Chapter Twenty-Two #2
In the early morning hours of the next day, I stood in the middle of the nursery Diana had decorated as I waited for him to arrive.
Everywhere I looked, I saw teddy bears staring back at me, knowing they would never see the child they were meant to entertain.
I’d watched for hours as she meticulously decorated and placed each item exactly where she wanted it, from the crib to the comfortable rocking chair I almost took a hammer too, and she would never get to use.
The dresser full of little clothes my son would never get to wear.
Toys he would never get to play with. Books I would never get to read him.
Everything was messed up, wrong.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
The walls seemed to close in, each pastel animal and painted moon mocked the fantasy of safety I’d tried to build around her and our child. I promised her safety, and in the end, I couldn’t even save myself.
I ran my trembling hand over the back of the rocking chair, picturing nights spent soothing my son, or Diana humming softly in the dim light. Now, there was only the echo of what could have been, and the bitter taste of regret.
Outside, the sky seemed to swallow the last bit of happiness that lingered in my world. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to. She was out there somewhere, alone and scared because of me and my association to the Soulless Sinners. The emptiness gnawed at me relentlessly.
I stared out the window, watching the city yawn awake as I held a small bear Diana had picked out. I watched faces I didn’t know, untouched by the threats that gripped mine. I wondered briefly what it would feel like to be just another person, unburdened by old debts and fresh fears.
I wanted so much to reach out to my parents, to tell them that Diana was pregnant, that I’d fucked up all those years ago and that George was blackmailing me, forcing me to do shit I didn’t want to do.
That he was the cause of all their pain and to blame for my sister’s condition.
Yet I kept quiet, complicit, knowing that if I told them, it would destroy them.
It didn’t matter anyway. My parents were long gone, believing they could somehow reverse my sister’s coma.
The second she was stable, they moved her out of the country, seeking experts in their field from around the world who might be willing to try to fix what was irrevocably broken.
The fact was, my sister would never wake from the coma.
I knew it, and I think on some level so did my parents, but they had to try.
Still, with what I knew and the threat hanging over her head, there was only one way to protect her, Diana, and my parents.
And doing so would destroy myself in the process.
“August? What’s up with the cloak-and-dagger shit?” Montana questioned, walking into the room only to stop and look around. Cautiously, he asked, “Why are we meeting here, August?”
“Because I wanted you to understand what I’m giving up. What I’m walking away from.”
Montana walked over to me, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, as long as your dad is alive, they will never be safe. You were right. I should have listened to you before. I thought I could protect her, but instead, I’ve made things worse. We are going to do it your way from now on.”
“You do this, August, you’ve got to sell it. You’ve never been good at acting.”
“It’s the only way,” I said, gripping the teddy bear tighter. I knew that now. The only way to stop a monster was to face it head-on, and to do that, I had to walk away from everyone I loved.
“It could take years.”
“The more time I can give her, the safer she’ll be.”
“You may never see her or your kid again.”
“It’s a price I’m willing to pay for her safety.”
“Only you and I can know. No one else.”
I nodded.
“I found a judge willing to play his part. From here on out, we only talk when I bring you twenty grand every month. You concentrate on being a doctor and getting everyone’s DNA into that system.
The faster you can put the pieces together, the faster this shit ends.
My old man fucked up when he ordered you to do that shit, and we’re gonna use it against him.
In the meantime, I’m gonna be the son of a bitch he raised and help him take the club global.
The more brothers I can get, the easier it’s going to be to take his ass and those he’s working with down when the time comes. ”
“We still don’t know who they all are yet?”
“I’ll find someone we can trust. Someone not affiliated with the club. Until we figure out what the fuck is going on, we play our parts.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask of you, Montana,” I said, as the weight of my decision settled on my shoulders.
“But it’s the only way to keep them safe.
Diana and my child are all that matters now, and I won’t let anything happen to them.
Not while I’m alive.” I took a breath, steeling myself for what was to come.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to sell this act, even if it means becoming someone else entirely.
I’ll be the doctor everyone expects me to be, and I’ll create that database, but I need your help to keep him off my back.
” I paused, the gravity of our conversation hanging between us.
Montana ran a hand through his hair, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
“You know I’m in, no matter what, brother.
I’ll do whatever it takes, August. But it won’t be easy.
We’re talking about some powerful people here.
” He paused, a steely determination settling over his features.
“But fuck ’em. We’ll do what we have to do, and we’ll do it our way.
And when the time comes, we’ll take ’em down hard. ”
The plan was set, and with it, a weighty silence filled the room.
The gravity of our decisions hung heavy in the air, but there was no turning back now.
We both knew the risks, and the potential consequences were dire.
Yet, driven by my love for family and my desire for justice, I was committed to seeing it through.