Chapter 25
Rowan
Brianna sat across from me and Reaper at Crossbones Diner, looking every bit the twisted angry girl I knew her to be, only this time her anger was directed at me. I bristled under her scornful gaze, as the silence stretched on.
At least the bitches weren’t here right now. Reaper’s hand was on my thigh, squeezing slightly. He must have sensed my anxiety. Somehow, I felt stronger with him by my side. Like I could take on anything.
“Bri—”
“Does he know at least?”
“What? Of course he does. Bri, we haven’t been together like that in over a year.”
“So you just move onto the next Jameson?” she shot back quickly. I’d never heard so much hatred in her voice as I did now.
“Enough,” Reaper said, his tone one of authority. “You don’t talk to her like that. You want to be an adult, fine, we can have an adult conversation, but you speak with respect, got me?”
“Yeah, I got you,” she sneered toward her father. I knew she hated him, and so did Trey and I didn’t know why.
“What brings you to town, Brianna?” he asked, softening his tone slightly. “You don’t call, or write, but you appear out of the blue at The Pit, no less.”
“I…I don’t know, I was seeing this guy and he used to take me there. I knew you guys went there so I chanced it.”
Reaper stiffened at her explanation.
“You have a boyfriend?” I asked, trying to help Reaper ease his rigidity and taking charge.
She shrugged her shoulders, and looked away. “I guess, but not really.”
Oh fuck. Reaper wasn’t going to want to hear this. I could already feel his protective nature pushing into a full storm cloud.
“Wyatt, why don’t you get us some drinks?”
His eyes turned to mine, his brow furrowing for a moment before he realised I meant to fuck off so she could tell me girl things. He nodded, sliding out of the booth and heading over to the counter.
“Bri, I know you’re angry with me, but remember our chats. You can tell me anything. I won’t tell your dad unless I need to for your safety, I promise you that.”
She looked like she was going to argue, but I saw the tenderness I equated with Brianna wash over her face.
“Promise?”
“Absolutely.”
She nodded, leaning forward on the table. Her fingers fidgeted as she looked down at them. I noticed the line tattoo on the skin between the thumb and fore finger. A simple star with a moon. It was delicate, and beautiful, but I already knew it wasn’t there before.
How long had it been since I’d spoken to her? Regret filled me and I felt myself reaching out and holding onto her shaking hands.
“Please, talk to me.”
Brianna looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I think I fucked up.”
“No, babe, you didn’t. Tell me what’s going on and let us fix it.”
“He doesn’t even know me,” she all but whispered. It broke my heart. My own insecurities over who my father was for years only to find out he was a murderous psychopath that even my psychopath brother was trying to protect me from was all too fresh and real in my mind.
“That’s not because he doesn’t want to, babe. It’s because your mother kept you from him. He wants to know you. He’s told me himself, and he can help you. He’s a big tough biker guy. No one fucks with Reaper.”
Her face screwed up at his road name. “Why’s he called that?”
“You know…I don’t even know that myself. We’ll have to ask him later. Now, stop beating around the bush. Spill it.”
“I met a guy. He was…so funny and hot. Like all the girls want him, you know. I met him when I was in high school and…well, I was so surprised he liked me, I just sort of became obsessed with being with him.”
My fear was escalating. She’d been top of her class last time I’d spoken to her, but that had been months ago. What if…
“My mum told me not to get messed up with him, she tried to ground me, and make me do extra classes so I had no time for him, but I always found a way out.”
Flashes in my mind from my own childhood where my mother had done the same to me, and I was angry at Reaper’s ex.
“Go on…”
“He started to tell me about The Pit. I didn’t know the link to my dad, I swear, but I liked it. I could drink, I could smoke, I could do anything, and I had this hot guy who wanted me.”
It was alluring, I knew all too well of the allure of The Pit.
“Who is he?”
“His name is Wiley Carter. He works for the Ironborne.”
Fuck.
There’s no way I couldn’t tell Reaper about this.
“Did he target you? Ask you about your dad?”
She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t have anything to tell him anyway. No one knows he’s my dad.”
Ouch. I knew how badly Reaper wanted to be the guy his kids went to when they were in trouble.
Trey was a work in progress, but at least he tried when he could.
Brianna had been completely cut off from him.
I never understood women who did that. You had a freakin’ baby with that guy, surely they deserve to have a chance to be a dad.
“Why do you think you’re in trouble?”
“I overheard a conversation…when I was at his apartment. I think he knew.”
“So you’re sleeping with him?”
“Of course I am, you don’t get to be with someone like Wiley without putting out.”
That crushed me. I had such a fondness for her that I didn’t want her to feel that sensation of needing to put out if you weren’t ready.
“Bri…what did you overhear?”
“He was talking with an older guy, but it wasn’t the guy everyone is saying is the head of the Ironborne. That guy’s young, and just took over. It sounds like they want to change the Ironborne back to the old ways, the ways they were when they were at war with the club.”
“Did you catch a name or see what he looked like?”
“He was old, had greying hair, and he wore a suit. He looked evil. There was just something in his eyes. I think Wiley called him Darian.”
My stomach dropped. “Did Wiley let on that he knew you knew?”
“Sort of,” she said. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just freaking out or something, but tonight…
he wouldn’t let me in with him. He said tonight wasn’t a good night, but I snuck in anyway.
He was with a few of the Ironborne guys, and they looked pissed off.
That’s when I saw Trey, and it kind of appeared to be like they were pissed off with him. ”
Shit, fuck, shit.
“Babe, I’m really sorry but I have to tell your dad. I won’t tell him about you, and your relationship if you don’t want me to but I have to tell him the other stuff, it could mean something bad for the club and for Trey.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I figured.”
“Where’s your mum?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “She kicked me out a few days ago. Since then I’ve been sleeping at Wiley’s.”
Fuck me. I hated this for her. I hated everything about this. My heart was aching, because I knew exactly how this felt, and how lonely I was. If I didn’t have Trey, fuck knows what would have happened to me.
“You’re going to come back with us to the clubhouse, it’s safe there. No one will touch you, believe me.”
She nodded, tears falling over her cheeks. Reaper appeared then, his face contorting into a puzzle of rage and heartbreak.
“Do you want me to tell him?”
She shook her head, looking up at her dad, wiping her eyes to deliver the news herself. Goddamn I was proud of her. She’d come so far, but when I found her mother, I was going to give her the beating of her damn life for abandoning her child.
As Brianna recounted what she told me–even telling him about the sleeping with Wiley part–I saw Reaper go through a myriad of emotions, but he never once blew up, or raised his voice. He didn’t even speak, just let her tell him what she needed to tell him.
“You’ll come back to the clubhouse with me and Rowan?” he asked, his voice strained from the anger he was holding back.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Come on,” he said, standing up and waiting for Brianna to do the same.
When she did, he pulled her into his arms. At first, she was rigid, her arms frozen by her side, until finally she let out a deep sob that absolutely tore my heart out, and clutched onto his kutte with her fingers so tight, I could see them turning white.
Reaper didn’t let go, he held her, just standing in the middle of the diner, until her sobs eased. “I got you.”
Fuck, I loved this man.
I wiped at my eyes before the tears could drop, wishing like anything my own father wasn’t a fucking psychopath so I could have that kind of hug from someone who is meant to love you, no matter what.
At least I had my Reaper.
Reaper
“Speak,” I slammed my fist down on the table, looking out at the faces of men. I hadn’t been able to simmer the rage building inside of me since Brianna told me what she was hiding from. No one touched my baby girl.
“The meeting’s been put on hold, but Trojan was able to find the name of the silent partner. Some kid called Wiley Carter.”
I froze. As did Maverick and Chaos, who I’d told about the whole shit that went down with my daughter.
“How sure are you?”
Trojan looked up from his computer, a furrow in his brow. “One hundred percent.”
“You know him?” Animal asked.
“Yeah…what do we know about him?”
“Twenty year old kid, got in with the Ironborne at an early age, looks like he was into heavy drug peddling until he was brought in under Mannix’s dad, Thomas. Nothing reported since then. Seems they cleaned him up.”
“Or cleaned up his act so he didn’t get caught,” Chaos added.
“Shadow, think you can tail him?” I asked. He nodded his agreement.
“Trey didn’t come?” I asked Beast. He shook his head. Figures. I still had a long way to go with him, but at least I was getting somewhere with Brianna. One out of two ain’t too bad.
“We tried, Prez.”
“Trojan, stay back,” I said, dismissing everything else. Trojan shut his computer, sitting back in his chair, an air of suspicion in his eye. Once the door was closed after Maverick, I turned to him.