by Naomi West
We took off and I wasn’t going to lie about how thrilling the ride felt. It was exhilarating. I could see immediately why Rocky loved it, though I’d never tell him that.
Besides, I had infinitely more important things to be worrying about. We were on our way to meet Cameron and I didn’t think I’d been so nervous about anything in a long while. I wasn’t even sure why. I’d met Cameron Weston before when I was a kid. He seemed nice enough from what I remembered.
But it was a lot different now. It was years later for one thing, and he was now the president of a biker club. I had also been nervous ever since Rocky had told me that Cameron had been asking after me. I racked my brains trying to think of why he’d want me but came up blank. I supposed I would find out today if anything was the matter.
Rocky and I arrived at Cameron’s house and both of us got off the motorcycle. Rocky looked at me with a raised brow and judging by the look on his face, my cover was blown.
“You loved it, didn’t you?” He smirked arrogantly.
“I hated it, it was awful,” I said stubbornly. There was no way that I would ever admit defeat.
We walked to the front door or Cameron’s large house and stood there waiting for him to answer. I’d heard the conversation on the phone when Rocky called his uncle to let him know we were coming, but Rocky was being purposefully vague in everything he said. I hoped that Cameron wouldn’t mind us coming over. After all, I was all but a stranger to him, asking to be let into his life and business. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was angry that Rocky had decided to involve me.
We only waited at the door for a few moments until it swung open to reveal who I could only assume to be Cameron. He matched my memory of him completely, though slightly older. He was middle aged, slightly shorter than Rocky with greying hair and a trimmed beard.
It struck me all of a sudden how similar he looked to Rocky’s dad, Billy. I felt a sudden wave of empathy for Rocky, knowing that every time he saw his uncle he would undoubtedly be reminded of his dad too. It had to be hard on Cameron too, looking in the mirror and seeing your dead brother.
“Daria,” Cameron greeted. “Look at you, all grown up. It’s been too long.”
“Nice to see you again, Cameron,” I replied shyly.
“Yes, hi Cameron,” Rocky interrupted. “Can we move this inside?”
Cameron narrowed his eyes at his nephew but opened the door wider and led us into the sitting room. I followed Rocky’s lead and sat on the sofa beside him. It was a wide, open space, a lot bigger than what I expected would suit a single man. I could imagine a man like Cameron living here, though I could never picture someone like Rocky here. It was too pristine and it didn’t look lived-in. Rocky was rugged and all rough edges. There was no way he would be happy in a place like this.
We sat in silence for a moment and it occurred to me that everyone was waiting for someone else to speak. Finally, Cameron broke the silence. “So, what’s this all about?” he asked. “Rocky didn’t say much on the phone.”
“Daria wants to know about Steele and what we’re going to do about it.”
Way to cut to the chase, I thought. Resisting the urge to glare at Rocky, I forced myself to stay calm under Cameron’s gaze. Obviously, Rocky knew his uncle better than me but I would’ve appreciated easing into the situation.
Cameron paused a moment, flicking his eyes between Rocky and me. He seemed to be studying both of us.
“Are you sure, son?”
I felt Rocky tense up beside me, and I figured it had something to do with being called ‘son.’ I couldn’t believe that his uncle didn’t realise that it was strange for him to say that so soon after Rocky’s father’s death. Although perhaps it was something he’d always said, or didn’t realise he was saying.
“I’m sure,” Rocky answered instantly. His lack of hesitation warmed me, even though he’d already demonstrated that he trusted me.
Cameron frowned, looking again between the two of us. Apparently, he had reached some sort of decision because he nodded once and continued. “Well alright then. What do you know about Jason Steele?” Cameron asked me.
“Just that he’s the president of the Nightmare MC.”
“That’s true. He’s also ruthless and dangerous. That’s important to know. A few months ago, Billy was out making a deal with the Mexican drug cartel. It wasn’t anything particularly dangerous, or it shouldn’t have been.”
He paused a moment and took a sip of his beer. Rocky was sitting stoically beside me, though he seemed a little tense. I wondered just how many times he’d heard this story, and how many times he had to relive it every time somebody asked. For a moment, I wished that I wasn’t so selfish and that I’d left him well alone. Only for a moment though, before I remembered that I couldn’t imagine what I’d do without him now.
“It was confusing for us all at the time,” Cameron continued. “I later obtained some inside information about what really happened that night. It seems that Jason Steele sabotaged the deal that night. He told Jose Garcia, the man who runs the cartel, that Billy was a snitch. You won’t know anything about Garcia, but he’s a cold-hearted bastard. He won’t tolerate much, but he especially won’t tolerate anyone who snitches. That’s the reason Billy died that night, because Jason Steele fed false intel to Garcia.”
“But … why?” I asked. “Why would he want to do that?
“Money, power. We’ve had a rivalry going with them for years, but since Garcia moved into town it’s been worse. He’s been looking to expand his drug cartel in the area and both our clubs have been trying to secure a deal with him.”
“So, what now? You're planning on killing Steele?” I asked.
It disgusted me that we were talking about this so casually, as if another man’s life wasn’t on the line. I’d said I was on board with whatever Rocky was planning and I meant it. I just wasn’t quite ready to accept all the facts.
“He killed my brother. I won’t rest until he’s dead.” Cameron was in full biker mode now, making me understand why he had taken over the role of president. This was the first time I’d seen him come close to Rocky’s desire for vengeance and it was a little frightening. I shuffled closer to Rocky and he instinctively put an arm around me.
“But we have to be patient,” Cameron continued. “I don’t want a war between our clubs, we have too much to lose and I value our men. Steele will be expecting our retaliation immediately so we’ll have to lay low for a while. When enough time passes and he lets down his guard, that’s when we’ll strike.”
It made sense, but I wasn’t too confident that Steele would just let down his guard after a while. I mean, killing a club president was a big deal. Surely, he would be on guard for many more months, years even. But maybe he was cockier than I thought him to be.
We talked for a bit longer about lighter topics but I was too preoccupied by what Cameron had said.
Sensing that I wasn’t in the mood to stay longer, Rocky excused us and we left his uncle’s house.
I was quiet on the ride home, still mulling things over. If Mom could see me now, I had no doubt that she would be so disappointed. But it was my choice. And I’d decided to put my faith in Rocky.
“Daria?”
“Hmm?” I said absentmindedly, turning to Rocky.
“I know that it isn’t easy for you to stay by me. I know what you’re sacrificing, with your mom and everything. I just wanted to say thank you.”
It was times like this that I knew I’d made the right choice. It didn’t matter what people in town said about Rocky. I knew he was the kindest man I’d ever met, and I would stand by him no matter what.
As much as it pained me to admit, I respected Rocky for his determination. And I understood vengeance. I understood a strong desire for retribution, even if that meant hurting people in the process. But I also knew that Rocky needed to rise above it.
In a perfect world, justice would be meted out without revenge, and I knew Rocky could learn to live w
ith that. If only he could realize that not everything was so black and white.
But at the moment, I think Rocky needed something to keep him going, and if this was that something, then I wouldn’t stand in his way.
Chapter Ten
Rocky
I was glad I’d taken Daria to meet Cameron, though she’d been quiet ever since. I knew how she felt about going after Jason Steele and I felt a strange amount of guilt about how I’d roped her into it. Though, selfishly, I was glad I did.
She was moving around in her office, trying to shake off the heat. Usually in this weather, she would come out of the cramped office and sit in the fresh air. Maybe she was still processing?
That didn’t really sound like Daria, though. Once she made up her mind, she was pretty set on it. And I knew without a doubt that now that she’d become as involved as she was, she wouldn’t go back on her word. Still, I couldn’t take the risk that she’d changed her mind or was having second doubts. I knew I had to see if she was still on board with the whole thing. She was part of my life now, whether she liked it or not.
“What’s wrong, Daria?” I asked.
She looked up from the computer, wide-eyed and apparently having not noticed that I’d stepped into her office. That was another indicator something was wrong. She was never that immersed in her work.
She shook her head blankly, lips struggling to form words before she blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s my mom,” she said finally, looking down even as she said it.
I frowned at that. I couldn’t believe that Corinne was so against Daria associating with me. Didn’t she remember how club life used to be? Didn’t she remember how I used to be? It hurt to think she had no trust in me at all anymore, though I supposed I deserved it. After all, I did drag her daughter into a mess that she had no right to be involved in. It had been over a decade since my promise to keep her out of club business, and I’d finally broken my promise. It was irrational, but I’d hold that against myself forever.
“So, she’s still not happy with you?” I asked.
Daria winced and looked away. “I haven’t really told her how involved I am yet. I’m scared she’ll assume the worst. We already have a rocky relationship, I don’t want to tear it apart.”
Damn. That would be rough to explain. I’d assumed that Corinne and Daria would have a strong relationship considering all the things they’d been through together. Though, some people thought that about my dad and I, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’m sure she’ll understand once you explain. She’s your mother. Besides, talking with Cameron cleared things up for you, why don’t we get your mom to meet up with him too?”
Daria paused for a moment, thinking. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” she asked.
“Well what do you have to lose?”
“I suppose you're right,” she conceded.
Not having thought of it before, I just realized that tomorrow would be the first time I’d see Corinne in years. It was a small town but I still hadn’t been by the diner where she worked, though I definitely should have. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her or that I’d been too busy because I really could have made time if I wanted.
Frankly, I was scared to see her again. Especially now that I’d gotten her daughter dragged into things that she had no business being dragged into. It wasn’t even entirely club business that I’d dragged her into, though I didn’t know if that was better or worse.
At least I knew it would be good for Daria to have things cleared up with her mom. She was already looking happier than this morning, just at the prospect of telling her mom everything.
“Are you okay with everything else that happened yesterday?” I asked. This was my main worry, that she’d changed her mind about me or wanted nothing to do with me.
Daria looked up at me with a soft smile, a smile that immediately eased any fears that I had, something she seemed to have a gift doing.
“I wouldn’t say okay, but I’m still standing by you. You're not getting rid of me remember?”
“Just checking. Do you want me to get Cameron here tonight or tomorrow?”
She bit her lip in thought. “Tonight’s probably a better idea. I don’t want to keep lying to her.”
“Alright, I’ll call.”
Cameron picked up on the first ring and agreed to meet with Corinne with no hesitation.
“Have you seen her yet?”
“I saw her weeks ago,” he replied. “She looks really different though.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see, son. I’ll drop by tonight.”
And with that, he hung up, leaving me to wonder about his strange warning. How different could she possibly look, except for having aged twelve years? Though, the way Daria talked about her sometimes, I wondered if I ever knew her at all.
I decided that Cameron was just trying to wind me up, knowing what she used to mean to me. Actually, Corinne had spent a lot of time with Cameron and my dad over the years. As brothers, they used to fight between each other a lot, about themselves, about the club, and everything else under the sun.
Corinne would try to be peacemaker between them, making sure that their arguments didn’t get too heated. I didn’t think someone as kind and caring as Corinne could change so dramatically. Though, I would soon find out for sure.
“Cameron’s in,” I told Daria. “We’ll go by the diner tonight.”
“Thank you for doing this for me, you didn’t have to.”
And I didn’t. But if this would appease Daria, getting Cameron to convince her mom that she wouldn’t be in any danger, then I’d do it.
“Yes, I did.”
As selfish as I was, I recognized that this was the only way to keep Daria on my side. And for that, I’d do whatever it took.
Chapter Eleven
Daria
It was strange that in the few months we’d been back in town, I still hadn’t gone to see my mother at the diner where she worked. I knew that Rocky hadn’t either, something he’d told me with slight traces of shame in his voice.
Walking in with Rocky and Cameron, I felt fresh waves of guilt roll over me as I waited for my mother to come out of the back room after her shift. She would have no idea what was waiting for her when she arrived, and I knew that I would be catching her completely off guard. I also knew that this would be the only way to stop her worrying, so I was grateful for Cameron and Rocky’s help.
It didn’t take too long for my mom to finally appear. She spotted me instantly and rewarded me with a loving smile, probably happy that I’d come visit her and spend some time with her. Her smile faltered as she glanced at the rest of the table and noticed Rocky and Cameron.
Her eyes flickered once over to the door and I thought for just one moment that she might leave and not listen to anything we had to say. Thankfully, her eyes returned to us and she approached our table.
“Daria, what are you doing here,” she said in a strained voice, eyeing Cameron.
Her gaze softened a fraction when she looked at Rocky but I doubted anyone else noticed, even Rocky. Sometimes I forgot that Rocky and Mom used to be quite close when we were kids. I used to drag him to our house a lot so we could hang out, and looking back, I knew that she was the closest thing he’d ever had to a mother.
Rocky seemed to deflate slightly in his seat, though he maintained his hardened exterior. It was his eyes that gave him away. I think at that moment Mom remembered that too, but when she looked away from him again I realized how serious she was about not wanting anything to do with the Walkers. Maybe this would be harder than I thought.
“Corinne, take a seat,” Cameron said, gesturing to the empty spot at our table. Mom remained standing for a beat, I think mostly out of defiance, before taking the seat beside me, eyes never wavering from Cameron.
“What’s going on?” My mom was understandably confused, considering all she knew was that I’d taken a job at Rocky’s s
hop. She had no idea how close I’d gotten to him or how much I knew about certain club business.
“We need to talk.”
“Daria,” Mom’s eyes cut to me and they were filled with steel. It was like she had a sixth sense about what was yet to come and was already chastising me about it. “I told you not to get involved with all this.”
“I tried Mom, I really did.”
Truthfully, I had tried my best to stay away from Rocky, but I couldn’t help what had happened or how close we’d gotten. I hadn’t anticipated that we would become such close friends. Looking back now though, I knew that my heart had never really been in it. That was why it was probably so easy for Rocky to convince me to take the job.
