He'd expected cars, after all they weren't the only ones who had received the summons, but he didn't recognize the bikes already parked outside, or a good number of the cars pulled off towards the trees.
                  “The fuck is this?” Bug demanded as they came to a stop. He had been seriously on edge about leaving Lake, his very pregnant wife, and seemed to be gearing up for a fight. There was no doubt in Deacon's mind that Jake was ready for a fight as well.
                  “Not sure, figure we'll find out soon enough.” Deacon nearly cautioned the two men to behave, keep their heads about them until they knew more, but decided it would only make the moment more tense. Instead, he adjusted the holster underneath his jacket and started towards the house.
                  The closer he got to the bikes, the more it nagged at him that they were familiar. He'd seen them before, but he wasn't sure where. It didn't matter; he'd see soon enough who was riding them and hopefully know why The Old Man had brought in outsiders to a pack meeting.
                  Deacon made his way around the house. Jake and Bug right at his side, they entered the backyard to find a small crowd of people. The first person he laid eyes on was the leader of The Grievers. In that instant Deacon knew where he'd seen those bikes before. Without hesitation he moved forward, ready for violence.
                  “There will be no violence,” Ezekial Black spoke from the porch. He'd been known as The Old Man since he was actually young; the name suited him now.  In his prime, he'd been as tall as Deacon; age had whittled him down so that he stood just above six feet tall. His hair was pure white and hung down his back in two thick braids. “Do you understand me, Deke?”
                  “What the fuck is this?” Deacon demanded. “What are they doing here?” It was all he could do to refrain from going after the grinning leader of The Grievers, Josiah Callen. The Grievers were bad news.
                  “I asked you a question, boy. Do not make me repeat myself and ruin my good mood.” The Old Man was standing in the yard now, his face a composed mask, but Deke could hear the growing anger and annoyance in his