Shadow Chapter 4 #2
“As for Shadow, yes, I’m upset with you.
I wish you’d tried harder to change his mind, but I understand why you didn’t.
I need to know where you went wrong. You have no idea how bad this can get, Shadow.
The things she survived before changing her name are beyond terrifying, and I know she didn’t tell me everything. ”
“I’ll figure it out. I have Crusher to assist, and I want to contact Smoke and Everly to see if they can help me figure out where I screwed up and to help us rebury her as quickly as we can. If Wrath will allow me, I’ll go protect her until this is over.”
“I can’t believe you’re her stalker. She talked about someone online shadowing her, and she couldn’t trace you.
She’s working a case for me. I never thought that it was one of ours stalking her.
She’s called me, bawling in fear and anger, and she blames this on you.
You have a shit ton to make up for, Shadow.
I don’t know if she’ll want you around,” she warned.
“If she doesn’t want me within sight, I’ll do what I do best. I’ll stick to the shadows outside.
I saw who she was researching. He’s guilty as sin, and if she can get the dirt on him, he should go away for a long time, or be a candidate for other measures.
” I didn’t say over the phone that we could kill him.
“Let’s take it a step at a time. Wrath, can you spare anyone, or should we just ask the guys from here to do it?” Brae asked.
“Why don’t you let us do it? We’re closer, and we owe you for this. I’d still loop in Bull. If we need more help, I’ll let you know.”
“Do you think it would make a difference if I called and spoke to her myself and explained what happened?” I asked.
“Mmmmm, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to get her to take time off and come to Hunters Creek. I’d like to introduce her to everyone, especially the single guys. Maybe it would be better to get her to come and stay here,” Brae murmured.
I know my panic slipped up and showed for a couple of seconds before I masked it. The way Crusher’s eyes squinted, he saw it.
“Hey, Brae, I think we should hold off on vacationing anywhere. It may come to that, but we don’t want to put you in danger.
There are too many women and children there if the trouble follows her.
Here, we only have two kids and two old ladies to protect,” Crusher interjected. His gaze never left mine.
I relaxed somewhat when Brae agreed to Crusher’s idea to wait. I asked her again about calling her friend, but she asked me to let her speak to Cambria first. It would be difficult to wait, but I would do it.
There were a few minutes of logistics discussion, covering what needed to be done, who would do it, and within what timeframe. Crusher and I would get to work immediately. Wrath said we were excused from further work on the storage building transformation.
After Wrath hung up, he stared at me. I fought not to look away or to squirm too much.
“Shadow, I know you didn’t do this on purpose, but it seems the fallout is bad.
I didn’t want to ask Brae the details. She’s still recovering from having the baby and doesn’t need unnecessary stress.
So, I’m asking you, what the hell did you find on this Cambria?
What past is she hiding? How bad is it? Is she a risk to Brae or us?
This is probably gonna take a while, so have a seat, all of you,” he ordered.
Crusher and Rage did. I remained standing. I couldn’t handle being motionless. I gathered my thoughts for a few seconds before I launched into an explanation.
“I don’t see her as a risk to Brae unless those nuts she’s being harassed by should find her, and Cambria is near Braelyn.
As for how bad it is? I think if they’ve come out of the woodwork like this, in less than twenty-four hours, then it can be really awful.
The past she hid from, the one she shed for a new identity, is horrendous.
Pres, honestly, I have no clue how the hell she came out of it sane.
However, everything I’ve found about Cambria suggests that she’s a functional, caring, and reliable person.
She stays to herself a lot, but that is understandable. ”
“Just say it. How badly did I just fuck up with my daughter?” Rage impatiently asked.
“You fucked yourself royally, Rage. I wish I could go back and refuse to do it,” I admitted.
“But we can’t. You tried to get me to talk to Brae about it first, but I refused,” Rage reminded me.
“Well, that’s the past. We have to deal with the now. Wrath, you want to know how bad her past is. Does the name Garen Brooks ring any bells?” I paused to see if any of them remembered him.
I did. He’d been all over the news fifteen years ago. He made international headlines. It took several seconds before I heard a swift inhale, and Crusher’s head snapped up. His eyes blazed.
“I do. He’s the serial killer they caught about fifteen or sixteen years ago. He was tried and convicted of murdering eighteen women. He went to prison for life. He’s on death row as far as I know.”
The tension in the room shot up. I nodded. “That’s the one. And do you recall who his last victim was?”
“It was his own wife,” Rage answered.
“Yeah, his wife,” I verified.
“Is Cambria one of the victim’s children? Is that why she changed her identity?” Wrath asked. He was leaning forward in his chair, face tense.
“Yes, but she’s more than that. Rage, Crusher, do either of you recall how he was caught? What got him arrested and convicted?”
I watched the truth dawn on them. Their faces lost color, and their eyes widened in panic.
“Jesus Christ, no, please tell me Cambria isn’t her?” Crusher moaned.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck you know!?” Wrath shouted.
“Cambria is really Journi Brooks, Garen Brooks’ daughter.
She’s the one who got him arrested and helped to tie him to so many murders.
That’s why he was convicted. She witnessed him killing her mother.
When he saw Cambria, he tried to kill her, but she escaped and got to a neighbor, who called the cops.
“There was a manhunt. If it weren’t for Cambria knowing where her dad liked to go in the woods to be alone, they might not have found him.
Her testimony, leading the cops to his haunts, where they found souvenirs of the murders, and her testimony about what he did to her mom and her, are what convicted him.
He vowed in the courtroom as they led him away that he’d kill Cambria one day.
She was fifteen when it happened. By sixteen, he was convicted.
That’s when Journi Brooks disappeared, and Cambria Mulally was born,” I finished hoarsely.
The swearing was loud, inventive, and long.
All three of them were shouting. Wrath knocked a stack of papers off his desk.
They scattered everywhere. I stood there feeling like the worst person in the world.
My stomach churned horribly. As I thought over what I’d shared, I couldn’t stop it.
I lunged for the wastebasket. I barely made it before I puked up what little I had in my stomach. That brought the yelling to a halt.
A hand on my back and a pair of shitkicker boots in my vision made me stand up. It was Rage. He was frowning and patting my back, trying to comfort me. His face was haggard.
“I’m so fucking sorry I asked you to do this, Shadow. I can see it’s tearing you up inside.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“It was more than likely going to happen anyway, Rage. I was on the trail of someone online before you asked me to dig into Cambria. Someone tripped one of my flags. They were trying to research me. I have all of us flagged to alert when someone searches for information on us. It was a tough, barely there trail to follow, and I lost it several times and couldn’t for the life of me find the source.
From what Brae said about the stalker, I was already potentially leading people to Cambria by seeking her identity.
I’m not sure why she was checking into me, but it could’ve happened anyway. ”
I looked at our president. He was standing there with his hands on his hips, a grim look on his face.
“Pres, I’ll do everything in my power to make this right for her both online and in person.
I’d like to be assigned to her security detail.
Hell, send me as her only bodyguard. I’ll stick with her night and day.
I need to apologize to her, and I can’t do that over the phone.
It has to be in person. Also, I’ll take whatever punishment you and the brothers decide I deserve for doing this. ”
“Wrath, you can’t kick him out of the club. If you do, then I have to go with him. It’s my fault. Punish me, not him,” Rage immediately stated.
“No, it was my work that exposed her somehow, and I could’ve said no,” I argued.
“Goddamn it, both of you shut up! You’re making my head hurt worse. All of you, sit,” Wrath ordered.
This time I listened. Fuck, the foul taste in my mouth was terrible. Wrath went to the mini fridge he kept in his office. He took out four drinks. They were a mix of sodas. He handed me a Coke, my favorite.
“Here, drink that. It’ll help with that foul taste until you can brush your teeth,” he told me.
I gladly took a huge drink and held it in my mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. By then, Wrath was seated.
“The rest of the brothers need to be informed, which I’ll call church, after they’re done with the storage building.
We’ll discuss whether any punishment is necessary.
I highly doubt anyone would ask for you to be stripped of your colors.
As for making things right with Cambria, I agree—you need to apologize to her in person.
My fear is that she won’t let you through the door to do it.
Or if she does, she might shoot you. If she doesn’t, she may not be comfortable having you around to protect her. Shit, this is fucked up.