Odin
This was the most pointless excuse for us to come here. Nothing was needed of us. I think it was just a ploy to get us here in the hopes Serena would be with us. The first thing my father asked was why she wasn’t with us. He didn’t care about Zeus not being here. That was the first of many red flags of the evening.
Since we have arrived, our fathers have not so subtly tried to get us to get her over here. Fat chance of that ever happening. The last thing I would ever do is make her set foot in here again. She hated it the only time she was forced here, and now that we suspect our dads, it will never happen again. I refuse to give them any way of taking her from us.
Midas and I are sitting at the bar, sipping at the beer we were each given. Our fathers scurried off a while back, but we were told we couldn’t leave until they discussed something with us. The three of them have been holed up in the Church for the last two hours. Who knows what they are doing in there, but I know it’s nothing good.
I still can’t believe that our fathers would stoop so low. I know they aren’t good people- my childhood is a prime example of that- but I never expected this from them. If they are the ones behind everything that has happened to Serena since she got here, I vow I will kill them myself. I don’t care if that makes me a bad person. They will deserve the death I would bestow upon them.
I have even started daydreaming about how I would do it. How I would make them hurt for as long as possible. Make them suffer more than they have made her.
But before I can do anything I have planned, we need to find proof. Serena said that Dante’s cousin was looking into our fathers, trying to find any information they could on them. I still don’t know if we can fully trust Dante, too much bad blood between us, but if Serena does, then I guess I can too. For now.
It takes another thirty minutes before our fathers emerge from their meeting. They don’t have to say anything to get our attention, I can feel their gaze on me. The hairs on the back of my neck instantly stand. Midas feels it too. He looks at me, silently telling me to stay strong so we can find any information we can.
I know Midas has been worried since we got here that I would just explode and murder them on the spot. The thought crossed my mind, but I know in the long run that would be a dumb idea. I may hate my father with every fiber of my being, but I wouldn’t kill him without knowing the truth. I refuse to let any truths about them be silenced by the grave.
We all still know there is so much more to them than what they tell us. We have all had our suspicions as to what else they have going on, but no solid evidence.
My mind plays over the night they brought those drugs to our warehouse. The Russians with them looked sketchy as fuck. I never wanted to think that our fathers had started working with the Russian mafia, but it’s starting to seem that way.
The stories about Dimitri and his crew even give me chills. The man is ruthless and even more dangerous. He is the type of man who kills just for fun. The other rumors about him make me sick to my stomach. He allegedly has a thing for underage girls. He has major connections in the dark web and can get anything he wants.
If those Russians are connected to Dimitri, then the club doesn’t know about it. None of the men here are good people, but none are as sick and twisted as Dimitri.
Also, those drugs we were selling that night, Z, were like nothing I have ever seen before. I am starting to think Z stands for zombie because that’s exactly what it made everyone act like. Mindless zombies.
I chug the last of my beer, needing the liquid courage before facing off against Zane and the others. Midas follows my lead, chugging the rest of his drink before we get off the bar stools and make our way over to the imposing wooden doors.
As a kid, I used to dream about the day that I would be able to walk through these doors. Picturing a life far different from the one I have. I used to equate the doors to being a family. That’s what the MC is, a family of sorts, and only certain members of that family were allowed beyond the doors. I thought it was the coolest thing and the only thing I strived for. It was about belonging and acceptance. I always pictured that’s how I would feel, but I don’t. Currently, all I feel is worry and despair.
My father closes the doors behind us before taking his seat at the table on Zane’s left while Axel sits to his right. Zane is already sitting in his President’s chair at the head of the large mahogany table. The emblem of the MC and the words Kings of Chaos Fallingbrook are carved into the table.
Midas and I stand at the other end of the table, wanting to keep as much space between us and them as possible. We stand side by side, masks on, waiting to hear what they want to tell us.
Zane looks at my father and nods his head. My father, taking his cue, looks to us. I can feel his eyes examining every inch of my body, wanting to make sure that I am still the same man he made me.
I was always taught to be obedient to my father. His rules were law, and if I broke them, he broke me. He took every piece of my childhood and ruined it. He created a monster that he believes is on a leash. What he doesn’t know is that I want him to think that so one day I can stab him in the back.
Even before Serena, I had wanted to kill my father one day. Midas and Zeus want the same thing. We want to destroy our fathers so we can take over and return the MC to what Pops made it. When they took over, they destroyed it. They were too power hungry and were willing to do whatever to give them that power. They got the club into some shady things, but the money made it worth it to everyone, except a few of the older guys. They weren’t happy.
One member named Paul tried to call them out for everything they were doing. My dad shot him in the head, right between the eyes. I was there that night. He wanted me to kill him, but I couldn’t.
I was beaten so much that night that I thought I was going to die too. I was out of school for a week. Midas and Zeus tried to come see me, but my dad wouldn’t let them. He took my phone, so I couldn’t text them or anyone.
I would have gone to my mom for help, but she is in one of her spirals. She was so high that she didn’t even notice anything wrong with me. Hell, I don’t even think she knew her name.
My father got her hooked on drugs after I was born. From what I have heard from Zeus’s mom, my mom was once a shy, quiet girl. She was incredibly smart and was on the path to great success. But she met my dad, and he got her pregnant, so all her dreams went down the drain. She threatened to leave once, but he convinced her to stay. He started giving her “medicine” to help her, but she just got addicted. The rest is history. She wasn’t a mom to me, too hooked on the release she would get. My father was left to raise me.
“We have come to a decision.” My father starts. Midas and I both tense up, having no idea where this is going to go. “We know that you three are now official members, and some changes are going to happen. Firstly, your parties that you have are now going to be a weekly occurrence. We need them to push the regular drug shipment we are going to start getting. Second, you are going to have a lot more responsibilities for the club, so we will need you here after school every day. Lastly, we know Serena is under your protection. Since you are members, that means she is under our protection as well. We want to have more eyes on her. So, you will need to bring her to the clubhouse so we can do that.”
What the fuck?
It’s been five days since that meeting with our fathers. Midas and I wanted to fight against them, but we knew that there was no point. They always get what they want, and this would be no different.
After we left, Midas texted Zeus, wanting to meet up and discuss what happened. He told us he was at his mom’s house with Serena. We rushed over, needing to discuss what the next steps would be.
When we arrived, we found Zeus only in a pair of sweatpants and Serena tucked into his bed, looking freshly fucked. As much as I want to be the first one out of the three of us to fuck, I’m glad it was Zeus. He was the first one she warmed up to. They had their friendship from the start, and I know he treated her right.
Midas on the other hand, was pissed. I could tell he wanted to scream and maybe break something, but he kept his mouth shut. Silently stewing in his anger over the fact that he wasn’t the first and outwardly venting about our father's demands.
Like us, Zeus was against bringing her around our dads more. With our suspicions of them being her stalker on top of their weird ass behavior lately, it’s a recipe for disaster bringing her around.
I mentioned we should tell Dante about this latest update, but that only angered Midas more. Zeus looked against it as well, but there was something else in his eyes that I couldn’t figure out.
I know we all have our issues with Dante, but he cares about Serena, and most importantly, she cares about him. I am still not thrilled about it, but maybe this could mend the gap between the four of us.
We used to be so close. The best of friends, until we weren’t. I want to know what changed. It’s something that has been bugging me for years. I never imagined our friendship turning to this.
In the end, Midas forbade us from telling Dante. I didn’t agree, so I went ahead and sent him a text, updating him. I know that it was stupid to go against what Midas wanted, but what’s life without a little stupidity?
We unanimously agreed that the weekly parties to push the drugs weren’t something we were going to do. I love a good party as much as the next guy, but I refuse to be the reason more of that Z shit is pushed onto the streets. I am not na?ve enough to think that us not hosting parties will stop it. I know there are more than enough men in the club who are drug pushers or who employ their own dealers, but any little bit helps at this point.
Fallingbrook is my home, and I refuse to let it be turned into what our fathers want. This whole situation has just strengthened my resolve to push my father out of his position and end his tyranny. I don’t care if I need to get the arrested or killed. Any means necessary at this point.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so there is no school for the rest of the week. I am lying in bed, thinking about what I want to do today. Well, I know what I want to do. I want to spend the day with Serena. Zeus got his alone time, and now I want mine.
I pick up my phone, looking at the time. It’s almost nine in the morning. Not too early, she should be up. I open the message thread between us and send a quick message.
Me: Wanna come over and
spend the day with me?
It doesn’t take long for her to respond.
Serena: Let me get showered and
I will be right over.
I hop out of bed, quickly shower, and get dressed in a pair of light wash jeans and an old Iron Maiden shirt I have. I glance around my room, staring at the mess I haven’t cleaned up in I don’t even know how long.
I scramble to clean as much as I can before the doorbell rings. I shove the last few things under my bed, checking one last time that it isn’t messy, and make my way to the front door.
I open the door and my jaw drops. Serena looks absolutely divine, like a goddess. Her blonde hair is in a half-up up half-down style with pieces framing her face. She looks mouth-wateringly sexy in her tight leggings, navy blue tank top, and leather jacket that is paired with a pair of black ankle-heeled boots.
I never used to pay attention to what girls wore. They all looked the same to me. It didn’t matter because soon enough their clothes would just be a pile on the floor until I was done with them.
With Serena, I take in every inch of her. Memorizing every little detail. The shine in her hair, and the small wave to it. Her makeup. Subtle but makes her feature pop. Her pale green eyes look so vibrant against the black liner and mascara. Her lips were in the softest shade of pink. The way her outfit accentuates every delicious curve on her body.
I could spend the rest of my life looking at her, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
She enters my home, her eyes taking everything in. There isn’t much here. My mom and dad aren’t the best interior decorators. Meaning, the place had the bare minimum. A worn-out couch and TV in the living room. Nothing on the walls, not even a single picture of me growing up. All the ones that we have are in a box tucked in the back of my closet.
The house is the same layout as her house. All four of the houses on the street are the same. When Pops built his house, he built the other three as well. I don’t know what he planned to do with the homes, but eventually gave them to our dads so they would have a place to raise the three of us.
I open my mouth about to ask Serena if she wants to come to my room, but my mom stumbles into the living room. Her eyes are glassy and distant. She doesn’t even notice Serena and me standing here.
Mom has always been a drunk and an addict. When I was younger, I would beg her to get clean, but nothing I said or did could change that. Drugs and alcohol were her escape from the shitty life she chose with my father.
I understand now why she needed to escape. She knew she would never be able to leave my father, she never had a job or any money for herself. Plus, she had me to think about. She loved my father once upon a time, but it was hard for her knowing his whoring ways and the things he did in the club.
She was never strong enough to just leave. She could have taken us anywhere, but she didn’t. I don’t know if my father ever threatened her, but I wouldn’t put it past him if he did.
My mom turned to alcohol as a way to cope. She would get so drunk she couldn’t remember her own name. Drugs came soon after. A better escape than alcohol, but mixing the two seems to be the only way she can function now.
Mom sways as she walks into the kitchen, nearly falling over more than once. I excuse myself and help my mom. I grab her a glass of water, which she immediately bats away and grabs a bottle of wine instead. I keep my mouth shut, knowing there is no point in arguing with her. It won’t get me anywhere.
I make her a sandwich, knowing she hasn’t eaten anything in a few days. If I didn’t learn how to cook when I was eight, I would have starved growing up. Dad was never home, and mom was too out of it to care.
I grabbed my mom’s elbow as she drank wine straight from the bottle and helped her to her room. I turn the switch on and stare at the mess. Clothes, empty alcohol bottles, and garbage line the floors. Typical for her room.
I sit her down on her bed that hasn’t been washed in months. Mom leans over and takes a bottle of pills off her nightstand. She pops a pill that looks curiously familiar and takes a swig of wine to swallow it. I hate watching her kill herself.
Was that the Z that we sold at the Halloween party? I try to grab the bottle from her to look, but Mom just yanks it back to herself. I raise both my hands, signaling that I will leave them alone. Mom gives me a shaky smile and tucks herself into bed.
I kiss her on the forehead before leaving her room, closing the door behind me and walking back over to Serena in the living room.
“Sorry you had to see that.” I rub the back of my neck, nervous that she has seen a bit of my life I wished she hadn’t.
I expected her to wave me off, saying it was fine even though her eyes would tell a different story. Instead, Serena walked over to me, got on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against mine. Her kiss was like a shot to the heart. Making me forget everything that just happened.
When she pulls away from me, I look down into her gorgeous light green eyes and see nothing but acceptance and love in them. The more time I spend with her, the more she amazes me. She isn’t uncomfortable with what she just saw. Instead, she understands and is willing to help me forgot about my shitty life.
“I want to show you something,” I whisper.