22 #2
I had a gut feeling this Rocky dude was RJ, who Storm had been looking for. But I needed more than a gut feeling. I needed evidence and proof for Prez.
“He left after the club’s bar was attacked by a different MC,” Mona replied, tearing up. “Our president, Keg, was killed and a few members.”
“Keg is Rocky’s uncle,” Ella told us. If she only knew how she was betraying the Hells Bells with her loose lips. I sensed she hadn’t grown up in the club or had been trained to keep her mouth shut. “Rocky ran off after the mayhem, fearing for his life. He told me he would be back.”
“That was a long time ago.” Mona rolled her eyes like Ella was an idiot. She was clearly getting annoyed with the young mom.
“Geez, that sounds scary.” Libby glanced at me. “Who was after him?”
“We can’t say.” Mona shot Ella a stern look that told her to shut up. “The bottom line is he’s not here and will likely never return.”
“I don’t believe that,” Ella snapped at Mona. “He loves me. I have his child.”
“The child he doesn’t know exists,” Mona replied. “The last time you talked to him, you argued and hung up on him. Remember? You haven’t spoken to him since.”
Oh, shit!
A tear slid out the corner of Ella’s eye. “I should be going.”
Damn, I felt sorry for her. But this was all great information I could use for research, but I needed just a little more.
“Are Keg and Rocky real names?” I asked Ella as she gathered up her son’s toys. I needed to play the part of someone who knew nothing about bikers or motorcycle clubs. “I’m just curious. Never met anyone with those kinds of names before.” I shrugged, feigning ignorance.
“Keg is a road name,” Mona replied. “His birth name is different.”
“But Rocky’s is his legal name.” Ella smiled softly and carried Rockson toward the door.
“So did you name your son, Rockson, after him?” If she said yes, then I could search the baby’s birth records for the last name. I couldn’t imagine there were many Rocksons in the world, especially with the last name beginning with the letter J.
“Yup. It was nice meeting you both. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“So nice to meet you, too.” Libby got the door and whispered to Ella. “Take care, honey. Bye, Rockson.” She waved to the young mom and her son as they left.
“You don’t have to be so sugary sweet.” Mona made a gagging face.
“And you don’t have to be so damn mean to her.” Libby shut the door.
“She’s just so pathetic and always sad.”
“Oh my God! She’s young with a child and no father to support them. Where’s your compassion? And here she was helping you.”
“Not by choice. Vegas makes her stop in on me. Besides, we grew up without fathers.”
Libby put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, and look how we turned out. You saw how Mom struggled. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
“Well, aren’t you just so nice.” Mona pulled the fuzzy blanket up to her chin.
I really wished I wasn’t here for this discussion. It was awkward as hell.
“She just annoys me,” Mona said. “And we never liked each other very much.”
“Well, that might be different if you were nice to her. Honestly, Mona. You haven’t changed much in the last decade, have you?”
The sisters stared each other down. I couldn’t stand being here. I needed to get out and do a little recon in town.
“Where’s the nearest liquor store?” I asked.
“I have beer in the fridge.” Mona pointed. “Help yourself.”
I went and opened the door, finding it filled with Miller Lite. “I prefer IPAs.”
“Then you’ll have to go buy some.” She sighed, sounding irritated.
“No problem. I’ll be back.” I hurried out of the little house before anyone stopped me.
Ella was already gone. Couldn’t say I blamed her for not wasting a second. The vibe inside was extremely judgmental. I hated it. No one should experience so much judgment but that was the world we lived in.
Thankfully, my Libby didn’t have a cruel bone in her body. Couldn’t say the same for Mona. The two sisters seemed very different, but that could be because they had different fathers, like me and my older brother, Logan.
My brother’s teenage face assaulted me as I got into Libby’s Honda CRV and drove off. I didn’t think of him often. He’d abandoned me. Left me with Basil and Juniper because he couldn’t hack it. Promised he’d build a better life then come back for me.
And he never returned.
A couple of years after I joined the Knight’s Legion MC, I started looking for my brother. For a long time I’d feared he had died, which would explain why he hadn’t come back for me.
But no, he’d been alive and well, living in Massachusetts with the Saint’s Outlaws MC. He had a kid around the age of sixteen was my guesstimate. A boy named Curtis Graves.
Logan’s old lady was Joelle, her father was a member of SOMC. I figured Logan had met Joelle not long after he left me and her old man had brought him into the fold. Since he knocked her up and had a kid at a young age, he just hadn’t had the means to take me in.
It was ironic how we’d both ended up in a motorcycle club, thousands of miles apart. After finding out all that I could about my brother, I’d made the tracking app and stopped digging into his life. Logan obviously didn’t care enough about me.
We’d only been half brothers with different fathers, like Libby and her sister. When we no longer had our mother to keep us connected, we’d all grown apart. Maybe half siblings needed the connecting link, our mothers, to stay close.
Either way, the images I’d found of my brother, as a grown man and father, were intimidating.
He looked rough and mean. Strong and fierce.
And he was obviously a straight man. I had assumed he was the spitting image of his father, who had ran off after Logan was born and left our mom alone to raise a baby.
At least my brother had stayed with his baby momma and son.
I hadn’t told Storm or his uncle Matt about my brother. They knew my parents had died, that was it. What I appreciated most about Storm and Matt was how they had never questioned me about anything. When I needed them, they were always there for me. The same for Libby.
But now, I had Toby in my life. He was a free spirit and didn’t want to be held back from pursuing his desires. I had a sinking feeling he would want to come and go as he pleased, much like he had been doing since we’d first met.
Clearly, we needed to hash everything out with Libby.
Monday would have to be the day. I didn’t think I could go any longer not knowing what the future could be like for me and Libby with or without Toby.