Chapter Five
August
Diana was quiet on the ride back to the city.
In fact, she really hadn’t said much since I picked her up, and I was starting to worry a bit.
Reaching over the console of my car, I linked my fingers with hers.
When I did, she turned to look at me and asked, “August. How well do you know everyone that was at your parent’s house? ”
“You mean the women at my mother’s charity meeting?”
She nodded.
“Not well. My mother keeps her business dealings and charity work away from the house because of Barb. I really don’t know why they were even there today.”
“What do you mean?”
Sighing, I removed my hand from hers and gripped the steering wheel. I knew eventually I would have to tell her about my family dynamics, but not this soon into our relationship. Yet, when I glanced over at her, something told me I could trust her with what I was about to say.
“You saw the way my mother and father were with Barb, right?”
Diana nodded. “They were very loving toward her, almost protective of her. I thought it was sweet.”
“It’s more than that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s because they both love her.”
“I can understand why.” Diana smiled. “Barb is a wonderful woman.”
Shaking my head, I sighed. “No. I mean, yeah, Barb is great. The best, but it’s more than that.
My mother and father love her, Diana. I mean, they are in love with her.
” When Diana blinked but said nothing, I continued, “They met Barb at Woodstock, believe it or not. In the summer of ‘69, when free love reigned supreme. From the way Barb explained it, it was love at first sight. Well, it was for her. My dad and mother—well, that was another story. You see, my parents come from prominent families in New England. Old money, if you will, and my parents were scheduled to marry, only they had a big problem. My dad couldn’t stand my mother, and my mother, well, she preferred women. They were out on a drive one day, hoping they could come to some agreement or way out of their planned nuptials, when they passed through Bethel, New York and met Barb.”
“Are you telling me that your parents are in a ménage relationship?”
“Not exactly in the traditional sense. You see, to the outside world, my dad is legally married to Julia.”
“And where does Barb fit in?”
“She’s the glue that holds our unique family together. My dad may have married Julia to appease the families, but he sleeps with Barb, when Barb isn’t with Julia, that is.”
“Hold up.” Diana grinned from ear to ear. “Barb is with both of them?”
I nodded. “Yep. Sunday through Tuesday, she spends time with Julia, and Thursday through Saturday, she’s with my dad.”
“And Wednesday?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I never asked.”
Diana laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. “That’s wild. I’ve heard of unconventional families, but yours takes the prize.”
“Trust me, growing up was never boring. Holidays were a balancing act—Barb made sure everyone felt included, and somehow love just... flowed between them, no matter how complicated things got.”
Diana considered this, her gaze thoughtful. “You know, sometimes I wonder if people would be happier if they let go of expectations and just followed their hearts.”
I smiled. “That’s pretty much how Barb lives, and my parents too, in their own ways. It’s not perfect, but it works for them.”
With a sigh, Diana glanced down at her hands absentmindedly. “I guess families are what we make of them.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And sometimes, the stories we hide are the ones that shape us the most.”
We sat in companionable silence for a while as I drove us closer to the city, letting the quiet settle. Just then, my phone buzzed, jarring me from my reverie. I glanced at the screen—a message from Montana, cryptic as always.
Club meeting. Dad wants you at the clubhouse. Now.
I groaned. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to head to the clubhouse.”
“You can drop me off at the dorm.”
“Actually, I was thinking of my place. I have the weekend off, and I want to spend it with you.”
Diana smiled. “I would like that very much.”
I stood in front of George Stone and the club’s board members as George said, “I want you to create a database for the club.”
“Okay?” I said, confused, as I looked at Montana, who shrugged but said nothing. “What kind of database?”
“A DNA database. I want every brother, bitch, whore, and tramp associated with this club to give a blood sample. You will take those samples and create a database.”
“Uh, Prez, something like that will take months. Can I ask what brought this on?”
“No,” the fucker snapped, then shouted at everyone around the table. “I mean it, you fuckers. Everyone is giving blood. You don’t, I will extract it myself. Got me?”
Several brothers nodded.
“Does that include me too, Dad?” Montana smirked as he goaded his irate father.
“Fuck yes, that includes you too. In fact, you are first. I ain’t handing over my club to someone who ain’t my blood.”
“Excuse me?” Montana clipped, sitting up straighter in his chair. “What the fuck does that mean, you cranky old bastard? You saying you ain’t my dad? I look just like you, which isn’t much to write home about, anyway. What the fuck, Dad?!”
“I’m taking this club into the future, and I’m starting with a club-wide DNA database.”
Curious, I asked, “Is there any particular reason for this database? More importantly, who will have access to it? Because what you are asking of me is highly confidential, and if that information got out into the public, I could lose my medical license.”
“You ain’t gonna lose shit,” George scoffed. “Just set it up.”
“No,” I said, crossing my arms as I stood my ground.
“Not until I know why you want the database. I took an oath. An oath before I even bled for this club. I didn’t work my ass off for years to piss it away because you want information you can’t get the old-fashioned way.
So either tell me why you want this database or get someone else to do it. ”
For a moment, the room went deathly still, heavy with the weight of my defiance.
George’s eyes narrowed; bushy brows drawn tight.
Silence throbbed, punctuated only by the soft shifting of leather and the subtle clearing of throats.
Montana angled his chair back, a low whistle escaping him as if to cut through the tension.
George’s eyes flashed with anger at my boldness, but he schooled his features, his voice calm and deceptively reasonable. “You’ll do it because I’m telling you to, August. Because you know the consequences of refusing my direct order.”
I felt a chill run down my spine at his words. He was right; I knew the price of defiance. But something about this request felt wrong, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than he was letting on.
“I want to know who I can trust, and who I can’t,” George continued, his eyes sweeping the room. “There are traitors in our midst, and I aim to root them out. This database will help me do that.”
I considered his words. The tension in the room was palpable. “If that’s the case, then I’ll need to test everyone personally. I can’t risk the samples being tampered with or the results being compromised. It’ll take time, but it’s the only way to ensure accuracy.”
George nodded as a slow, calculating smile spread across his face. “Then it’s settled. You’ll have full cooperation from everyone here. And, August...” he added, his eyes locking with mine, “if you value your medical license, and your life, you’ll keep this confidential. Understood?”
I nodded, my heart pounding. I knew better than to cross George Stone, and now I was complicit in whatever scheme he was cooking up.