“And?” Poison asks.
Derek releases a deep sigh steepling his fingers together in front of him. “And a few days later a package shows up to my compound. She asked me to take care of it and when it was healed to contact you. You’d know what to do.”
Kayne takes a menacing step forward, “Quit talking in fucking riddles and tell us. Now.”
Derek holds a hand up signaling to hold on. The door opens and Xander steps back inside followed by someone else I can’t see because he’s blocking him with his body. I shift my gaze on Monica and a smile graces her lips. That’s confusing the fuck out of me. “The woman who called me is someone you know and the man who dropped the package off is another person you know, Poison.”
“Who? Who the fuck are you talking about? What the hell is going on.” She stands up and turns around. “Oh my god!” A hand covers her mouth and tears trail down her cheeks. “No, no way. This isn’t happening. How is this happening?” Poison is full out sobbing and shaking now, not making any complete words. Kayne holds her confused as the rest of us.
“Princess, baby. What’s wrong?”
“How? How is this possible?” Poison’s hazel eyes are red from crying staring past Xander. Her breath hitches in her throat, clogged with emotions.
I look in that direction and do a double take. I hear several gasps ring around me but my eyes are stuck on the figure in the corner. He doesn’t look like he used to. Fewer muscles and burn scars cover his arms, neck and part of his face, but those eyes still look the same. Those hazel eyes are brimmed with unshed tears.
“MadDog,” Kayne whispers. “But how? We thought you were dead.”
“I survived. I don’t know how, but I did.” He takes a tentative step forward, his feet shuffling on the carpet.
“I looked into your eyes that night. There was no light, no movement, nothing. How is this possible?” Poison sobs. “The look in your eyes haunted me for the past six months. Six months! I lived in hell and did unthinkable things in the name of payback for your death.”
MadDog steps forward and gather’s Poison in his arms. His tears are now falling down his cheeks dropping into her blonde hair. He rubs her back in soothing motions, trying to calm her down.
I turn to Derek still sitting at his desk and Xander who’s now behind him leaning against the wall, “How?”
“My uncle dropped him off. When he went to the house and seen that the fire destroyed the whole place.” Derek answers
“I heard the explosion, felt the heat on my back. I barely got out of there. How did you do it?” Poison asks MadDog.
“I heard you moving and once I knew you got out, I crawled my way through the living room.” MadDog stops to catch his breath. “I made it to the back bedroom and crawled out the window. I didn’t make it far before the explosion and some debris landed on me. That’s how I got these scars. I was too weak to move and thought for sure I’d die.” MadDog sits in the chair Poison was in. He reaches for her hand with shaky fingers and she takes it. “I was finally able to get the burning debris off me and crawl into the woods. It sapped all my energy and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a strange room. I don’t remember anything.”
I step forward and rest my hand on Siren’s shoulder. She’s been extremely quiet the whole time. “Are you OK?” I whisper. She looks up at me with tears in her green eyes.
“Yes, I am now.” She smiles at me and watches MadDog being reunited with his daughter.
“Who found you?” I ask MadDog.
“Cahal and Reaper. They took me back to Cahal’s house and the doctors did surgery to remove the bullets lodged in my lungs and spleen.”
“What? Cahal and Reaper knew you were alive this whole time?” Poison’s voice trembles with anger. She turns to Siren. “Did you know? Did you keep this from me? Did you let me slaughter those men in retaliation knowing he was alive this whole time?”
“No, I had no idea until this very minute MadDog was still alive.” Siren shakes her head causing her tears to fall down her cheeks.
“Poison, she’s not the one that called.” Derek said from behind his desk. We all turn in his direction.
“Who was it then?” She arches an eyebrow.
“It was your mother. She called and asked for a favor.”
“Why would my mother do that?”
MadDog squeezes Poison’s hand, “Because Derek is my son.”
Chapter 25
Siren
The whole room grows quiet at MadDog’s confession, not even a breath is taken. But my mind is running a million miles an hour. The voices I’ve battled with come rearing back screaming at me to get away. Get out of there and leave. Nothing good will come from this. I stand up quickly and make my way to the door before anyone stops me. I sit on the stool at the bar and stare off into space. What does this mean? Why is this happening? What is going on?
The bartender approaches me, “What can I get ya, sexy?” He offers me a wink and I ignore him. I can’t speak, I can’t open my mouth and get the words out lodged in there. Why did my father help Cahal? I didn’t even think they knew each other.
I’m lost in my own head when I feel someone sit down next to me. It was the woman in the room sitting on the couch. She sighs and rests her hands on the bar. “Scram prospect. She doesn’t need you sniffing around.” She turns her attention to me. “Look I’m sorry all this shit happened. I wish it didn’t but for some reason Cahal and Reaper wanted MadDog protected. I don’t know all the details. My brother is old school like that and would only share what he wanted too.”
“Your brother?” That had my attention. “Derek is your brother?” She nods her head. “That makes you related to Poison too?” A longing forms in the pit of my stomach. I wish I had family crawling out of the woodwork.
“No, I’m Derek’s half-sister. Same junkie mother, different dads. Sometimes I wish we had the same dads. Then I wouldn’t have done some of the shit I’ve done.” The woman sighs, haunting memories flash in her brown eyes before she speaks. “Look, I know you don’t know me, but I want to tell you something.”
I spin in my stool so we’re facing each other. I take in her appearance. She has on skin-tight jeans, a red tank top and her brown curly hair is pulled up on top of her head. Her brown eyes are thoughtful as she studies me the same way I’m studying her.
“What do you need to tell me?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. I don’t think this day can get any worse, but a churning deep in my stomach tells me I’m in for another surprise.
“I…” she trails off and looks away. Squaring her shoulders she speaks without looking at me. “I’m Monica. The one who did all those things to Blayde. I’m not proud of them or want any pity. I’m telling you this to let you know you have a wonderful man who loves you. He never looked at me the way he does you. He never smiled because he was thinking about me, but he does with you. You’re his universe and that man in there will walk through hell to keep you safe. Cherish that, honor that and love that. That’s all I ask from you. Make him happy the way I never could.” Monica stands up from the bar stool and leaves me with one last parting word. “Love him the way I never did.” She quickly leaves the commons room, leaving me in my own head.
That’s Monica? Jealousy rears its ugly head as I process what she said. Why is she still alive after everything she’s done to him? What is it about her that she can saunter all over and swing her hips like she owns the place and not even bat an eye at how anyone feels? Anger and rage brew inside of me. Whispers to end her life creep in the back of my mind. My fingers tighten on the bar top, digging my nails into the wood. Pain laces up my arms and I keep digging, begging to feel something other than the jealousy burning in the pit of my stomach. Desperate to get rid of the voices telling me to seek her out and end her meager little life.
A commotion near Derek’s office stops these thoughts flying through my head when my eyes lock on Blayde. He’s stalking right for me with a pissed off look on his handsome face. Before I ca
n say anything, Blayde wraps his arms around my shoulders and my heart leaps in my throat. His lips crash down onto mine in a bruising kiss. I moan as his tongue plunges inside my mouth demanding attention, swallowing them up. Making the voices disappear.
“If you ever leave me again, I will burn this motherfucking place down to find you,” Blayde growls against my lips. “Don’t ever walk away from me, Siren.”
“I needed to clear my head.” I pull away from Blayde and turn my back to him.
“What’s wrong?” The concern in his voice is my undoing.
I hold my head high and look at him square in the eyes. “Is she someone still important to you? Do you want to be with her and not me anymore? Do you regret giving me your Ol’ Lady patch?” I need to know what Blayde’s thinking and where his head is.
“Where is this coming from? What did Monica say to you?”
“Answer my fucking questions, Blayde.” I seethe.
“Fuck no she doesn’t mean anything to me. Not anymore. Listen,” Blayde takes my hands in his big ones. “People come into our lives at the wrong times to teach us something. People come into our lives at the right time to give us something. She came into my life at the wrong time with the wrong reasons and it taught me who I was. What I was capable of. For that I’m grateful.” He runs a finger down my cheek and presses it to my lips. “You came into my life at the right time and gave me something I had no idea I was missing. For that, you will have my heart. She might have shown me what I could do, but your strength and belief in me give me something she never could. Love. I never loved her. I love you.”
“Always?” I ask through a sob choking my throat.
“And forever,” Blayde responds. He brings his lips against mine gentler than before. I give into it and melt against his hard body. “Listen, I’m going to take you back to Krimson’s house. Derek and Xander have a job they need outside help with. Will you be OK while I’m gone? I can tell them no if it helps you.”
“No,” I shake my head. “Go and do Club business. I’ll be Ok. I promise.”
“We’re getting ready to leave. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.” Blayde kisses me one last time, leaving me breathless and my head spinning. He disappears into Derek’s office and comes back out with Kayne, Poison and Stryker. Derek and Xander are helping MadDog through the door and down the corridor.
Poison comes over to me and I stand up from my spot at the bar. “I’m so sorry I accused you of keeping this a secret. Can you forgive me?” Her red-rimmed hazel eyes plead with me.
“I get it, I really do. It’s Ok. I’ve lied in the past and now everyone will continue to think I’ll lie again. I’m working on proving to everyone I’m not horrible. Just made some mistakes.”
“I should have trusted you to tell me the truth. I’m not a good friend at all and that tears me up on the inside.”
“Hey,” I take Poison’s hand. “It’s fine. I get it. You’re not a horrible friend. If anything you’re a great friend. My best friend. Stop being so hard on yourself. We have MadDog back. Let’s focus on that.”
A smile graces Poison’s lips. “Yeah, we do. My father is alive and well. I have a wonderful boyfriend, I found my place in this life and I have the most important thing to me.”
“What?” I ask, holding back my tears.
“You. I still have you by my side. Together we can get through anything.” Poison hugs me hard, not letting go.
“Bitch,” I grumble when she finally releases her sumo hold on me. Poison laughs and it’s music to my ears.
“You love me and you know it.”
“No matter what, it’s us against the world,” I answer.
“With a few great perks to go along with it. You will find your place, Siren. I promise. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow, but soon you’ll have the world at your fingertips as long as you give yourself the confidence to go after what you want.”
Blayde interrupts us, throwing his arm around my waist. He kisses the side of my head, “I know what I want too.” He wiggles his eyebrows and winks at me.
“Hmm.” I think about it. “Well, you do ride a hard bargain.”
“Butterfly, you can ride my hard bargain anytime you want.” The lust shining in his eyes at me makes me squirm.
“I know what else I want.” I think about all the things I’ve been through. The hardships and the bad times. The good times when I met Poison. The way she accepted me as part of her family. I think about Blayde and the way he lights up my whole world, centering me when I need it the most. “Family. I want my family beside me, walking through hell to get shit done. And I want to dance. I want to head your dance studio, Poison. If you’ll let me.”
Poison squeals and throws her arms around me. “I’d thought you’d never ask. Yes, of course, you can head the dance studio. You will show those girls and boys how to dance with confidence. How to express themselves through their moves. I’d be honored.”
“Speaking of family,” Derek comes up behind us interrupting our talk. “Sorry I couldn’t help overhearing and I have one more thing to tell all of you.” Stryker, Kayne, Blayde, Poison and I are watching Derek, waiting to hear what he has to say. “I told you my uncle dropped MadDog off but I didn’t tell you who he was.”
The room grows silent as we waited on bated breath for him to continue. Derek looks me square in the eyes before continuing. “My mother is half Mexican, half Caucasian. She migrated here with her half-brother years ago from Mexico City to escape the Cartel.”
“What are you saying?” I ask Derek. I’m so confused as to why he’s telling us this.
“My uncle is Reaper. Your father. My mother is his half-sister.”
A gasp leaves my lips and my head is spinning. I feel myself drifting away. The voices rear up in my head, telling me he’s lying. There’s no way my father has a sister. “No. Reaper would have told me.” I shake my head in denial.
“He wouldn’t have, to protect my mom. If the Mexican Cartel finds out where she is, they’ll come after her. So, Reaper kept her a secret for years. Hidden in Los Angeles. A city with a million people. Then when she met MadDog, they had a one-night stand and she ended up pregnant with me. He protected her even more by placing her with The Royal Bastards. I grew up in this compound with her and she passed me off as the old president’s kid. That’s a story for another day.” Derek shakes his head and continues. “What I’m saying is, not only am I related to Poison with the same dad, you and I are cousins through my mom.”
“I have more family?” Tears of happiness swell in my eyes. I turn to Blayde and rest my head on his chest. He tightens his grip around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “I have more family, Blayde. Do you know what this means?”
“Yeah, Butterfly I do. You have everything you could wish for. Blood relation and non-blood family. You have all of us by your side.” He kisses the top of my head and my heart is full. “Come on Butterfly. Let’s go celebrate before I have to leave again.” Blayde kisses me, leaving me dizzy and breathless.
I might not know what tomorrow brings or my place with Savage Saints, but I have Blayde, Poison, Kayne and now Derek and a whole family to support me. I’m ready to face the world head-on. I’m ready to stop hiding and live my life the way I was meant too.
Epilogue
Stryker
Summer is in full swing, meaning more riding time. More time to escape the chaos of my own mind. We’re out on another run for Cahal tonight. Clouds cover the moon, engulfing us in darkness. We met him in an old barn off M30 and we’re taking this load to our newly rebuilt warehouse in the middle of nowhere. There, some of Cahal’s businessmen will meet with us tomorrow night. The van transporting our cargo is in the middle of the pack. Duke, Rooster, Talon, Ace and Axel are in the front clearing the way for us to keep on rolling through with no problems. Kayne, Blayde, Knuckles, Axel and I are bringing up the rear protecting the van from behind. The two prospects are driving the van, getting their feet wet a little.
Headlights swing behind us and my finger tightens on the grip of my gun as I ride like nothing’s going on. The car behind us approaches at a fast pace with their high beams on, glaring into my mirrors. I slow down along with Axel and Blayde, putting more distance between the van and us. The car speeds up, riding right on my tail. I maintain my speed, waiting to see what this fucker’s next move is. They back off and come back on us again.
“I’m done playing with these fuckers,” I shout to Blayde and Axel. They give a thumbs up and I roll into the opposite lane, slowing down until the car’s driver side door is level with me. I swing my bike with one hand toward the car and tap on the window. The tint is dark and I can’t see inside. This is a dangerous move, but these fuckers need to know who they’re fucking with. Blayde slows down more in the front and Axel is level with the passenger side door, blocking the car. I point my gun at the window when they don’t roll it down. The van and the rest of my brother are almost out of sight now and I breathe a little easier. The car tries to speed up, getting close to Blayde’s back tire.
“Stop the car, motherfucker or I’ll shoot first and ask questions later.” I threaten.
The car comes to a complete stop in the middle of the road. We follow blocking the car from leaving. The driver side door opens and a man gets out. I can’t see who it is until they walk into the headlight of my bike. His cold gray eyes focus on me and a snarl crosses his rugged face.
“You’ve been hiding from me, Stryker. I’m here to collect the debt owed from your father.” I’m face to face with someone I never thought I’d see again. Someone who left me high and dry years ago. The bane of my existence.
The voices that overtake my mind come rearing back full swing and I go into a fit of rage. I dismount my bike and approach him at a rapid pace, my gun still held tightly in the palm of my sweaty hand. “I don’t owe you shit motherfucker and I haven’t been hiding.”
Blaydes Betrayal (Savage Saints MC Book 2) Page 18
