17. Chapter 16
Crusher
I tap my finger on the oak table as one by one, the officer brothers, along with the old-timers, walk into church and take seats. Frustration builds as I clench my jaw, my eyes going to the clock several times.
I shouldn’t be here, I should be back at the motel, where I left my wife and son last night after she refused to let me stay.
I should be fucking choosing her like she wanted me to eight years ago, but I’m not.
Instead, I’m stuck here, proving to her yet again that the club comes first when it fucking doesn’t, but unfortunately for me, old habits are hard to kill.
“Breathe, little brother, you know Cage wouldn’t have called church if it wasn’t an emergency,” Blaze says, and I nod but continue to tap my finger as Cage storms into the room, slamming the door behind him before rounding the table and then taking a seat.
“Right, brothers, it would seem we have a traitor,” he announces, and I look his way and scowl because I did not need to be here for this fucking thing. I’m already fully aware someone helped that bitch who Trick or Chief Marshalls now can’t seem to fucking find ruin my life!
“Don’t look at me that way, Crusher. This has to do with you and your relationship,” Cage snaps, and I sneer at the fucker, my anger beginning to stir, last night's fight after my wife kicked me out not doing fuck all to tame it.
He knows I’ve offered to hand my cut in, and he’s grasping at straws.
“I didn’t need to be here for this shit, Cage, and you fucking well know it. I need to be at that motel to beg my wife not to leave town again!” I snap, and he winces just as several eyes come my way, some of the older generation were not aware that I am married.
Chains growls, “You’re married?” while Bones and Crash glare at me.
Shit.
“Yeah, about that,” Blaze sneers, and I eye him as he sits forward, “Kayden is thankfully on the mend, meaning now, I can kick your fucking ass for getting married without us and to my best friend no less!”
Double shit.
“Hey, Knuckles did it as well,” I try, and Knuckles snaps, “Don’t fucking bring me into this,” and my lips twitch as several eyes go to him, glaring.
“Crusher,” Crash sighs, and my humor disappears, and I shake my head.
“I don’t want to hear it, Crash. We wanted to get married, but on our own, it was our decision, and you all knew it was going to happen at some point,” I state, and the old timers growl, but I ignore them, and I rasp, “I cheated on my wife,” and the old timers who didn’t know freeze.
“Wait, that is why Alexiana ran?” Treasure, Bones’ dad asks, “I thought she left because she couldn’t handle club life?”
“Dad chose Blaze,” I state, causing Blaze to tense, but he doesn’t interrupt, “I spent my whole fucking life bending to his rules, missing out on family BBQ’s, school dances, heck, just hanging out and having a laugh with all of you.
I was stuck in Dad’s fucking office going over every single little back road because he didn’t want me to fuck up so badly that I’d get you all arrested like he did,” Dad look down in shame, “Years, I was trying to get him to come to a game, to show him how fucking good I actually was and it took for Mom to threaten divorce for him to come to my last game. He recognized Blaze and instead of using his brain, he told me I wasn’t going to become road captain.
He told me I wasn’t going to become an officer at all that it is Blaze’s rightful place.
He didn’t think about me or Mom, he only thought about his position within the club.
I got drunk because I realized I really didn’t fucking matter to him… ”
Chains glares at my dad, who looks ashamed.
I sigh, “I made out with Roxy, I felt her up, but before she could undo my jeans, I realized my fuck up and shoved her away. I spent the entire night vomiting and regretting my choices, and when I finally got my ass home–”
“Where is home?” Blaze cuts in, but I ignore him and continue, “I confessed to Alexiana what I did with Roxy, I explained what happened with Dad. She was pissed and hurt, and I begged her not to leave me, I begged for her to give me a chance, and she gave me an ultimatum.”
I swallow hard and look around the room before I lock eyes with my father, and I admit something not even my generation of brothers know other than Cage, “Her or the club.” The brothers suck in a breath, but I keep eye contact with Dad, “She told me to hang up my cut until she learned to try and forgive me, to trust me again.”
“She was testing you to see if you’d actually put her first,” Knuckles sighs, and I nod as I side-eye him before looking back at my sorrowful-looking father.
“I chose the club because I was still stuck in the begging for my father to be proud of me despite him shoving me aside stage, and she left,” I rasp, and Dad flinches as I break eye contact and look around the room.
“I chose my club over my wife and she left me and three times over the past eight years she’s tried to send me divorce papers, four if you want to include the papers she placed in my bag while Kayden, my son, who I had no idea even existed and not for the lack of trying from my wife was in hospital,” I shake my head, “She won’t give me the time of day,” I look at Cage, “You knew I didn’t need to be here for this, I’m fully aware that someone in this club helped Roxy keep my girl away, helped spread lies to the prospects that Roxy and I were together.
That same someone tried to fucking ruin me by helping her send Alexiana photos of the bitch throwing herself at me, making it look like we were in a relationship.
You could have explained all this without me. ”
“You told her you’ll hand in your cut brother.
I’ve already fucking tried that, fuck even Trick and Knuckles have and don’t get me started on your blood brother.
He’s only here for you because you’ve cut yourself off from him,” Cage states, and I shake my head again at the several growls that echo in the room at the threat that they’ll lose their brother.
“So, what am I supposed to do then?!” I demand, and instead of getting pissed at me, he smirks.
“Tie her to your bed. The ladies won’t be able to help her escape like Belle tried with Clark, because they don’t know where you live, no one here does except for my dad and me,” he answers.
“Wait, you know where he lives?” my dad snaps at Cage, but we ignore him.
“Okay, one, Belle is the one who told Crash, playing both sides because she didn’t want Crash to be pissed with her for knowing what Clark was doing. She was also hoping he’d go against the club for her, and two, my wife hates me enough, I won’t tie her up,” I snap back.
Does he really think Alexiana would just sit back and take me tying her up? She’d fucking castrate me!
The man is an idiot.
Crash interrupts, “She doesn’t hate you,” and I raise a brow at him because seriously?
What the fuck is up with the brothers right now?
“You and Cage been smoking magic mushrooms again, brother? Because you both are coming out with a bunch of shit,” I state, and Chains blurts, “What the fuck?” and Cage coughs to hide his chuckle.
“Something you want to tell me, son?” Spike asks Crash who, instead of answering his fuming father and confirming the phone call he got while we were in tenth grade wasn’t a hoax and he was high off his head, he smirks before reminding me, “She called you brother, not once, but twice in the space of a week. She heard your voicemail and caved. Blaze mentioned she called you before you even saw her at the school in Rose Hill, her first thought that day was to call you.”
I look down with a sigh.
It doesn’t matter what I say, they’ll come up with shit, they’ll try to make plans, but they don’t know my girl like I do. I broke her trust, she asked me not to hurt her, and I did.
“Son,” Dad rasps, but the door to church opens, stopping him, and I frown as we look to see Chief Marshalls storm into church.
“Ah, for fuck’s sake, which brother is getting arrested this time?” Cage groans, and the brothers chuckle, but I don’t.
Nothing but tension radiates off the man, and the fact that Kodi is standing behind him, tears in her eyes, eyes focused on me, I lock up.
“Alexiana?” I confirm, and the chuckles stop instantly, and Marshall's jaw clenches.
He holds up paperwork and states, “This came to my desk this morning. Judge Haste wanted to give you the heads-up, Crusher. Your wife has petitioned the court for a divorce with proof of you having an affair.”
I slowly close my eyes as curses echo around me.
Fuck’s sake, and she has a case because she’s served me four times.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I should have seen this shit coming and I really don’t like that she’s using the word affair!
“Do you want a life with her?” Marshalls asks, and I snap my eyes at him.
“Of course I fucking do!” I snap.
Cage and Crash clear their throats while Kodi’s dad’s lips twitch before he holds up another set of papers and says, “Good, because Judge Haste declined her petition and instead put in place a court-ordered marriage counseling session.
It looks like you're going to therapy, son,” and the biggest smirk etches on my face.
“Pres, bang the fucking gavel,” I demand, knowing half the brothers in this room will jump me if I try walking out, and Cage asks, “And what about the traitor?”
I look at him and state, “Trick needs to monitor all cameras and keep an eye out.
Until Roxy shows her face again, which, let's face it, with the club's history where women are concerned, she will pop up like the cockroach she is. We probably won’t find the traitor until then. Now, do me a fucking favor and bang the fucking gavel!”
He nods and bangs it, and without hesitation, I storm out of church, snatching the folders from the chief with Blaze right behind me, and I ignore Mom's, “Crusher, have you got a minute?” and keep walking towards the front door, knowing she wants to see Kayden.
It’s time my wife understood where we stand.
***