by J. M. Walker
“Nothing. Fuck, woman. The guy is dead and he’s still causing shit. I’m going to get a beer.” He stormed away, stomping into the kitchen.
“Mom.” I went to her side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…I just…I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She sighed, giving me a small smile. “You may be the baby but you’re definitely not a baby anymore, are you?”
“No, I’m not.” I nodded toward Sunny and Shade. “They love me.”
“And you love them.” She took my hands in hers.
“I do. I would have told you about them sooner to kind of ease you into this, but things happened fast and now Tanner wants information. I don’t know what he wants though. He said you have numbers. He wasn’t making sense. I’m not even sure he knows what he’s talking about. But I know it’s bad. He’s scary, Mom, and he’s not a good guy. At all.” I took a breath, waiting for her to tell me that I was imagining things.
“I figured. Being Tyler’s kid, it doesn’t surprise me that he would be just as bad as him. If not worse.” She shivered. “I don’t know what Tanner could want though.”
“He seems to think that you have something of his,” Sunny said, sitting on the couch. “Did Tyler ever give you anything?”
“A couple of black eyes. Some broken ribs. Heartache.” Mom shrugged. “The usual.”
“Mom.” I squeezed her hands. “I had no idea.”
“We don’t like talking about what happened before you kids were born. All of us had it hard. Even when we had perfect childhoods, something still happened to fuck us up.” Mom’s gaze flicked to where Dad went into the kitchen. “Your dad is my life and I wouldn’t change what I have with him for anything but sometimes, he can be an asshole. He won’t admit it anymore but he’s still jealous of Tyler. Even though he’s dead and gone.”
“I heard that he kidnapped someone, and she took him out,” Shade said. “But no one will say who it was.”
A faraway look passed over her face. “Max shot him, and he ended up in jail. She saved my life. I was pregnant with your sister. She saved us both from him.” She pulled away from me and I knew when not to press for more. Max, Piper’s mom, may have shot the fucker but it was someone else who actually killed him. I knew when to leave well enough alone, so I thought of something else. Anything that could get us the answers we were looking for.
“I had no idea.” I wondered if Piper even knew what her mom had done.
“Of course you wouldn’t.” Mom cupped my cheek. “We wanted to keep all of you safe from our past, but secrets can only stay secret for so long before they’re revealed.” Her gaze flicked over my head. “I promise whatever you’re thinking, it’s not true.”
I followed her stare, finding my dad standing behind the couch Sunny and Shade were sitting on.
“What did Tanner say?” he asked me, ignoring my mom.
My heart gave a start. “Uh…he said for me to ask mom about a set of numbers and showed me a picture of her and Tyler.” I thought a moment. “I’m not…I’m not related to Tanner, am I?”
Mom’s eyes widened. “What? No! God no!” She shook her head. “Is that what you thought?” she asked, going up to my dad.
“I don’t know what to think.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“Angel.” Mom placed her hand on his chest. “I love you and I promise that Tanner isn’t mine. If that’s what you’re thinking or worried about. I never had Tyler’s kid. My babies are yours. That’s it.”
Dad pulled her against him, wrapping his arms her. He murmured into her hair, something that only she could hear.
A light laugh followed, setting the tension resting on my shoulders at ease.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered.
“Don’t be. Tyler was a fucker and even dead, he’s still a…” She leaned back, cupping her husband’s face. “Fucker.”
Dad smirked.
I joined Sunny and Shade on the couch, dropping my head in my hands. Tanner wanted something but even my mom had no idea what it was.
“There’s no set of numbers or anything that Tyler could have given you?” Sunny asked, running his hand in circles over my back.
“I’m not sure.” She went back to the box and started looking through the items in it. “There’s not much in here. I have some pictures. Old movie stubs. A guitar pick. A ring.”
I went up to her and tried helping as best I could, but it was hard when I had no idea what Tanner could want either. I picked up the ring. “This is pretty,” I murmured.
“Why the hell do you still have that shit?” Dad demanded.
“Before you get all alpha male on me and demand why I still have this, I kept it because it reminds me of how far I’ve come.”
Dad only grunted.
Mom sighed, nodding toward the ring. “He had that inscribed with numbers. Maybe that’s what Tanner’s looking for. Not sure what the numbers are for though. I tried asking Tyler, but he never told me.” She shrugged and brought a picture out of the box. “Oh this is of me and you.” She handed it to Dad. “It must have gotten accidentally put in here.”
“It was after we went on our first date.” Dad beamed, standing up taller.
While they continued reminiscing about their date, I read the inscription on the inside of the ring. Mom was right. There was a set of numbers. “This might be what Tanner wants,” I said, turning the gold ring back and forth. It was beautiful with a single red diamond in the shape of a heart clasped inside four claws. “Thank you. I just hope we can get this situation under control and that Tanner leaves us alone.”
“I can make a call,” Dad said, cracking his knuckles.
“I’m sure you could but I wouldn’t want anything to happen.” I pulled away from my mom as Sunny and Shade came up behind us.
“Tanner’s crew isn’t like ours,” Sunny explained. “Greyson has been trying to clean up Hell’s Harlem’s mess for years but Tanner? He just doesn’t care.”
“What crew is he with?” Dad asked, wrapping an arm around Mom’s shoulders.
“He’s the president of Devil’s Rejects,” Shade answered, crossing his arms under his broad chest.
“Shit.” Dad shook his head. “I’ve heard of them. Your dad’s crew had issues with them in the past, did they not?” he asked my mom.
“Yeah.” Mom pulled me back into a hug. “You be safe,” she murmured into my hair. “You hear me, Meadow? I know you’re strong. You are so damn strong but it’s okay to ask for help.”
“I know, Mama,” I whispered.
She leaned back, cupping my face. “I love you.”
I covered her hand with mine. “I love you too.”
***
(Shade)
I expected Angel to rip off our balls and feed them to us but for whatever reason, he didn’t. It was almost like he was okay with both Sunny and I dating his daughter. But Greyson had been right. He was a huge fucker. Even though he was older and probably well into his fifties, he kept in good shape. There was no extra weight around his middle from what I could tell.
Get it together, Shade. Now you’re checking out your girl’s father.
I shook my head.
“Hey.” A heavy hand landed on my shoulder.
I was met with slate eyes, eyes that had grown cold over the years but warmed whenever they landed on Meadow and I.
“You good?” Sunny asked, tilting his head.
I stepped closer to him, needing his strength. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong.” I couldn’t shake this feeling that the issue with Tanner was just a cover-up for something worse that was about to happen. It didn’t make sense. Sunny and I were finally talking. We were on the same page after years of skirting around the truth. We had Meadow who loved us and put up with our lack of communication with each other. She taught us to explore these feelings we had for one another and we gave her everything in return. I could never thank her enough for what she had done for us.
While we
stood by the SUV and waited for Meadow to join us, we were silent. I let the events of the evening rush over me.
Tanner touching our girl. Him threatening her. Him being the fucking bastard that he was. Him wanting something.
I was thankful that we were able to get it, if in fact it was what he wanted. The numbers on Meadow’s mom’s ring could have also meant nothing.
Pulling a pack of smokes from the inside of my leather jacket, I lit one up. I didn’t smoke often. Only when I was stressed. But this called for a smoke. And a drink. A hard fucking drink.
The door of Meadow’s parents’ place opened, revealing Meadow and her mom. She gave her another hug and started walking toward us.
My body stirred. Everything inside of me came alive the closer she got to us.
“I think we should meet up with Tanner and give him this ring,” she suggested once she stood in front of us. “I just want this over with.”
I nodded, butting the smoke out on the bottom of my Shit-Kicker and moved around to the back door of the SUV.
“As much as I don’t want to, you’re probably right,” Sunny said, heading to the driver’s side door. “He just better keep his hands to himself this time.”
Meadow shivered. “I hope so.”
“Let’s go.” I slid into the back seat. My nerves were shot. Something was coming. Something big. And I knew that none of us were prepared for it. “Maybe we should call Greyson.”
“He has enough shit to deal with.” Sunny started up the engine.
I huffed, crossing my arms under my chest and looking out the window.
“What if Tanner does something stupid though?” Meadow asked, doing up her seat belt. “Maybe calling Greyson or one of the other guys, isn’t such a bad idea. We may need backup.” She shook her head. “Is that even a thing? Do you guys ever call each other for backup? I’m so new.”
She was nervous. I learned rather quickly that random things would leave her lips whenever she was rattled.
Sitting forward, I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips. “It is a thing,” I told her, brushing my mouth along her knuckles. “We’ll definitely call the guys and tell them to meet us at Tanner’s clubhouse. But Greyson needs to worry about his wife and son.”
Sunny nodded, gripping the steering wheel tight.
“Do you think I can give Tanner the ring and that will be it?” Meadow shook her head. “There’s no way he would just let me go after that. If what happened earlier tonight is any indication.”
I agreed with her but never said it.
I was vaguely aware of Meadow calling Tanner and choosing another place to meet up. It was somewhere public which would be safer than meeting him at his club.
As we drove to the meeting point, the three of us remained silent. Something was eating at me and I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“What’s wrong?”
My gaze snapped to Sunny’s. “What do you mean?”
Meadow looked between us both.
“I mean that you’re on edge. I understand why, with this Tanner shit and all, but there’s something else,” he said, his eyes searching my face. “Isn’t there?”
“I don’t know.” I looked out the window, watching the world pass us by. The closer we got to the café we were meeting him at, the more on edge I felt. My nerves were shot. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if we had just gone into this with Meadow as something fun. But now that we had fallen in love with her, it made it almost…worse. Like we would do anything to protect her and not care in the least who we had to go through to make sure she was safe.
“Something isn’t sitting right with me,” Meadow murmured, voicing my thoughts.
Sunny grunted.
I didn’t respond.
Why would I? There was no point. I wasn’t one to get nervous often, but I was man enough to admit it. Tanner Horsch set me on edge. He was the epitome of evil. There had been many times I wanted to ask him why and what happened to make him that way. But I knew that it was a conversation that not very many had with him. If anyone ever at all.
I had a feeling that we would find out just how deep his depravity went before the night was over.
I just prayed that we would survive it.
Meadow
I COULD FEEL THE tension rolling off of Sunny and Shade in waves.
They had decided that it would be best to meet up with Tanner somewhere else rather than at his club. So I had called him and gave him a meeting point. Surprisingly, Tanner had agreed and met us outside of a local coffee shop in the downtown area of our city. It wasn’t overly busy with people or traffic, but it was safer than going to his club.
Even though it was later in the night, people still milled about. It was one thing I loved about our town. People still sat outside, enjoying their cups of coffee, no matter the weather and time. Piper had told me it reminded her of Europe in a way.
“I’m assuming I should go by myself,” I said, finding Tanner sitting at a table just outside of the café.
“As much as I don’t like it, yeah, you probably should.” Sunny killed the engine and turned toward me. “If Shade and I go, it might spook him. But we’ll be right here.”
I took a deep breath and left the SUV.
Tanner looked my way.
Knowing that Sunny and Shade were close by, gave me all the strength I needed to confront him.
As I neared the table, the hairs on the back of my neck tingled. My stomach twisted, my heart racing the closer I got to Tanner.
“I won’t hurt you,” Tanner said as I sat across from him.
“Isn’t that what the villain usually says before they kill their victim?”
Tanner searched my face. “Doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. Doesn’t matter if anyone believes me or not.”
“Good because I don’t.” I looked around me, finding nothing out of the ordinary but still feeling like we were being watched just the same. Besides Sunny and Shade being close, I had a feeling that some of Tanner’s crew were around as well. The backup from Hell’s Harlem hadn’t shown up yet and that fact alone, set my nerves on edge.
“Did you get what I asked for?” Tanner asked, picking up the small mug and taking a sip of whatever drink he had decided on.
“You never asked but yeah, I got it.” I pulled the ring from my pocket. “I’m not sure if this is what you want though. My mom had no idea what you were talking about.”
Tanner took the ring from me and read the inside of it. “I’m not sure either.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“My dad was a twisted individual.” He squinted as he read the inscription.
“Why didn’t you ask my mom yourself?”
Tanner’s gaze met mine. “Have you met your father? He’s a scary fucker. I’ve toyed with death before but even I’m not stupid enough to cross his path.”
“Do you know my father?” Even though I didn’t like Tanner, for whatever reason I found him intriguing. He had an air about him where it was like he just didn’t care.
“Not personally, no. I’ve tried to stay away. Cause you know, I’m in Hell’s Harlem territory and all.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes. “This place is away from their clubhouse, so I think you’re good.”
“Listen, what happened before…” He hesitated.
My eyebrows rose. Was Tanner Horsch actually going to apologize to me?
“I’m a bastard and I’d rather deal with animals than humans but that…anyway, thanks.” He stood from the table.
“Wait.” I rose to my full height. “That’s it?”
“What more do you want?” Tanner demanded. “I suggest leaving before what happened earlier tonight is the least of your worries.”
“I just…” I shook my head. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“Meadow.”
My head whipped around.
Sunny came toward us.
“Please, tell me why you would go through all of this tro
uble just for those numbers,” I said quickly.
“You ask way too many questions.” Tanner stuffed the ring into his pocket. “Leave it alone, Meadow.”
“He’s right.” Sunny grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”
“No.” I stepped around the table, blocking Tanner’s path. “Why demand for me to get this from my mom? What’s in it for you?”
Tanner glanced over my head. “You need to put a muzzle on your pet.”
Before I could stop myself, I shoved him. “I want answers.”
A wicked grin spread on his face. “Listen here, little girl. I’d be very careful who you demand answers from. My crew is not as nice as Hell’s Harlem. Although, I seem to recall a time that they were actually much worse than my club.” He chuckled. “Those were the days.”
“Tanner.” I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. “How did you know that my mom had that ring or even those numbers you were looking for?”
“Because it was in my dad’s will,” Tanner finally confessed.
My eyes widened. “What?”
“If you must know, when my dad died, he had stipulations in his will that it be read at a certain time and on a certain date.”
“I think he saw one too many action movies,” I muttered.
“That date has come and gone already,” Tanner said, ignoring my comment. “His lawyer called me and told me, but I didn’t have these numbers then. I almost didn’t believe it myself.”
“I don’t care what the numbers get you but why do I feel like there’s a catch?” I asked, staring up at him. “You can’t just want those numbers and be on your merry way.”
“And why not?” Tanner turned back around. “You’ll learn to leave well enough alone, Meadow. Don’t make me change my mind.” When he started walking away, a breath escaped me like he had sucked the very air from my lungs.
“This doesn’t make sense.” I spun on my heel and walked past Sunny toward their SUV. Shade had stayed back, leaning against the large black vehicle. I just wanted to go home and for them to spend the night holding me. “This doesn’t make sense at all,” I added.
“Why does it have to make sense?” Sunny asked, rushing to catch up to me.