Chapter 19
NINETEEN
PIPER
Ivy & Piper’s Guide to Life Rule Number Fifteen:
Know where the exits are in any situation.
“ A melia!” My mother’s voice cut through the fog. I looked up to see her pushing past the officers, her face pale with fear. “Oh my God, baby.”
She pulled me into her arms, and I broke down completely, sobbing into her shoulder like a child.
“I’m here, sweetheart. I’m here,” she said, stroking my hair. “You’re safe now.”
Once my attacker’s blood was cleaned from my skin, the police resumed their endless questioning, their voices growing more insistent.
What happened?
Did I know the men?
How did they get in?
Why did they target the bakery?
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out their demands for answers I couldn’t give.
“That’s enough,” my mother finally snapped, her arms tightening around me protectively. “Can’t you see she’s been through hell? She needs rest, not an interrogation.”
The lead detective backed off, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “We understand, ma’am. But we need to get her statement while the details are still fresh.”
I took a shuddering breath, forcing myself to meet the detective’s eyes. “I-I’ll try to answer your questions.”
My mother squeezed my hand reassuringly. I swallowed hard, fighting back another wave of nausea as I recounted the robbery and assault. But I hesitated when it came to their comments about Dane and Silent Phoenix.
“They...they seemed to know who I was,” I said carefully, omitting any mention of Dane or the club. “But I’d never seen them before.”
The detective’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing there was more I wasn’t saying. But before he could press further, my mother intervened.
“No more,” she stated firmly. “My daughter needs medical attention.”
He gave a reluctant nod. “Of course. Here’s my card if you need to reach me. Once we get an ID on the man inside, we’ll likely need you to come to the station for a formal statement. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have an update.”
After what felt like an eternity later, he walked away, and I exhaled a breath of relief. The sick feeling in my gut was growing worse by the second, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about Dane and the club.
Not yet.
Not until I understood what was going on.
My mother helped me to my feet, wrapping her arm around my waist as we made our way to her car. The familiar scent of her perfume mixed with the sharp tang of the antiseptic they’d used to clean my skin, heightening my sense of disorientation.
The drive passed in a blur. I stared out the window, watching as the sun crept over the horizon and the city came to life. It seemed unfair that the world was operating as if it were business as usual when my own felt like it had just been hit by a meteor.
“We need to get you cleaned up,” she murmured as we pulled into the driveway behind Dane’s motorcycle, her voice tight with barely contained emotion. “Then we’ll figure out what to do next.”
I shook my head slowly. “I can’t let Avery see me like this.”
Her knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. “I know, sweetheart,” she said gently. “That’s why we’re going to my house first.”
The home had been built in the 1930s. My grandfather grew up in it, followed by my mother and, eventually, me. It was the place of some of my happiest childhood memories, but even the familiar comfort of home couldn’t chase away the ice that had taken up residence deep in my bones.
She helped me upstairs to my old bedroom while she ran a bath. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the sheer voile curtains hanging above the windows. The crimson was the same color as the blood on my jacket…
“Amelia, honey?” My mom’s voice drifted through the fog in my mind, and I blinked, slowly coming back to reality. “Tub’s ready.”
It felt like I’d only been sitting for seconds, but given her worried expression, it must have been longer. I let her usher me into the bathroom, feeling numb—disconnected from my own body.
“I’ll find you something clean to wear,” she said, her movements gentle but purposeful as she removed my torn jacket before directing me to raise my arms overhead. She peeled off my blood-stained sports bra before sucking in a sharp breath.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and flinched. A stranger stared back at me, her cheek swollen and eyes haunted. Dark bruises bloomed across my breasts and belly, and I looked away quickly, unable to face the broken woman I’d become.
She reached for the drawstring on my pants before pausing. “Do we need to go to the hospital…for a kit?”
“A kit?” I echoed with a frown.
“Baby, did they rape you?”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “He tried, but Derek stopped him before…” My voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Relief flashed across my mother’s face, immediately replaced by concern. She helped me out of my pants and into the steaming tub. The warm water stung against my bruised skin, but I welcomed the pain. It was proof I was still alive.
To my surprise, instead of leaving, Mom knelt beside the tub. She dipped a washcloth into the water and began gently cleaning the dried blood and flour from my face and neck.
“You don’t have to do this,” I mumbled, embarrassed by my helplessness.
She gave me a watery smile. “Let me take care of you, baby. Just this once.”
The tenderness of her touch broke something inside me, and I started to cry again, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. For a moment, I was a little girl again, safe in my mother’s arms. But the illusion shattered as pain flared across my bruised ribs.
“You’re safe now,” she murmured, a tear sliding down her cheek and into the water. “Let it out. I’ve got you.”
I felt raw, exposed in a way that went beyond my naked body. All my carefully constructed walls had crumbled, leaving me as vulnerable as a newborn.
An anguished sob tore from my throat, followed by another and another until I was weeping uncontrollably. My mother held me as I cried, murmuring soft words of comfort and love as she washed away the last traces of blood.
When she was finished, she helped me into an old T-shirt and sweatpants of hers that were soft with age before leading me downstairs to the kitchen.
“Here, this’ll help take the edge off,” she said, pressing a mug of what smelled strongly of bourbon into my hands. “Drink. You’re shaking.”
Was I?
I hadn’t even noticed the tremors running through my body until she pointed them out. I took a swig, immediately shuddering at the taste. The bourbon burned a fiery path down my throat before settling in my stomach with a pleasant warmth. I took another sip, letting the alcohol numb my frayed nerves and settle the tremors in my hands.
My mother settled across from me at the kitchen table, her own mug cradled between her hands. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions .
“Mom, I…” I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice, but the air caught in my throat. “I didn’t tell the police everything.”
“What do you mean?”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “The men who robbed the bakery knew about Dane and his club. They said they wanted to send a message to Silent Phoenix.”
Her face paled, and for a moment, I thought she might be sick. “Jesus, Amelia,” she breathed, running a trembling hand through her hair. “What the fuck has he gotten you into?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice cracking. “I thought I knew him, Mom. But now... I’m not sure I know anything.”
She took a long pull from her mug before nodding to herself. “Okay. We’ll figure this out.”
“How are you so calm right now?” I asked, searching her face in confusion. “I thought you’d be freaking out.”
She sighed heavily, tracing the rim of her mug with a fingernail. “Believe it or not, I’ve seen much worse. Your father—he’s a biker.”
I stared at my mother in disbelief, her words echoing in my head. My father...a biker? The mug in my hands trembled, and I set it down before I could spill. “What? But you said he was a musician who left us.”
Her hands shook as she took another swig of bourbon. “I lied. Your father...his name is Red. He’s with the Outlaws up in Oklahoma.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” I whispered, my throat tight.
She met my eyes, her gaze haunted. “Because you need to understand how dangerous this world can be. Red didn’t leave us, sweetheart. I left him.”
“What happened?”
“He put me in the hospital,” she said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “It wasn’t the first time, but it was the worst. I ended up in the ER with three broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and…” Her voice broke. “It’s where I found out I was pregnant with you.”
I reached across the table and squeezed her hand, feeling the slight tremor beneath my fingers.
“One of the nurses who treated me had seen it all before. Told me if he beat me, he’d likely beat our baby too.” My mother’s eyes met mine, filled with a fierce protectiveness that took my breath away. “I didn’t have a dime to my name, but she helped me contact your grandparents. They drove through the night to get me. My mama had to help me bathe just like I did with you…”
“Oh my god, Mom,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I had no idea.”
She exhaled a bitter laugh. “That was the point, sweetheart. I never wanted you to know that kind of fear.”
“So when you saw Dane that first time…” I trailed off as the pieces of my childhood suddenly snapped into sharp focus. My mother’s overprotectiveness…her wariness of men…her insistence that I learn how to use a gun and never be dependent on a man.
It all finally made sense.
The father I’d imagined all these years—a nameless, faceless man who’d walked away—had been replaced by something far more sinister. A violent biker who’d beaten my mother so severely she’d fled for both our lives.
“It was like seeing a ghost,” she said, her expression pained. “The kutte, the bike…it all came rushing back. I was so scared for you and Avery.”
“You think he could be like Red?” I whispered.
Mom glanced down at the table, considering the question before shaking her head. “No. From what I’ve seen, Dane is nothing like your father. The way he is with you and Avery... Red never had an ounce of that tenderness in him.”
“Then why have you been so against us being together?”
“Because even if Dane himself isn’t dangerous, the world he’s tied to is,” she explained, her eyes pleading with me to understand. “What happened to you this morning is proof of that.”
I stared into my mug, watching the amber liquid ripple beneath my trembling hands. The weight of my mother’s revelation pressed down on me, threatening to crush what little composure I had left.
“Do you really think Dane could be involved in something like that though?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But I do know good men can do terrible things when they’re caught up in that life. I’ve seen firsthand how quickly things can spiral out of control.”
“What do I do now?” I asked, feeling lost and overwhelmed .
My mother squeezed my hand. “Talk to Dane. Find out if his club has enemies who would hurt you to get to him and then let him and the club clean this mess up.”
“What does that mean?”
“Men like Dane live and die by code, and they aren’t known for playing nice when someone comes for the people they love. I may not like his world, but I admire their brand of justice.”
Her eyes clouded with a pain so deep it made my chest ache before she continued. “I’ve spent almost thirty-one years looking over my shoulder, wondering if today would be the day your father tracked us down. I don’t want you to live like that, and I sure as hell don’t want you to have to relive the shit you went through today in a goddamned courtroom.” She squeezed my hand. “But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether being in Dane’s world is worth the risk.”
What if everything between us had been a lie?
I tried to reconcile the gentle giant I was falling for with the dangerous world he was tied to. The Dane who made Avery belly laugh and massaged my back when I was cramping seemed worlds away from men like my attacker.
But hadn’t I seen a sliver of that darkness when he threatened Derek? Wasn’t that why I’d kept the note from him? Because some part of me knew that beneath his gentle exterior was a man who had taken lives.
He sure as hell hadn’t earned that kutte for his kindness.
A wistful look crossed my mother’s face as she took another sip of bourbon. “I wish someone had taken care of Red back then,” she murmured.
“Someone did,” a gruff voice said from behind us.
We both jumped, whirling around to face the intruder. A tall, imposing man with long salt-and-pepper hair stood in the doorway. But it was the kutte he wore, emblazoned with a president patch, that stole the air from my lungs.
“Ethan?” my mother gasped, her face draining of color.
“Hey, Nik,” he said, his weathered face creasing with a rueful smile. “Sorry, I didn’t knock. Old habits die hard.”
I glanced between them, noting how her hands shook as she gripped her mug. “I take it you two know each other? ”
“We went to high school together,” he replied, his eyes never leaving her face.
She shot him a look that could have melted steel. “It was a hell of a lot more than that, Ethan Diaz.”
He ran his tongue across his teeth and chuckled, the tension between them palpable. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling like an intruder in my childhood home.
“What are you doing here?” my mother finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan’s expression sobered. “Got a call from one of our guys at the Dallas PD. He tipped us off about the bakery robbery.”
“But why would they do that?” I asked, confusion momentarily overriding my fear.
His piercing gaze shifted to me. “Because I told them to alert me immediately to anything involving Nicole or Amelia Kelly.”
“I don’t understand,” my mom said, her brows pinching together.
Ethan’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. “Made your old man a promise. He came to me after they got you back home. He was worried Red would come after you.”
My mother’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the quiet kitchen. “Did Dad know about your connection to Silent Phoenix? Is that why he went to you?”
Ethan shook his head. “No, Nik. He came to me because he knew I’d die before letting anything happen to you.” His eyes softened as they met hers. “Sure enough, Red showed up less than a month later, and I took care of it.”
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out his meaning.
Ethan had killed my father.
“All this time?” she asked, running her knuckles over her sternum. “But why didn’t you come to me—why didn’t you tell me?”
His head jerked back, and he let out a rough bark of laughter. “Because of this, Nik,” he said, tugging at his kutte. “That fucker damn near killed you. The last thing you needed was another biker showing up to remind you.”
Mom’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and something like frustration flashing across her face. Ethan stood rigidly as if bracing himself for her reaction .
I cleared my throat. “The men who robbed the bakery mentioned Silent Phoenix. Said they wanted to send a message.”
He ran his knuckles over his beard, eyes narrowed on my bruised face. “Doesn’t make a goddamned bit of sense. It’s an unspoken rule that family members are off-limits. Can’t see how anyone could have made a connection between us. I’ve been careful to keep my distance.”
“The message wasn’t for you,” I said quietly, picking at my broken thumbnail. “They called me Ghost’s Ol’ Lady. He’s with the Lubbock chapter?—”
Ethan chuckled again. “I know who Dane is, sweetheart. His old man, Wolverine, founded Silent Phoenix.”
I had a baby with him and didn’t know that. The realization of how little I actually knew about the man I was living with left me feeling off balance.
“Still doesn’t make sense, though,” he muttered. “What does he say? Any guesses as to who’s behind it?”
I grimaced. “I haven’t, uh, haven’t told him yet.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he let out a low whistle. “You waiting until he sees it on the morning news, or what?”
“You can’t blame her for being reluctant to talk to him, Ethan. This isn’t her world?—”
“Not yours either, is it, Nik?” he snapped, his eyes flashing with hurt. “Now you know why I’ve stayed away.”
My mother pushed her chair back and stood, her eyes never leaving Ethan’s face. She walked toward him like she was in a trance, and for a moment, I wondered if she might slap him. Instead, she tucked herself against his chest with a choked sob, her small frame fitting perfectly in his arms.
Ethan stroked her hair, murmuring something too low for me to hear. There was clearly a long history between them, one that ran deeper than old classmates.
After a moment, he gently pulled back, his hands resting on my mother’s shoulders as he addressed me. “I’ll reach out to Bear, the mother chapter’s Pres, but Ghost needs to know someone’s targeting his family.”
I nodded, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline that had been keeping me going was fading fast, leaving me hollow and drained .
As we headed out into the backyard toward my house, I heard Ethan mutter to my mother, “That boy’s gonna go scorched earth when he finds out, especially since they used his name to get to her.”
An icy chill traveled down my spine. I’d seen glimpses of Dane’s darker side, but I had a feeling I was about to witness it in full force.
Scorched earth.
What exactly did that mean when it came to the world of outlaw bikers? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
The morning sun cast long shadows across the dewy grass, and a cool breeze raised goosebumps on my arms. Or maybe that was just the dread coursing through my veins.
Because if Dane’s lifestyle had the potential to put us in danger, then I needed to be ready to take Avery and run.
No matter how much it hurt.