14. Chapter 13
Trick
“The kids are all okay, only a few cuts and bruises, thankfully, so nothing too traumatic that will be lasting, and therapy has been organized,” Knuckles explains across the table regarding the five kids that were kidnapped by the fucking Chargers as he looks down at his paperwork, his jaw locked.
“Blade took the four fuckers who were involved back to his clubhouse to dispose of before the cops got there,” Crash finishes as he looks at Knuckles whose jaw ticks, and I frown as I look between them.
Are we missing something here?
Cage also looks between them, mainly the hard look on our friend's face before he shakes his head, knowing Knuckles won’t speak, not in front of the older generation, and says, “I spoke to Blade, apparently the fuckers sang like canaries. Their leader, what’s his face, Cans, is locked up, and with Micky now dead after kidnapping my woman, he’s scrambling.
According to Blade, the dick is looking at life in prison after killing a cop's wife and is trying to earn all the money he can, hoping he can pay his way out.”
Fucking idiot.
I shake my head along with the brothers, and Cage confirms, “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” before he looks at the older generation, and I swallow hard.
Here we fucking go.
Instead of ravishing my wife’s body, continuing to consummate our marriage finally, only getting two rounds in before I had to leave for church, I’m here about to bare it all out in open.
“The main agenda tonight, we’re here to vote on changing our by-laws,” he announces, and my dad sits up straighter while Chains tilts his head, assessing his son.
Looking around the room I state, “For years we’ve gone by innocent until proven guilty, even against a brother’s word,” I look at Chains, “For years I have said Lavender was the one who drugged me, for years you and every older generation brother have said nothing can be done without proof. Even though she continuously throws herself at me, continuously breaks into my room and tries to get off on my bed and brothers,” I look around the older generation, “I’ve haven’t even touched the bitch, not now while I’ve been married and not beforehand.
I told you all I remember her leaning against the bar, her hand near my drink, yet, no proof, not guilty, and now, because you all voted against kicking the bitch out despite what we all know she did, she’s now caused more shit in my marriage. ”
“Your marriage is of convenience, son,” Dad says softly, “Clark won’t even talk to us or allow us near Willow unless you are around.”
I lock eyes with Crash, who nods, and I sigh before looking at my dad, and I admit, “It isn’t of convenience, Dad, it never has been, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”
“Explain,” Chains says as he leans forward, but I shake my head.
“You really don’t want me to explain, Chains.
We’re here to make a vote about changing the by-laws so if a brother says a club bunny or prospect or whoever has done something you don’t write that brother off because there isn’t proof.
You look more into it than you did with me and my wife where Lavender is concerned, the same Lavender who is trying to claim to my wife that she’s pregnant with my child. ”
Chains sits back in his chair with understanding, while Dad just frowns, not picking up on what I mean.
“But you haven’t fucked her?” Dad confirms, and Cage sighs.
In Dad's head, Mom never did what she did, and if no one knows, then it didn’t happen.
The brothers are aware that something happened to make me closed off with women, but no one knows the exact truth except for Chains.
“No, Dad, I didn’t, but she knows my marriage didn’t start off normal, and she’s trying to use that against Clark, to break us up, which, you sat here, Dad, you saw the divorce papers that you and Mom haven’t bothered to question,” I say with resentment.
“Because we figured it was time for you both to move on. She doesn’t want to be involved with the club, son, won’t let us see our grandchild…
and to be honest, I don’t know why you married her to begin with because she already had the club’s protection,” he says and Spike nods his head in agreement causing Crash to growl but I put my hand up, not taking my eyes off my dad.
“I forced her to marry me, Dad, because deep down I knew I wanted to claim her, I knew I was in love with her, but I didn’t want to admit it,” I say as I remove my wedding ring and show everyone my wife’s name inked, and Dad's eyes widen while Chains and Spike mutter, “Fuck.”
Shaking my head, I put my ring back on, and I state, “The reason why I never wanted to admit my feelings, other than the fact I had in my head that I raped my wife –”
Dad flinches while Spike cuts me off with a growled, “You didn’t rape her!”
I continued as if he didn’t speak, “It's because of my childhood!”
Dad tenses while the brothers frown, and Chain sighs, “I figured that would have fucked you up.”
I snort and open my mouth to give some lip back about him allowing his then VP to act like I didn’t happen, but my words are cut off as the door to church slams open.
The older generation stand abruptly, ready to attack whoever it is, and my eyes widen at the sight of my wife wearing my shirt and leggings, her hair in a messy bun, glaring into the room.
“Fuck, the last time I saw her that mad was when you put that snake in her car, and she crashed it,” Crusher mutters from beside me, and I nod because the man has a point.
She didn’t even look that mad when I forced her to marry me.
“Clark, sweetheart?” Spike chokes, but my wife doesn’t look at him. Instead, she looks at me, and as our eyes lock, I mutter, “Shit,” at the anger and heartbreak staring back at me.
She’s had time to decompress.
No Willow or work to distract her, just me and what happened.
She looks around the brothers, all looking at her warily, before her eyes lock on my dad.
“Shit, she wouldn’t?” Cage mutters, but just as he finishes his question, my wife storms over to my shocked dad, pulls her fist back, and punches the man in the face, causing his head to snap to the side.
“Holy shit!” Crash gasps in shock, but she doesn’t look at him, and despite the pain I can see in her eyes from hitting my dad, she grabs his jaw and forces him to look at her.
“I’ve had an hour to myself, Lick, and guess what?” she spits, her voice like ice, fuck, even her dad recoils as mine goes into shock. She hisses, “I’ve had time to replay every vile thing my husband confessed in therapy because you covered up your wife’s filthy mess!”
Dad flinches while Splinter, Knuckles's dad, questions, “What is she talking about?”
Clark curls her lip, voice trembling with disgust, and sneers, “I’m talking about this pathetic excuse for a father letting his seven-year-old son believe his wife tried to kill both herself and him out of spite, just because she thought her man had cheated was fine.”
“What the fuck?!” Bones snap, and I feel several eyes on me, but I don’t take my eyes off my wife fighting my battles.
She hisses, “You don’t deserve the role of ‘Dad.’ If your wife were here, I’d kill her for what she did to her own son, to my husband because this isn’t about her crashing a car, is it, Lick?
She forced a seven-year-old to drink poisoned milk on his birthday for revenge and you said nothing and brought her back, like the coward you are. ”
She shoves him away, and Dad rubs his jaw from her punch, sorrow fills his features as he looks my way, but I lock eyes with my wife instead of looking at him.
I round the table toward her, Cage patting my back as I pass and as I reach her, I wrap my arm around her waist and cup her cheek, pulling her into me.
“I love you,” I say quietly, causing her eyes to tear up. I say, “Clark White, I fucking love you.”
She grips my cut and, ignoring all the eyes on her, she chokes, “I love you too,” and everything fucking melts inside me, my body relaxing, and I press my lips against hers.
“Son?” my dad chokes, but I ignore him as I pull back a little from Clark and I say, “We’re going to make it, I promise,” and hesitation laces her beautiful face, hesitation that I understand, and I press a kiss against her mouth again before I say, “Cage…”
“Hill Crest College has accepted her admission for the fall, and she can train in-house at the hospital,” he says, and Clark's eyes widen in shock while I smile.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t pull some strings to get you your dream?” I ask, and she shakes her head in disbelief.
“Hey sis, you got a minute?” Crash calls, but Clark shakes her head, making him huff, “She loves him, she should be thanking us for forcing the marriage,” and Clark raises a brow, but I keep my face neutral.
We’re still not there, and I know she’s still hesitant about us, even though we had fucking amazing sex. But it’ll take more than that to get her to understand I do love her.
Clark narrows her eyes at me, and I widen my eyes innocently and say, “I didn’t say anything your brother did.”
She scoffs, “You didn’t have to, your eyes said everything,” then she narrows her eyes at my silent father before she says, “I’ll see you at home, I had Drew watch Willow while I came here, we’ll talk about the college thing when you’re back.”
“There’s no changing it now, baby. It’s already paid for,” I reply instantly, and she takes a small step away from me, and I know she wants to argue, so I quickly kiss her and murmur, “I’ll be home in half an hour.”
She nods, and I kiss her lips gently, not willing for her to walk away without having one last taste. She pulls back, furrowing her brows a little before turning to walk away, but gives Dad one more glare, making me smile.
As soon as the door is shut, Bones demands, “You were nearly killed?”
I look at Dad, whose tears shine in his gray eyes, and I shake my head at him, and I look at Bones and confirm, “I was. They had to pump my stomach, and Mom screamed the whole time, claiming I needed to die. Dad had her committed for six months before she came home like it was all normal,” I look at him, “but it wasn’t normal.
I spent most of my childhood sleeping with my door barricaded after you brought her back,” he flinches, “I spent years refusing to eat her food, scared she was trying to kill me and years of her telling me not to be a cheat, not to hurt my future wife which fucked up my head. For that last six years, she’s reminded me that I’m a rapist.”
Dad looks at me, horrified, and I sigh as I look around the room and call, “I hear by put in a vote to change the bylaws from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent!”
“Aye,” Cage instantly starts off the vote, and one by one, every brother says aye until it comes to Chains and Dad.
“Aye,” Chains rasps, “and I’m sorry I didn’t do better by you.”
I look at Dad, and he nods and says, “Aye, and I’ll do everything I can to help you and Clark make it, even if it means keeping your mom from her and Willow. I’m sorry, son.”
I look away from him not willing to acknowledge his apology and walk towards my seat, knowing we still need to get through the businesses before I can get home to my wife.
I love my dad, I do, but we’re not close, and I’ll be shocked if we ever will be.
“Okay, Blaze, how’s Carnage Angels?” Cage begins, his voice tight, and I take my seat, ignoring everyone’s concerned eyes on me, not willing to speak any more about what my mom did.
***
“Okay, so about college,” Clark says as soon as I walk in the door thirty-five minutes later, but I don’t let her say anything else, to try and talk her way out of not relying on me.
I walk up to her, wrap my arm around her waist and cup her cheeks as I slam my lips against hers and just as I’d hoped, she melts into me and slowly runs her hands up my arms before wrapping hers around my neck.
I lift her, ready to spend the rest of the night inside her and hopefully, I’ll be able to get her to willingly want to spend the rest of her life with me.
Should be easy, right?