Heath Chapter 6 #2
“Basically, the note said that I was sixteen and old enough to be on my own. I was an adult. Dad had an opportunity to work for someone a couple of hours away. He and Mom were moving there to start a new life, and they didn’t need dead weight.
They left the mismatched, ratty furniture behind because they were starting over from scratch.
They told me they had raised me and not to bother them again. ”
I paused this time because Danae muttered, “Those cocksuckers.”
“Well, at least one was,” I snickered. “Where was I? Oh, yeah, they left. I knew that if anyone knew I was without an adult around, I’d have to go into the system. Lucky for me, the neighbors minded their own business and were used to seeing me mostly outside, coming and going.
“By then, Mom wasn’t working, and they lived on what they got from welfare and food stamps.
I was already the one who paid the bills, or they never would’ve been paid.
I had the checkbook hidden from them. I checked, and it was still where I hid it.
I’m not sure what money they took, if any.
So each month, when the welfare check and food stamps came, I used them.
I forged my mom’s signature on the checks and deposited them for her.
Again, the people at the bank were used to me being the one to do it.
I kept that illusion up for two years until I graduated from high school.
The day after I turned eighteen, several months before my senior year ended, I went to the recruiter’s office and signed up for the Army.
The only reason I waited to join was that I needed my diploma. I bided my time.
“It was during my Special Forces training that I met Ben.
He has his own shitty childhood story. We clicked because of that and more.
He was the only person I allowed to get close to me, to be a true friend.
Then, when he got out of the Army, we joined the Dark Patriots and discovered more people we could trust. But I want you to know, none of them, not even Ben, has gotten into my heart as deeply as you.
“I’m telling you this so you know what your man’s history is. So you know what I refuse ever to allow myself to become. And to prove how much you mean to me. I love you, Danae. I will do everything in my power to provide for, love, and protect you and our children.”
“I never imagined you suffered all that. Thank you for sharing that. And it does make me understand you and what a change being with me is for you. I want you to know you can always rely on me, and that you can talk about your past if you need to. Whew, that was rather unexpected. It makes what I have to tell you seem pretty silly,” Danae said.
“If it pertains to you and in any way bothers you, it’s not silly. Go on, tell me.”
“My upbringing was better in a lot of ways than yours. I grew up with a working parent. My dad was a college professor. He mostly taught Greek history because it was his favorite. That’s where the name Danae came from.
Both of my parents were Korean, with European ancestors mixed in, generations back. Both were born and raised in the US.
“Mom stayed at home with Haris and me. They weren’t rich, but we had a decent, though small, house, two older cars, and enough food. All our needs were met. I always thought it was a happy family with two parents who loved each other. There was no fighting or issues like yours.
“When I was fifteen, Dad had a heart attack at his college. He’d been in the middle of a lecture and dropped over.
Despite students and other staff performing CPR almost from the moment he fell, he was dead before the paramedics got there.
The doctors at the hospital said he had suffered a widowmaker heart attack. Those are rarely lived through.
“Through his work, Dad had a life insurance policy. It covered his funeral, paying off the house, and the newest car. There wasn’t much left after that.
He’d saved money when he could. It gave us a tiny cushion.
However, it meant that Mom would have to get a job.
Haris was eighteen and had started college.
He worked part-time, but only to cover his expenses.
He dropped out to support us, even though I offered to get a job to help. Haris told me no, but I did it anyway.
“The three of us made it work. There weren’t any extras, but we were surviving.
During that time, Mom was away from home more often.
We knew it hurt for her to be there. Everything reminded us of Dad, or so we thought that was the reason.
Six months after he died, Mom came home one evening with a man.
He wasn’t anyone we knew. She introduced him as her fiancé and said they were getting married the following month.
Talk about an uproar. There was a big argument, and the man just seemed to take it in stride.
He told Mom he’d see her tomorrow, then kissed her and left.
“We argued, talked, and pleaded for hours. All those days away, Mom was out searching for a replacement husband. She told us that our dad had left us destitute, and it was all because he refused to be anything other than a professor. She said we’d understand when we got older.
She told Haris that he needed to become a successful businessman so he wouldn’t do this to his family one day.
As for me, I needed to find a man able to take care of me.
She claimed she loved Dad, but love wasn’t enough.
She saw her mistake, and she wouldn’t make it again. ”
“Jesus Christ, how fucking cold and her man not even gone a year,” I snapped.
“Oh, she got colder. She married the guy as planned, despite all our objections and pleas for her to wait. He’s a successful American businessman with business ties in the US and Asia.
He owns more than one home, has servants, cars, you name it.
They’re not at the level of Hadley and Griff, but they’re not hurting.
“We were told we had to attend the wedding. Haris refused, and as an adult, she couldn’t force him.
I was still underage, and as my guardian, she could make me.
I sat there, hating it. The one thing I will say about my stepdad is that he has never been cruel or mean to me.
He offered to pay for anything I wanted, though I asked for nothing. It was always Mom who pushed me.
“I’m telling you this because I have nothing to do with them.
I stuck around until I was eighteen and graduated.
As soon as that happened, I moved out and in with Haris and Johann.
The three of us worked and created our lives.
Johann joined the Navy. Haris studied business, but not because of Mom.
It had been his desire all along. I worked and took out loans to cover what scholarships and grants didn’t, to achieve my dream of becoming a physician’s assistant.
“I had a year left to be done when Haris became sick. We hoped it was nothing serious, but the testing showed he had AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which, though rare, is the most common type of acute leukemia. It accounts for only about one percent of all cancers. But it’s the most fatal, with a five-year survival rate of under thirty percent.
His AML was very advanced. He’d hidden or ignored the symptoms for months.
He thought they were due to how much he worked.
Fatigue, some weakness, dizzy spells, recurring respiratory infections, headaches, and more can be signs of many things.
He thought he was overworked. Haris never mentioned any of those things to me.
Johann and I heard about them after he was diagnosed.
“They tried chemo and immunotherapy. It did nothing. He was going to try stem cell transplantation, but his system was too compromised. He lasted six months from the date of his diagnosis. We were faced with burying my vibrant brother. And wouldn’t you know it, Mom came around pretending she cared.
She cried and put on a show for her rich friends.
She offered to pay for his funeral. I told her to go to hell.
Her attempts to reenter our lives had failed for years. Haris’s death wouldn’t change it.
“We held a private viewing for just those who were true family and friends to him. Johann paid for the funeral. Before my brother died, he asked Johann to always watch over me. Of course, Johann promised. He’s like my other brother, and I’m his sister.
So, now you see I don’t bring family to this relationship other than him. ”
“God, we’re a pair, aren’t we? But this means we’re perfect together.
We both know what we want and what we won’t accept from life.
Our kids might not have traditional grandparents, but they’ll have a ton of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
And when you meet the motorcycle clubs we’re friends with, like the Archangel’s Warriors in Dublin Falls, where Ben’s sister, Justin’s brother, and cousin are members, we’ll have even more.
I do not doubt that when Bull, Bear, Rage, and Diablo, in the various clubs, meet our daughter, they’ll make her one of their grandkids. ”
“I can’t wait to meet them. And for you to tell me about them.”
“Have you had any contact with your mom since Haris died?”
“She crops up every so often. She keeps telling me that I need to find a rich man to take care of me and to make sure I get as much property, jewelry, and more in my own name, so that if something happens, such as a divorce or his death, I’d be secure.
She’s a mercenary bitch, and I have no need for her.
As far as I’m concerned, she can fall off the face of the planet.
It’s been a year since she last contacted me. We can only hope she’s given up.”
“You have a man who will do everything in his power to leave you and our kids secure if the worst should happen. But I know you’re a strong, independent woman who can do it even if I don’t. My Patriot and bikers' families will always be there to support you.”
“I know you will, Heath. And no matter what, even without the others you mentioned, I have Johann.”
“You said you’re like a sister to him and he’s like a brother to you. I admit, I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise, but when I found you that first night at his house, he said he’d marry you. I wanted to tear his fucking head off when he said it. Would you have married him?”
“If there was no other way to ensure our daughter was cared for, then yes. If I had, and he died, God forbid, we would’ve been eligible for his survivorship money through the Navy, and his Social Security until she was of age.
He has already set his will to leave his house, along with all his other possessions and money, to us.
But I don’t want that for him. I want Johann to meet someone, fall in love, and get married.
He deserves a family of his own. We would’ve married, but been platonic roommates. ”
“I’m glad to hear it, but you’re right. He should have that.
I’ll always be in his debt. He was here for you when I wasn’t.
Danae, his work isn’t safe. You know that.
But I have to make it clear that mine with the Dark Patriots can be dangerous, too.
Not every assignment involves bullets and danger, but we do work for several entities.
Some are private companies with needs that can pose risks.
Other times, we work with the US government as private contractors.
Sometimes those are upfront assignments.
Others, we are their wet workers. The ones they’ll deny all knowledge of if caught, and we’ll be on our own. Do you know what wet work means?”
She wiggled to sit straight. Her gaze met mine. “I think I do. I’ve heard the term. Why don’t you tell me?”
“In military and intelligence work, which we kind of fall between, the term wet work is a metaphor for operations involving violence and bloodshed. Assassinations are an example. The work is covert. We become those people who do that kind of work against those groups or individuals who are deemed a threat to our country’s interests or national security.
The goal is to use lethal means to get the job done.
Arrests are seldom the outcome for people like that.
You can see why the government wouldn’t want to use their actual forces if they have other options. ”
I let that sink in. I’d skated around the details when we were together before. I hadn’t told her I was an assassin at times.
“Does that change how you feel about me?” I asked, though I didn’t want to know the answer.
“No, it doesn’t. I believe that you wouldn’t do such things unless there was a good reason for it.”
“Thank you—one more thing. The wet work can occasionally come into play when we’re helping out the motorcycle clubs we’re friends with.
Now, wait, it’s not about taking out enemies or competition at random.
Many of the members are prior military, like us.
They come across people where justice can’t be obtained through traditional means.
Those who can buy their freedom, or don’t have enough ‘proof’ to convict, or they get a grossly inadequate punishment. When it happens, we help where we can.”
“Does the government know you help clubs?”
I chuckled. “Baby, not only do they know, but they’ve also helped.
And in Dublin Falls, the club’s IT hacker guy and his old lady, who’s just like him, work with the government.
They’re the elite of the elite in the world.
The main guy who heads up much of the intelligence work we do is the great-uncle to one of the old ladies in Hunters Creek.
Anderson protects those he believes in and who share his ethics.
At this point, he’s an honorary Patriot and a member of seven MCs.
If you ever want a real show, watch the hotshots in the DEA, FBI, and more go up against him.
He makes them shit themselves. They’re terrified of him. ”
“So what is his job? Which agency does he work for?” she asked.
“No one seems to know. Or if they do, they’re not saying. I figure Smoke and Everly know. And Electra, she’s the old lady to Swerve in the Horsemen of Wrath MC in Florida. She was with the FBI until she went to work for Anderson.”
Astonishment was written all over her face. “Wow, there’s a lot I still need to learn about you. I can’t wait.”
I grinned, then leaned over, pushing her down on the couch. I loomed over her.
“And I have a lot to learn about you, too. But that can wait. Tell me, how tired are you?”
Her smile spread wide. “Not too tired for what you have in mind,” she said seductively.
“Thank God,” I muttered before latching onto her lips.