Chapter Two
Crank stared at her. “Let me guess your mother’s name is Ursala.”
Taking a step back, she just stared at him. “My mom’s name is Ursala but again, how did you know that?” she exclaimed.
“How do I know her name?” Crank gritted through his teeth. “She walked out on me with no word, twenty six years ago.”
The young woman kept staring at him. “Oh, my God. I know who you are now!” She snarled and said, “And she did no such thing. She said she left you a note telling you why she left. She loved you, you freakin idiot.”
Crank snapped back, “If she loved me she would have stayed and talked to me, she didn’t do that. No, she left like a thief in the night and I never found no damned note.”
The young woman leaned forward and slapped his face.
The pop from it reverberated through the now silent bakery. The customers who were close by quickly left the shop and no one else dared to move.
Ruthie grabbed the young woman’s shoulders and pulled her behind her. She had no clue what the bikers would do and she knew she had to protect the other woman.
Crank slowly raised his hand and covered the angry red mark on his face. Then he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He opened his eyes and asked, “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
The woman shook her head. “You have no right calling me sweetheart for one thing...” She paused, then said, “The other thing is, you best not insult my mother again. Mom called me Reno. My name is Reno Smith.”
“Your name should be Reno Lawler, child,” Crank informed her softly.
“I never knew about you but I was going to marry your mother. I even had the ring I chose for her, then one day I came home and she was just gone. I never found a note. I did nothing else with my life but look for her for three years. I never found her.”
Reno glared at him but she refused to say anything. Then she shrugged and turned to go back to the kitchen.
Crank called out to her and asked, “Where is your mom?”
Reno looked back at him and snapped, “She’s safe. Safe from you and your father. To keep her that way, I will never tell you.”
Crank glared at her. “My father? What the hell does he have to do with this? I haven’t seen him or talked to him since I left to look for your mother.”
Reno scoffed as she turned back around to face him.
“Sure you haven’t. But in case you are telling the truth, why is your dad looking for her so hard then?
Everywhere we go, he would come looking, with about four of his bullies and we’d have to run and hide again.
That’s no way to grow up buster but that’s how it was. ”
Crank looked perplexed as he asked, “What the hell are you saying?”
Reno placed her hands on her hips and informed him, “Well Mr. Lawler, your dad has been chasing my mom and me all my life. She had to run and hide from him so many times since I was born that we always had everything packed in duffle bags we couldn’t even unpack and we lived in some nasty places over the years but one thing never changed, we lived with the threat of being found by him every single day of my life.
Why? Beats the hell out of me. But my mom was is afraid of him finding her.
Then one time he found her he left her beaten and barely able to move.
She got away from him after that but she has never stopped looking over her shoulder since then. ”
Crank studied her for a moment then looked over at Titus and Bouncer. “Well shit, this is all news to me. I haven’t spoken to my dad since I left town to look for Ursala. I have no idea and know of no reason he would be looking for her, especially in order to hurt her.”
Reno just scoffed in doubt and glared at him.
Titus looked from Crank back to Reno and shook his head.
“Maybe we should look into your dad and try to figure this out. It sounds like he’s been hunting her mother for some time now and I don’t think he’s going to stop until he finds her.
Maybe she knows something you don’t. But right now, both her and Reno are in danger and that’s not a good thing. ”
Crank ran his hand through his dark hair and nodded.
“Knowing my old man, he has a reason. And it has to be about greed. I am sorry to say that, that is what I always hated about him. I hated what he stood for and how he treated people. I mean I always knew he didn’t like Ursala but I was going to marry her whether he liked her or not.
He always looked down on her because she was just a regular person, you know.
She didn’t have country club money and she always worked for a living.
One time he said he would never accept her and I told him then he better prepare himself to lose me because I wouldn’t give her up, that she was my forever after.
” Shaking his head he admitted, “I don’t think he took me seriously but after she left, so did I.
My father always used money as a weapon against people, not only his own family but he used it as a way to determine if people were worthy of his time too. ”
“We have some digging to do to figure this out.” Titus looked at Reno and said, “You have to get your mom to come here so we can protect you both. At least long enough to get some answers. We can’t just leave her out there alone and unprotected.”
Reno glared at them. “It’s a little late for all your concern, don’t ya think? We can both protect ourselves. Hell, we’ve had enough practice. We know what and who to look for and we know how to get out of his way.”
Crank scoffed. “Yeah, but the point is you shouldn’t have had to learn how to protect yourselves.
Not from my father anyway. I know he can be a stubborn bastard but he shouldn’t have come after you girls in the first damn place.
That alone, tells me he’s got something to hide.
And you can damn well bet, I am now going to dig into his businesses and find out what he’s trying so hard to hide. ”
“Any idea what that could be?” Bouncer asked.
“Not yet, but I will know soon,” Crank replied.
“And I’ll find out if his secrets are what caused Ursala to leave me in the first place and if that’s the case, I’ll burn down his fucking empire.
I’ll burn it right to the ground and he won’t even have the ashes left to rebuild on when I get done with him. ”
“Won’t your brothers be in the crossfire?” Titus asked.
Crank shrugged. “If they knew what he’d been doing and they stayed with him anyway?
They deserve it.” Shaking his head he added, “But I have to find out what the old man is into first. I want to know why he’s been chasing my woman all over the place.
” He snapped his gaze over to pin Reno with a glare.
“You need to call your mom and get her to join you here. I have to know she’s safe before I start looking into my family. Please? I need to know she’s safe.”
“Why do you care?” Reno asked. “It's been a long time since you’ve even seen her.”
Crank stared at her. “When you meet the right one you just know, ok? I’ve known a lot of women in my life but no one has ever measured up to what I had with Ursala. I never married nor did I ever keep a woman with me. She spoiled me for any other woman and I’m selfish enough to want that back.”
Reno felt shocked at his admission. She watched her mom growing up and she had never seen her with another man. She didn’t date and there were never any men coming or going from their house in darkness. For all this time her mom had been alone.
Staring at the man whose patch said ‘Crank’, she whispered, “What’s your first name?”
“Nolan Gene Lawler.” Crank told her.
Reno again felt shocked as she stumbled back at bit. “Your middle name is Gene?”
Crank nodded slowly. “Yeah, why?”
“My full name is Reno Gene Smith.” Her mom had named her after her dad after all. She shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”
Crank nodded. “I know it seems like a lot to take in but please call your mom and have her join us. I’ll be looking into my dad’s shit but I really need to know she’s safe, as well as you.
Even if you aren’t mine, I’d still want to keep you safe.
Like you said, no kid should grow up like that.
I’m just so mad your mom ran away before she got a chance to talk to me.
Dealing with my father is something we both should have done. ...Together.”
Reno shook her head and said, “She told me you wouldn’t have understood why she did what she did but I think you would have.
I don’t know what happened back then because Mom would never tell me, but she would never let your old man find her again after that time he hit her either.
” She studied him for a long moment then said quietly, “I listened to her cry many nights and call out your name when I was growing up. So I think she still loves you? After the pain it all caused her, I don’t know why she would but I’ll call her and tell her I met you.
” Her eyes narrowed at him. “But it's up to her whether she comes here or not. Can you live with that?”
Crank looked frustrated as his fingers clenched a bit but he finally nodded. “I’ve had to live without her for too long, so I hope she feels the same way and wants to see me. I need her and you to be safe.
Reno nodded then she glanced over at Ruthie and said, “I’ve got cookies in the oven. I’ve got to go.” She turned and rushed back into the kitchen.