“River…” Uncle Bash stepped in front of me, blocking my view of his brother-in-law. “We’re in the middle of something. You shouldn’t be here.”
Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his face. “This is between my father and me.”
“What is?”
“Uncle Bash, I know that his punishment should be to face the enforcer. And I would honestly love to see Uncle Spider kick Dad’s ass right now.” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “But I’m going to ask you to please let me have the honor of making him pay.”
He grasped my shoulders. “You need to explain to me what’s going on, River. Right now. I’ve seen this look in Raven’s eyes one too many times, so I know you’re out for blood. But I need to know why.”
I tilted my head to the side, studying him for a moment. “What would happen if a brother did something that hurt another brother. Physically hurt him, I mean.”
“He would face the enforcer,” my uncle confirmed.
I nodded. “Exactly. And what would happen if, say, this brother didn’t do the hurting himself, but paid someone else to do it?”
“Again, he would face Spider.”
I’d known that when I decided to come here. Knew I was taking a huge chance in just asking, but I had to try. “Well, I’m asking you to let him face me instead.”
Behind him, I heard a chair scrape across the floor as it was pushed back. “Step aside, Bash,” he commanded. “Let her have her way.”
My hands fisted at my sides, and after a hesitation, Uncle Bash released me, taking a few steps away.
“Well, here I am, River. Say what you want to say.”
I just stood there, staring at the man who had raised me. He had given me life. He was the first man to love me…supposedly. But at this point, I wasn’t so sure if he did. He had no idea what the real me was like. Had never really tried to find out. But this…what he’d done…this pain went much deeper than realizing he didn’t know the little details about me that made up who I was.
It was agony. Worse than any pain I’d ever felt, and that included the physical pain of having my fallopian tube rupture. This pain hurt even more than losing my baby.
The man who was supposed to love me and protect me was the same man who had so effortlessly broken a part of me no one would ever be able to fix.
Was this what it felt like when Mom’s own father had shot her?
The thought made me ill. I was comparing what my dad did to what my grandfather had done. It wasn’t the same, but the betrayal felt like it was.
Hers had tried to kill her.
Mine…well, he might as well have ended my life, because the pain he’d left behind was soul-crushing.
If something had happened to Maverick, I would have died too. If I’d lost him, there would be nothing left for me. Not my family, not my friends. Nothing, because my world began and ended with that man.
I pulled the promise ring Maverick had given me all those years ago off my index finger and held it out in the palm of my hand. “Do you see this? Mav gave it to me when I was fifteen. It came with his promise that he would love me forever. That, no matter what, it was him and me. I told him I loved him for the first time that day. Made my own promises. There is nothing you could possibly say or do that would ever make me doubt that he loves me. That his loyalty is to me.”
His eyes narrowed. “You two have been together since you were fifteen?”
“Longer,” I spat the word at him, then shifted my gaze around the bar, taking in my uncles—both blood and honorary. “Tell the truth. Who here knew about Maverick and me before my birthday party?”
A few people started coughing, some of them dropping their gazes. Dad’s eyes widened as I fought a grin. So many of them had known, but not one of them had said a word.
“I knew,” Uncle Jet was the first to speak up.
“Me too,” Uncle Hawk said with a shrug.
“I suspected,” came from Uncle Raider.
Uncle Spider sighed heavily, pulling my eyes to where he sat in what everyone referred to as the Originals’ booth. “I suspected, but I didn’t know for sure. It was weird. Mav never flirted with anyone. Never even looked twice at any other female. But then he would get around you, River, and I could see he had feelings for you. I didn’t think you two were together, but yeah, I knew he was in love with you.”
I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth for a moment before swinging my gaze back to Dad. “It was the best-kept secret that half this fucking town knew about for years. Everyone knew about it but you, until my birthday. I begged all the people I was aware of who knew not to tell you, because I knew you would freak out and try to keep us apart. At my party, I shook the whole time, because I was scared you would kill him just for asking to be my boyfriend. When I blew out those candles on that ridiculous pink cake, I wished for you not to break my heart. Only…you did exactly that.” My heart hurt just remembering, and I had to swallow the knot that tried to choke me before I could go on. “But tonight, you went beyond that, Dad. You didn’t just break me. You shattered a part of me that I will never be able to put back together!”
“Why are you here, yelling at me?” he demanded, his nostrils flaring as his own anger grew. “He’s the one who cheated on you.”
I threw my head back and laughed out loud. It was a hilarious punch line that he didn’t quite get. As he continued to glare down at me, my laughter abruptly dried up, and I looked up at him in disgust. “You’re an idiot. A selfish, worthless idiot. I knew as soon as I got that picture that it was a setup.”
“Honey, I’m sorry. But you should know that Maverick isn’t worth your time.” His green eyes filled with faux remorse, his voice almost cajoling, and I wanted to slap him. Instead, I replaced the ring on my finger and stepped back. “I know it hurt to see him with those girls, but I couldn’t let him continue to lie to you. He’s been seeing both of them for weeks, and I—”
“Stop lying to me!” I screamed, fed up with all of it. “I know everything, Dad.” Doubt crossed his face, but it quickly cleared. Before he could speak, I whispered, “And so does Mom.”
This time, his face paled.
“No,” he quickly denied. “She’s been so busy lately, she doesn’t know anything. She’s barely been home. How could she possibly know…?”
The sound of another vehicle pulling up outside the front door reached me, and I lifted my brow at my father. “That will be her. And the hookers you paid. Also, Aunt Raven and Aunt Quinn.”
His throat bobbed as he looked over my head just as the door opened and Mom walked in. Aunt Quinn was right at her side, the two working girls behind them, with Aunt Raven bringing up the rear.
“Kell,” he began, but she lifted her hand, holding up her index finger and effortlessly shushing him without saying a word.
“Maverick is home,” Aunt Raven informed me, and my shoulders relaxed. “He’s going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow, but he will be fine. Willa and Elias are watching over him until you get home.”
Relief made my knees weak, thankful that he was going to be okay. He’d been so out of it after I’d had a little chat with the hookers that I’d called Aunt Raven before I called my mom. Knowing Aunt Willa and Elias were watching over him for me made me feel a little better, but I wanted to be the one taking care of him.
“Why will he have a headache?” Uncle Spider demanded, getting to his feet.
“The hooker twins shot him with a tranq,” Aunt Raven told him with a shrug. “From what they showed me, it was strong enough to bring down a horse. But don’t worry. He’s going to be fine once it wears off.”
Mom snorted derisively, causing Dad to flinch. “It’s what Colt is notorious for. Drugging people to get what he wants.”
I could feel the atmosphere in the room becoming more charged. I didn’t know if Dad was going to get tossed out of the MC for what he’d done, and I honestly didn’t give a fuck. It would be nothing less than he deserved.
But the murder in Uncle
Spider’s eyes as he took a step toward Dad told another story. Expulsion from the MC wouldn’t be enough for him. He wanted blood.
Uncle Bash put his arm out, stopping the enforcer from taking another step. “No. River asked to deliver his punishment.” He glanced around. “All in favor of River handling this?”
There was a hesitant pause before the majority of the brothers gave their affirmation, including my uncles and Maverick’s dad.
Twenty-One
River
After I’d first found Maverick at the motel, I’d thought about what punishment I would dole out if Uncle Bash and the brothers gave me permission. But I hadn’t let myself completely believe they would actually allow it.
Now that I stood in front of them all, the power to do as I wanted to my dad at my fingertips, I realized that while he deserved to be stripped of his cut for going against the brotherhood code the MC always strived to uphold, I couldn’t do that to him. Because I knew that Angel’s Halo was too much a part of who he was. While he’d had no qualms about hurting Maverick and me—and breaking my heart—I couldn’t do the same to him.
I felt Mom, Aunt Quinn, and Aunt Raven step up behind me, the three of them offering me the support I suddenly felt desperate for as I stood there in front of Dad. For a moment, I saw a flash of real dread in his green eyes, and I knew he was wondering just how vengeful I was going to be.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” I told him as I willed my heart not to ache as I delivered his punishment. “I’m not going to make you turn over your cut. After all, Maverick and I kept our relationship from you for years. What you did tonight, do you think that cancels out his not telling you about us?”
“By MC standards? Yes.” A muscle in his jaw started clenching and unclenching. “By my standards as your father? Not even close.”
I nodded, having known that would probably be his answer. “Yeah, I get that too.” I inhaled slowly, fighting the sting of tears, but failing to keep them at bay. “Then that makes this so much easier. Because what I’m going to make you give up is me, Dad.”
He jerked as if I’d stabbed him. “What?”
“You heard me,” I choked out, as a tear spilled over my lashes. “You made your choice. Your anger, it’s too much for me. You can’t accept Maverick and me. Now, I’m making my choice—I choose Maverick. I will always pick him. Over you or Mom or anyone else. Always.”
“River, you can’t—” He broke off, his face turning to stone. “If you give me up, you’re giving up your mother too.”
“The fuck you say!” Mom exploded. “Just because you fucked up and she’s cutting you out of her life, doesn’t mean I will be put in the same category. Because I’m telling you right now, Colt. If you make me choose, you’re not going to like who I pick.”
Sweat broke out on his brow, but that didn’t stop him from calling her bluff. “You wouldn’t.”
“Is that a dare?” she asked in a deceptively soft voice. “I carried her inside my body. I felt her kicks and fell in love with her in a way that no man could ever possibly understand because he will never know that kind of miracle. You? You own my heart, but I will walk away from you with zero regrets if it means keeping my daughter in my life. Unlike my own mother, I will always pick my child over anyone. Including you.”
He seemed to be having difficulty swallowing for a moment. “Kelli, I…I wouldn’t make you choose.” He scrubbed his hands over his face in agitation. “Fuck, can we just calm down for a minute here? This is getting out of control. I…I’ll accept your relationship with Maverick, okay?” He gulped, his fear over losing Mom making his eyes wild. “I won’t pull any more shit like I did tonight.”
I gave him a sad smile as yet another tear spilled free. “If you’d accepted it before you broke my heart, that would have been great, Dad. But now, it’s too little, too late.” Turning my back on him, I caught Mom’s hand. “I’m not asking you to choose between him and me. I would never do that to you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I know, sweetheart. But I will always pick you. Without hesitation. Please, if nothing else, I hope you understand that.”
My heart only ached more. That was only one of many differences between her and Dad. “I know,” I whispered.
Knowing if I stayed a moment longer, I was going to break down sobbing like a baby, I walked toward the door.
“River, stop.”
The plea in Dad’s voice didn’t give me pause. Even when he yelled for me to wait, I kept walking, but at the door, I glanced back, only to see my aunts and Mom standing like a fortified wall in front of him, blocking him from following me.
“Goodbye, Dad.”
Maverick was snoring away when I got back to the apartment. Figuring he would most likely sleep through the night, I sent Aunt Willa and Elias home. After locking up behind them, I took a long hot shower, needing to wash the events of the day off me.
But as I crawled into bed beside my man, I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over again. I cuddled up beside Mav and just let go. The anger, the heartache, the fear of losing the only person who mattered to me, it all bubbled together and boiled over until I couldn’t even breathe, I was sobbing so hard.
Maverick stirred, his arms instinctively going around me and holding me. Even in his drugged-out state, his first thought was to protect and comfort me.
Not wanting to disturb him, I tried to keep quiet, but it was like attempting to contain a tsunami. Even though my brain told me he needed to rest, my body knew it was safe with him, and I couldn’t control myself.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured groggily, kissing the top of my head as he stroked my hair with a heavy hand. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry. I-I’ll fix it, I swear.”
I wiped my nose on his T-shirt. “Y-you h-have nothing t-to be s-s-sorry for,” I sobbed.
“Then…what’s wrong?” he asked, confusion thick in his voice.
I didn’t think his drug-fogged mind would understand if I tried to explain everything to him right then. Gulping down my tears, I sat up and patted my legs. “Put your head here,” I instructed, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
He didn’t hesitate to pillow his head on my lap. When my nails stroked over his scalp as I combed them through his hair, he released a content moan. Moments later, his breathing evened out and he was asleep once again.
I sat there all night, doing nothing more than touching him in some shape or form. He woke a few times, groaning that he had cottonmouth or that his head ached, but each time I asked if he wanted me to get him something, he grumbled something unintelligible and drifted right back to sleep.
As dawn peeked weakly through the curtains, I finally forced myself to move. My body ached from sitting in one spot for so long without moving, and my eyes felt dry and gritty, but sleep still eluded me. Carefully, I lifted Maverick’s head off my lap and climbed out of bed.
In the bathroom, I found him some aspirin, then went into the kitchen to get him a bottle of water. After placing it on the nightstand, I went back to the kitchen to make coffee.
I was standing by the sink drinking my second cup when Maverick stumbled in. His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin had a pasty color to it, making me think he was feeling sick to his stomach. Crossing to me, he took the mug from my hands and drained the nearly full cup of coffee.
Blurry-eyed, he set the cup on the counter and grabbed my hips, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry.”
I leaned into him. “For?”
“Whatever I did yesterday. I can’t remember shit, baby. But if I hurt you, or said anything, or did anything…” He groaned. “I’m so sorry.”
My hands touched his bare back under his shirt as I wrapped my arms around his middle. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who should be saying sorry. My dad…” I swallowed the fresh lump of emotion trying to choke me and blinked back the sting of tears. My eyes ached from all the tears I’d shed the day before, and I’d thought I was all dried up, but apparently not. �
�But we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
He pulled back so he could look down at me. “Please tell me you didn’t kill him. I can barely see right now, babe. I don’t think I could bury a body this morning.”
Despite feeling like I was going to burst into tears at any moment, I lifted my lips in a small grin. “No,” I rasped out. “I didn’t kill him or anyone else. He was breathing the last time I saw him.”
“Then what happened?” he asked with a frown.
I shrugged. “I cut him out of my life. From this day on, he doesn’t exist to me.”
“River…” One of his hands cupped the side of my face. “Baby, I know that you’re pissed right now. Fuck, so am I. But you are going to regret this. I can’t let you—”
“Stop,” I whispered. “What he did? He basically made me choose, and I picked you. I will never regret that. The way he was acting, how he was treating you, it was becoming toxic. And I’m already tired of it all. If we’re going to get married and start our own family, I refuse to let that shit touch our kids.”
“But—”
“I still have the rest of my family. My mom, aunts, uncles, cousins. They are still very much a part of my life. But not him. He lost me the moment he paid those bitches to drug you.” My tears spilled free, and I hurriedly wiped them away when I saw his eyes darken at the sight of them.
“But he’s your dad,” he murmured. “I know you love him.”
“I love you more,” I interrupted. Forcing a smile, I lifted onto my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. “I need to get ready. I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour.”
While I got ready, I finally turned my phone back on. I’d turned it off the night before when Dad had started blowing it up on my way home. He had nothing to say I wanted to hear, and I still wasn’t interested in anything that came out of his mouth. But I figured my mom or Maverick’s would want an update on how he was feeling.
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