Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Her voice falls to a whisper. “Clarice—Jasmine’s mother—was married to Demon, the troublemaker now. There was, and is, bad blood between the two and something went down. Caden slept with Clarice, one night after he and I had a wild fight. He was so angry, he wanted to make everyone suffer. He didn’t know he got her pregnant.”
I stare at the cracked wall. What the fuck.
“Of course we saw Clarice around town, and she was pregnant, but Demon raised Jasmine, so we assumed she belonged to him, until recently. Clarice passed, drug overdose, and some things came out. I don’t know how. A DNA test happened when Jasmine came to Chief, demanding answers. It came back that she belongs to him. Hence the reason for Demon showing back up. He found out. The truth was finally revealed. It’s a mess. A huge mess.”
My chest tightens. “I knew he had betrayed you, but I never knew why. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mom’s voice trembles. “I didn’t want you to know that side of him, baby. I didn’t... he loves you and he would do anything for you. You were only little when I found out and decided to leave, I didn’t want to make things any worse.”
“I deserved the truth.”
There’s a long sigh on the line. My mother sounds haunted. “Are you okay?”
I crumble. “No, Mom. I have a sister, with an angry stepfather who wants to kill my father, me, you, and anyone else who might be related to Chief. It’s a mess.”
“I know it is, but he loves you so much. You’ll always be his girl. He’s been calling me nonstop, asking how you are. Nothing can ever come in between you two. His relationship with you is special and he will never have that with her.”
“Time can change that,” I say, my voice shaking. “I just need to get away from all of this.”
“Why don’t you and Trav come and stay here for a couple of days, until everything settles down?”
I almost say yes, almost leap on the offer like it’s the key to rewinding everything to five years old, but that’s the thing—running away hasn’t gotten my family anywhere but deeper in the mud.
“I can’t,” I say, my voice wrecked, but honest this time. “I am going to stay with Travis tonight, but then I need to go and talk to Dad tomorrow. I can’t let this be the end of everything. I need him to tell me the truth.”
“You’re growing up, my girl,” she says softly, her relief clear. “Just be careful. Don’t get involved in any of his fights. Lay low. And please promise me, if anything happens, you’ll call me before you do something reckless.”
“I will, Mom.”
“I love you more than anything,” she whispers, and my heart swells.
“Me too. I’ll call you soon.”
“Bye, baby.”
“Bye, Momma.”
I hang up. Travis is watching me from the kitchen, an old dishrag twisted between his hands.
“Want to go for a drive?” he asks.
“You know me too well.”
He smiles.
Thank God for Travis in times like these.
18
I DON’T GO AND SEE Chief until the next evening.
I just needed the day to process what happened. To gather my thoughts and emotions.
By the time I reach the compound, the sunlight is dropping low, rendering everything less than real. People are everywhere at the lot, half of them bikers I know and half from other clubs, no doubt working together on some illegal scheme.
Travis is with me, and we park out front. Chief is standing on the deck, talking to a barrel-chested man I don’t recognize. Travis doesn’t leave my side when we get out. I don’t see Jasmine, and I have no idea if she’s still here. Either way, I am doing this. I march past the bikes, ignoring the whistle one of the guys lets out when he spots me in my cutoff shorts and boots.
Travis walks with me, quiet. Chief looks up and the lines in his face flatten, and for a second, I see my dad instead of a biker boss, just a tired man who has lied a million lies and doesn’t know how to fix them.
I stop at the bottom of the steps. “I need to talk to you.”
Chief dismisses the stranger beside him with a nod, to which he shrugs and steps away. “I’m glad you’re here, kid. You hungry? We got leftovers.”
“No,” I say, fast.
He nods, gestures with his head for me to follow. “Come on.”
Travis squeezes my hand, then peels away and heads toward the bonfire where the other guys are drinking. I’m suddenly cold, skin prickling, stomach grinding. As soon as we step inside, Chief’s hand lands on my shoulder. It’s gentle, but solid. I don’t flinch away, because I’m not a child, I’m an adult and I need to handle this the way an adult would.