Chapter 6
“War tell you why you’re here?”
“Not really.”
Warren shifted in his seat.
“Why don’t you fill me in, dad?”
King contemplated me, his face blank as usual.
It often surprised me how easily he looked made of stone.
It was difficult not to break the silence knowing he cared so little about me he hadn’t even asked how I was, what I’d been getting up to since he last saw me.
That was my stupid fault allowing those thoughts to affect me.
He didn’t give a shit, that was obvious.
He wasn’t even referring to Warren like he was my brother, but his VP doing a job he’d ordered of him.
“The club has some trouble, its best you’re where we can keep an eye on you.”
I looked at my brother then back to him. “I don’t need anyone keeping an eye on me. I’ve been capable of looking after myself for the last…” I cut myself off, I was heading into defensive territory.
Taking a different tack I asked, “What kind of trouble? I was summoned, I’m here to hear you out but you can’t make me stay if I don’t think it’s necessary.”
King rubbed a hand over his chin, his fingers wrapped around the thick beard that hung down over his neck. He held my gaze, even when Warren shifted, sitting forward in his chair. I cut him a quick look letting him know I did not need his help.
“Why don’t you enlighten me on what I need protecting from,” I said.
“You always were stubborn,” he said, without his usual air of annoyance or impatience. “We’re having some issues with a rival MC. History is rearing its head. It’s something that affects you both.”
Warren shifted again, but still didn’t speak. I could tell from his body language, he hadn’t expected dad to be this forthcoming. My foot started tapping on the floor anxiously and I had to fight to stop it. I didn’t want him to clam up again.
“How?” I asked, one word couldn’t be too argumentative.
After a moment’s contemplation, he finally said, “It regards your mother.” He turned to look out of the window, his jaw tense.
This time we both reacted and turned to look at each other. Dad never talked about mom. Ever. Warren didn’t know about this, his brow furrowed as he looked at dad.
“What about her?” Warren asked.
“Not many people know about this,” King leaned back in his chair, shifting sideways a little.
He favoured his left side after an accident about fifteen years ago.
His hip still bothered him, but he would never voice that he was suffering.
He’d just adapted how he moved. King blew out a heavy breath.
“It needs to stay that way. Your mom had ties to the Kingsmen.”
Warren got up and paced. I didn’t speak, it would be better if the questions came from Warren.
“Do I want to ask in what way?” Warren stopped, folding his arms over his chest.
“When your mom came to us, it was for protection. The Kingsmen were into drugs in a big way, their Prez didn’t keep their noses out of the product.
Things got messed up, they got into a lot of shit with neighbouring clubs, some of their own chapters weren’t happy.
It was causing shit, messing things up for a lot of people.
They ended up owing money to some dangerous people.
And they were trying to come up with ways to recoup cash. ”
This was by far the most my dad had ever said about club business with me present. Warren was stiff as a board, clearly making a leap before I did.
“Skin trade?”
Dad nodded. I was horrified. The Devil’s Chaos was into a lot of illegal shit but one thing they’d never dealt in was women.
Sure, they had the women that hung around, mostly for sex with club members, but they were never held against their will, paid, or did anything they didn’t want to.
As far as I was concerned they were mistreated, but they wanted to be here, and accepted club life.
This MC wasn’t into the buying and selling of women, or prostitution. They ignored others doing it, which was just as bad in my eyes, but I didn’t worry about them being involved. This was unnerving. Did he buy my mother?
“Some deals were made,” King went on.
“Mom was involved?” I asked quietly. I got a nod from King. “So she came here?” another head incline. “Did you buy her?”
“Of course we didn’t fucking buy her,” he scowled at me. “She was young, beautiful. Perfect for what they wanted, and she would get them a lot of cash.”
“She ran so they wouldn’t sell her?” Warren cut in, diverting my train of thought.
“She realised the trouble she was in, after watching it happening to the other girls in the club. She thought it couldn’t happen to her.
” He looked towards the window. “Then she overheard them making a deal for her. Point is,” he didn’t want to give any more information about that.
“She came here for protection. Dutch took her in,” he looked back at us, referring to the previous president.
“What about us?” Warren asked, indicating towards me with his chin. “How’d that come about?”
“The Kingsmen were her family. Here, Danica was at the bottom and knew that wouldn’t change.”
“So she fled her family who intended to sell her into the sex trade and became a slave, anyway?” I fired at him.
King ignored that.
“Family?” Warren asked, picking up on that part of King’s story.
“She was their President’s daughter.”
“Fuck,” Warren breathed out. I echoed his sentiment silently. I could barely comprehend someone selling their women into sexual slavery, let alone their own daughter.
King looked between us, his face hardening again. “I knocked her up. It wasn’t planned. Dutch made me take care of her. It’s the way things are done. Plus she’d fucked everyone here back then.”
I almost lost the ability to breathe. Dad didn’t talk about mom but the way he was talking now, it was like he didn’t care about her at all.
“Danica isn’t the person you think she is, Waverley,” he told me, seeing my horror at what he said. “You have some kind of fantasy she was more, even though she left you when you were three. Danica wanted to secure her place here, even though under Dutch she had that security.
“Being an Old Lady means elevated status in an MC. And that was all she wanted from me. She used you too. You are my kids, my responsibility and I took that seriously, but Danica was strong willed, after a couple of years she wanted more and the higher I rose, the more she thought she deserved. But she screwed over the club and wasn’t welcome anymore.
Dutch kicked her, and she wasn’t allowed back in. ”
“What did she do?” Warren asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” he said and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a pained tone to his voice. “She was out, and she left without looking back.”
Now he sounded disgusted, and it was giving me whiplash. I looked at Warren to see if he was hearing the same thing, but he was just staring at the floor between his feet. I sank into my seat.
I knew little about my mother. As much as I was disillusioned about my dad, I thought deep down we meant something to him.
I stared wanting him to give me something that showed me we were more than that.
We had to be, he’d raised Warren in his image.
I’d always thought because I was a girl I was treated differently, that was my father’s way.
But now…he brought me here to protect me. What did that mean?
“Do you even love us?” the words escaped before I could put a lid on those thoughts.
Kings jaw flexed, but he remained silent. I got to my feet, I needed out of this room. Warren grabbed my arm to stop me leaving.
“I may not show it-”
“But you can’t say the words. Jesus, is it any wonder I’ve never felt like I belonged here?
A mom who used us to get where she needed to be and a dad who didn’t want us?
Well thanks but no thanks. I don’t need to be around this.
I’m worth more and so are you,” I snapped at Warren.
“You choose to be here, but I don’t. I’m leaving. ”
“Who said anything about not wanting you?”
The roar of his voice made me jolt to a halt. Despite wanting to get far away from here, I had never disobeyed that voice, even after all this time.
Warren pulled me towards him. “Don’t,” he said to me quietly. “He hasn’t finished telling us what this is all about.” That last part he aimed at King.
“Careful, War. I’m still your President,” he said in a menacing tone that brokered no argument.
I felt Warren tense, but he didn’t argue, just like King expected. Neither of us did but Warren’s hand slipped into mine showing he supported me and wouldn’t let me go. King noticed, watching our hands. For a second, I saw something like pride flash in his eyes.
“There is no way to sugar-coat this, and I don’t intend to.
Danica is dead, happened a few months ago.
I don’t know why, don’t care why,” he said callously.
“Word has gotten to me she went to the Kingsmen a couple of months before she died, and something happened that has got them interested in my children.”
King got to his feet, his whole body vibrating with anger. He rested both fists, knuckle down on the table and leaned forward, showing the face I’m sure scared hundreds of people before us.
“They want to hurt you for some reason, and I don’t know what that is, but I intend to find out. They will never get near you.
“That is why you are here and that is why you will not be leaving, Waverley. I told that bitch back then and I will tell you both now. They will have to go through this entire MC and burn it to the fucking ground before they take my children from me.”
I made my way out of the clubhouse and followed the path to the old ladies house. It was where I would find Rosa and right now, she was the only person I wanted to speak to.