Chapter 11
Viper
After dealing with Camden and Mia, I felt like I’d been to hell and back.
I’d completely checked out and didn’t want to deal with any more bullshit.
Hoping it would help take my mind off things, I threw myself into the club and spent every waking minute going over inventory, preparing for our next big run with our Carolina chapters, and checking in with Dax.
I needed to know if he’d heard more about the Broken and was displeased that he hadn’t. It seemed their entire club had completely fallen off the radar, and Dax had no idea why. He was looking into it further, and I was eager to hear back from him.
Even with everything going on, it still wasn’t enough to distract me from all the shit flying around in my head.
The last thing I needed or wanted was to get a call from Rebecca saying that her mother-in-law had taken Cat to see her father. She sounded absolutely distraught, and remembering our conversation about her dad, I could only imagine how Cat was doing.
As soon as I ended the call, I headed straight to her place. When I pulled up, the police were backing out of her driveway, and there was someone sitting in the back seat. I hoped that was a good sign as I parked and headed towards her front door.
I knocked, and moments later, Rebecca opened it with a relieved expression on her face. “She’s home.”
“Thank God for that. So the grandmother finally brought her back?”
“She did.”
“How’d that go?”
“Not great. She had the nerve to act like it was no big deal that she’d taken Cat out of school and to see Trevor.” Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. “I think she truly believed she hadn’t done anything wrong. Thankfully, the police officers didn’t see it that way and arrested her.”
“Well, thank goodness for that.”
“Yes, I was very relieved.” I could tell she was still pretty wired as she quickly added, “I started the process to get a restraining order put on her, so she can never do anything like this again.”
“That’s smart thinking.”
“I hate to do it, especially since she’s Cat’s grandmother, but after today, I just can’t trust her.”
“Don’t blame you one bit.”
“I am a little worried, though. No matter what I do, I don’t think Trevor is going to stop trying to see Cat.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, Joyce all but threatened me and said they’d do whatever it took to ensure he got to see Cat. She and Trevor are both pretty stubborn. They’ll fight me tooth and nail to make it happen.”
“Today doesn’t exactly help their case.”
“It doesn’t matter. They’ll drag us into court and put Cat through all kinds of hell just to prove a point.”
“This Trevor guy is a real asshole who needs a good ass-kicking.”
“He most certainly does.”
“Maybe things will work out better than you think.”
“I certainly hope so.”
It seemed oddly quiet in the house, so I asked, “How’s Cat making it?”
“I’m not sure.” Rebecca glanced behind her as she said, “I just went to check on her, and she’s up in her room watching Frozen for the millionth time. I figured I’d give her a little time before I pressed her to tell me more about what happened today.”
“Probably not a bad idea.”
“I’ve already called her counselor and booked an appointment for tomorrow just to be safe.” She stammered for a moment, then asked, “You, uh, want to come in? I was about to make some dinner and—”
“I appreciate the invite, but I should go.” Even though I was tempted to stay and see for myself how Cat was doing, I knew they both needed some time. “I’ve got some things going that need to be dealt with.”
“Oh?” Concern marked her face. “Is everything okay?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Really?” Her brows furrowed into a pout. “You’re gonna give me that again?”
“Giving you what I can.”
“Well, that’s enough for me—just as long as you’re okay.”
“I’m more than okay.”
I lingered for a moment, just staring at Rebecca.
It amazed me how at ease I felt with her.
Even though I’d known her for almost a year, only recently did we start getting to know one another, and I couldn’t deny that I felt more drawn to her than I had before.
Like she could read my mind, she stepped closer, then eased up on her tiptoes and kissed me briefly on the lips.
“Thanks for coming tonight. It meant a lot.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out. I’ll be in touch when I can.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
Without saying anything more, I turned and headed back to my truck.
My mind was reeling on the way back to the clubhouse.
The past few days had been a nightmare. Between Mia and Camden and their bullshit, and then tonight with Cat and the crazy grandmother, I felt like I’d been to hell and back and was in dire need of a drink.
When I pulled up to the clubhouse, I went to the bar, grabbed a fifth of Jack from the bar, and carried it straight to my office where I tried my damnedest to drown my woes.
Sadly, there wasn’t enough booze on this fucking earth to rid me of the insanity that was going through my head.
I was beyond frustrated, pissed, and flat-out stunned by the situation with Camden—which pissed me off even more. I’d always prided myself on being a man who could see through the bullshit.
And I should’ve seen that coming. I should’ve known all along that Camden was up to no good, and I certainly should’ve known something was up with Mia. I was just too stuck in my own fucking head to notice that she had feelings for me.
Now, she was finally free for the claiming, and I didn’t have a clue what the fuck to do about it. So, I did the only thing that made sense.
I drank, and then I drank some more.
I was halfway through the bottle when I remembered the stack of Mia’s letters I had stashed in the bottom drawer of my desk. I pulled them out and started sifting through them until I found the one I was looking for.
It was dated back when I was stationed at Fort Jackson.
I was in the midst of basic training, and it wasn’t going well.
In fact, it fucking sucked.
Basic was the perfect mixture of an insane asylum, a fucking prison, and kindergarten. Physically, it was a breeze, but mentally, it was a goddamn nightmare. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we didn’t have so many who were intent on making our lives a living hell.
Fuck, I couldn’t understand how some of them could manage to tie their fucking shoelaces. There were days I wanted to give up and call it quits, but thankfully, Mia’s letters got me through it.
She had sent a hand-written letter every couple of days, and each one had given me a little insight into what was going on in her life, which made me feel like I was still part of it. I opened the letter and a numbness fell over me as I read what she’d written.
Thatch,
I’ve been missing you more today than ever, and I’m not really sure why.
Maybe it’s the fact that you’re so far away, and I’m so used to sharing my day with you.
If you were here with me, I’d tell you how my roommate has been driving me crazy.
I never knew a person could be so messy until her.
I’m pretty sure there’s a pizza box under her bed that’s been there since the night we moved in.
Also, she snores, and not one of those soft, little snores. This girl sounds like a man.
I can’t tell you how much I wish you were here. I would take you all around campus and show you all the cool places I’ve found. I really think you would love it. We could even take your bike out and tour the city. It would be so much fun. I always have so much fun when I’m with you.
How are things there? Are the guys getting it together, or are they still being a total pain?
I can’t wait to hear all about it when you come home.
Maybe we can take another drive out to the lake and talk.
I still remember the last time we did that.
I’m smiling right now just thinking about it.
That was some kiss. I’m sure we made quite an impression on those kids when they saw us making out like that.
If I know you, I bet you’re smiling now, too.
I’m going to have to cut this letter short today. Camden is coming by to take me out for sushi. I think he’s feeling a little homesick, too. I miss you, and I hope you’re doing well.
Love always,
Mia
I’d read that letter a hundred times. It used to fuck me up when I did, but as I read it just now, I felt nothing. It might’ve been the booze, but I had a feeling it was something else altogether.
I folded it up and put it with the others, then shoved them all back into my bottom drawer. I picked up the bottle of Jack and poured myself another, then quickly tossed it back.
As I sat there, I thought about the past few years with Mia and how different everything had become, but there was one change that stood above all the others—Rebecca.
When we started, I hadn’t planned on anything coming of it. I figured we’d screw around for a little while, enjoy each other’s company, and when it was done, it was done. No big fucking deal.
I’d done it many times before, but this time was different.
This time, things took a turn.
Now, I was sitting in my office, drinking a fifth of Jack and giving myself whiplash with all the various thoughts going through my damn head.
I needed to get a fucking grip.
I grabbed the Jack and carried it over to the sofa. I ended up finishing off the bottle and fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up to Axel glaring down at me with a disapproving look. “Long night?”
“You could say that.” I sat up on the sofa, and my head immediately started pounding. “You need something?”
“Yeah, I need to know what the hell is going on with you.”
“I just had a few drinks last night, and I was sleepin’ it off.”
I stood up and walked over to the office bathroom.
I took a quick leak, then washed my hands and brushed my teeth.
After grabbing a couple of Tylenol, I sauntered over to my desk, sat down, popped the pills into my mouth, and swallowed.
When I glanced over to Axel, he was staring back at me with one of his looks. “What?”