The Dirty Dozen: MC Edition

by Kay Maree

  "Where are you heading?"

  "Cork, Co Kerry and The Cliffs of Moher." She looked down at the phone she was holding in her hand, biting down on her lip thinking about my offer. "You don't have to. It was just a thought, I know you don't know me at all."

  "No, it's okay! If Liam trusts you then you are good with me. Let me just move some things around. We can stop by my place on the way out of town and head down to Cork. I'll drive."

  "Sounds like a plan." I opened the front door back up and hung the keys back on the hook. I would message Liam and let him know that Rosa was with me and that we had her car so that he didn't expect me home. Putting my bag in the back of her car, I got into the passenger seat. She was on her phone, her fingers moving quickly over the screen. Once she was done, she sat the phone in the center bit between us and put her belt on, she put the key into the ignition and reversed out of Liam's driveway. "You're not gonna get in shit from your boss are you?"

  Rosa laughed softly. "I am the boss, I own the bar that I work in. That was me getting my manager to cover for a couple of days. They have all been at me to take some time away but I always brush it off. They will be throwing a party. Not a lot of people know that I own it though. They all just assume that with my connections to the club, that they own it and I just manage it for them. I am okay with that because people aren't stupid enough to touch the club's property."

  "Ah, smart move. Sounds like all of our places back home. The one person stupid enough to try ended up six feet under. Didn't help one of our guys was inside when they tried and they drugged him."

  "Was he okay?"

  "Physically yes. He beat himself up though because he couldn't remember what happened and thought he cheated on his old lady. He'd done it once before when he was really young and dumb so he was preparing himself for it to be over. Those two were made for each other though. She didn't hold it against him."

  "Can I ask a question?"

  "Sure, I'll give you another one." She shook her head and fought back a laugh. "Seriously though, what's on your mind?"

  "What is my da like?" I sucked in a breath. Did I really want to be the one to break this to her? I mean, part of her already knows by this point, but to what extent do I tell her what an asshole her father was and that him not being around was the best thing that ever happened to her and her mom. I didn't see me getting out of these next few days without having to confess that he was dead. I would leave Liam out of it though. If he wanted her to know his involvement in what happened then it was his story to tell. Hell, breaking this news probably should come from Raven, but if I had any hope of getting Rosa to come back to the States and if her father being alive was going to prevent that in any way, then I needed to come clean.

  "Him not being around while you were growing up was probably the best thing he could have done for you. Cameron would have been a lot better off if he had of disappeared on him but he's made the best of a bad situation considering how much of an asshole he is."

  "How much of an asshole who is? My brother or my da?"

  "Your father."

  "So not winning any father of the year awards then?"

  "Maybe if Lucifer ever decides to need a father and Derek steps up to the plate." Rosa was quiet as she navigated her way through the streets before pulling up in front of a house.

  "I'll be back in a second." She was out of the car before I could say anything to her so I decided to take this moment to message Liam and tell him what was going on. I added that I was going to tell her that her father was dead but I was going to leave him out of it. By the time I put my phone back in my pocket, Rosa had put her bag in with mine and was back in the car. She put her car back into drive and was quiet as she drove, as I could only assume was out of Dublin. Her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. What was that about?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Rosa

  I had to admit, I was a little pissed off when I got back to the car. Sure I had expected my da not to be a saint or anything, but for him to turn around and tell me that him having nothing to do with us was a slap to the face. As I drove out of Dublin though, getting on the M50, I had to wonder if maybe he had a point. He did know the man better than I ever would. I had to trust what he was telling me didn't I?

  "Rosa, are you okay?" I turned to look over at him and he nodded to my hands. I didn't realize that I had been gripping the steering wheel so hard.

  "I think so." Letting out a breath, I loosened my grip.

  "Want to talk about what's on your mind? I'm sorry if I came across sounding like an asshole but honestly, that was me sugar coating it."

  "It's not what you said about my da. Fuck, I knew he was asshole. My ma told me that when I was a teenager when I finally asked why he was never around. The thing you said about being better off without him though. Do you know how hard it is to grow up watching everyone with their dad's and knowing you would never have that?"

  "I do actually. Unlike yours though, mine chose to leave when we were old enough to know what was going on. I had to be the man of the house and look after my sister when my mom couldn't deal. When she got raped and my mom decided that she couldn't handle Abby anymore and her nightmares, I stepped up again when she left town. I'm sorry Rosa but Derek, your dad, was a bigger asshole than that even. Your brother was beaten daily as a kid. Derek killed Cameron's mother and he had to see that shit. He also had to watch as Derek fucked whore after whore, never having the same one. When your brother found his now fiancée, she was raped and tortured from your father's hands. You are so much better off. Then and now." I heard him take a breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump all that on you. I shouldn't have told you all of that but I need you to know." I wiped away a tear that had started to fall at the thought of my brother and what he was put through. My heart breaks for him. I swallowed back the lump in my throat.

  "What's my brother like?" My voice broke as I tried to keep the emotion from it. He reached over and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze.

  "As I said, your brother has made the best from a fucked up situation. He took over the club when he exposed Derek of everything that he had been doing and cleaned it all up. He was a bit of an asshole for a while there but nothing compared to his father. Once he met Hailee though, he started to soften up. He has always been one of the best guys I know. I would trust him with my life. For a long time there, he was the only one who I could leave my sister in the hands of. He was there for us in a big way when Abby was waking up with nightmares from her attack."

  "Did Derek have anything to do with your sister?"

  "In a way. One of his minions did it. He was pissed with Derek that he wouldn't share Hailee so he went out to find his own girl. Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong one."

  "How is your sister now?"

  "She has her good days and her bad days. She has just started dating one of my best friends. She didn't trust anyone for a long time before that though. She dated but would never let anyone stay the night and didn't sleep with anyone. When Toby had the shit job of having to tell her that her boyfriend at the time was cheating on her, we thought it would break her all over again. Toby was there to pick up the pieces though. He is helping her heal in ways that I never could." The way he spoke about his sister, made me smile. I could tell that he loved her a lot.

  "Do you miss her?"

  "I do but I know she is in good hands. I always hate leaving her plus I had to do it and not say goodbye this time. I couldn't tell her what I was doing because she would tell Cameron before I was ready."

  "Does he know about me?"

  "Cameron?" I nodded. "No, no one but me knows about you."

  "Did my da send you over to get me?"

  "No, Darlin', he didn't."

  "Does he even know about me?"

  "Hard to say. He may do but he never let on if he did." I looked over at him. The conversation we had in Liam's office had been a complete blur so I was asking some questions t
o see if I was getting the same answers as he told me then. I wanted to know that I could trust him before I agreed to fly across the world with him and go to meet my brother. There was something he was hiding though, I could see it in his face.

  "Corey, what are you not telling me?"

  "He's dead, Rosa. The club took him out after he tried to kill Cameron and after Derek killed one of the guys in the club. We lost Cameron for a bit there and Hailee was out for blood, we managed to stop her from doing something stupid, but we had to take care of the problem before his kids did. Old Duck, the one Derek killed, has a daughter Katy who is now married to our vice president and a son who took his place at the table." I felt bad for it but I let out a sigh of relief. From all the stories that I was being told, I was glad that this man was never going to taint my life the way that he had my brother's. I felt really bad for thinking it but I couldn't help it.

  "I can't help but feel relieved by that." He chuckled.

  "Don't feel bad, we all felt like that." I decided to change the subject. I didn't want to dwell on the vile man that I shared DNA with. I wanted to use this time to find out more about my brother.

  "So Cameron is still Pres? When did he get engaged?"

  "Yep, still Pres. He took some time off after he was in hospital. He popped the question to Hailee at Christmas. Hailes is amazing for him. He was an asshole before she came along. We saved her from the house she was being held in and he was the only one she would let near her for a while. Other than the Doc of course. I think taking care of her softened him, he can still be an asshole when he needs to be though."

  For the rest of the drive, I asked questions and he answered as best he could. I got there was some things that he couldn't tell me and I respected that. Each answer though added to a pro or con list I was making in my head of heading back to United States with Corey and letting him make the call and getting Cameron out here. There was no way that we wouldn't be meeting though. I was a secret long overdue to come out. On whose terms was it going to happen though?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Corey

  The drive to Cork was basically a game of twenty questions. I was very careful with how I worded some of my answers and had probably told her more than I should have, but I was doing whatever it took to try and get her to come back with me. Sure, one phone call would have brought Raven and Doc out here, but I didn't want to bring that on her. I wanted her to actually want to meet her brother. Eventually we arrived in Cork and headed to check out Blarney Castle.

  "You are surprising." I raised a brow and looked over at Rosa.

  "How do you mean?"

  "Well you are spending your time driving over all of Ireland instead of sitting in a bar getting drunk on scotch or off with the Irish lads. I'm not complaining. I don't get out enough to see my beautiful country but I was surprised that you wanted to." I shrugged my shoulders at her comment.

  "Why do what I do at home when I could do something that would leave a lasting memory. Bars, girls and all that shit is going to fade one day. I don't want to wonder 'what if' when I can say 'well, I lived'." I was looking around at the view from the top of the castle.

  "Don't you ever get sick and tired of it?" Rosa asked looking over at me.

  "Of what?"

  "Pretending to be something you aren't?" I went to open my mouth to argue but nothing came out. If anything were to, it would be a lie. Her lips curled into a grin, she knew she had me.

  "It's not that I am pretending..."

  "It's that you aren't entirely happy. I can see it in your face, Corey. You may be able to hide it from your MC family, but I see the truth behind your eyes. You are lost and before you can help your sister from her demons, you need to find yourself." How did someone who I had just met, get it spot on? I loved my brothers, I did, but I wasn't entirely happy. I took a deep breath and looked out at the view in front of me. Exhaling a sigh, I had no idea what to do next. As stupid as this trip seemed in the beginning, it was now clear to me on why I was more than willing to just jump on a plane and come over here for whatever it was I was looking for. She moved over to me and wrapped her arm around mine.

  "Don't worry, I will keep your secret."

  "Thanks Rosa, I appreciate that." I chuckled. We walked the rest of the way around the Castle in silence before heading out and back to the car. We headed into Kinsale for some lunch before getting back on the road. We would arrive in Co Kerry in the late afternoon and the plan was to have a rest then get some dinner before heading to see the Ring of Kerry the next morning. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that our trip would have to come to end and we would be back in Dublin.

  As I laid in bed, trying to sleep, Rosa's words were ringing through my head. The truth is I was tired. Not of being with the club or with the boys, but there was just something about my routine that needed to change when I got back. I was in a rut that I couldn't get out of. There was no danger and as bad as that sounds, I wasn't really doing anything. Wiping out the Calavera's and disbanding the ones we didn't kill happened after Raven was shot. Then Ollie turning on us and kidnapping Katy before all the shit that happened with JD, Ellie, and Freddie. It just seemed like we couldn't catch a break at one point. I felt guilty most of the time about feeling the way that I did so I could never voice this to any of the guys. The girls were busy planning Raven and Hailee's wedding while he did his best to stay far away from that shit as possible because at the end of the day, he didn't give a shit about how they did it. He just wanted her to have his last name. Hailee pleaded that she wanted to do it right as they were only going to be having one wedding and that he would be stuck with her after that because there was only death. No divorce. Chaos and Katy didn't waste time. Neither did JD or Ellie. It was only a matter of time before Toby and Abby got engaged now that they had finally gotten their act together. I was just praying to any God that would listen for him not to hurt her. I didn't want to see anything happen to her again and I would have to kill my best friend. That was if she didn't beat me to it. No, he would never do that to her. He had loved her for too long to see anything more happen to her. Hell, if they ever had kids, I think he would gladly take the pain just so that she didn't have to.

  As I got lost in my thoughts of everyone back home, there was a soft knock at my door. So soft that I almost didn't hear it. Swinging my legs off the bed, I got up and opened the door. Looking down and seeing Rosa standing there, an oversize shirt hanging off her. My eyes travelled down to her bare legs. Was she crazy? I stepped aside and she came in. Closing the door, I turned to see her standing there, her hands playing with the hem of her shirt as she looked down.

  "Rosa? You okay?"

  "I couldn't sleep and saw your light on. Thought we could keep each other company if we are both gonna be awake all night. I can leave if you would rather." Before I could get a word in, she was moving toward the door I was standing next to. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pulled her into me and moved away from the exit.

  "Stop Rosa, it's fine. I prefer your company over that of my own."

  "You sure I'm not disturbing you?"

  "I have been disturbed all my life." She looked up at me and I winked. Her body relaxed as she let out a soft giggle.

  "Oh, good to know I am spending my time with a mad man after all. Should have done a more in-depth check on you before I got in a car with you." I couldn't help but laugh.

  "In my defense, I got in your car." This earned me another giggle.

  "So if I was to get into your bed?"

  "It would make you a mad woman."

  "Well crazy does love company." No sooner had the sentence left her lips, she was pulling away from me and moving to climb into the side of the bed that I was just lying in.

  "Nah uh! If you think I am giving up that side of the bed, you really are crazy!" She quickly scrambled under the covers and crossed her arms over her chest, challenging me with a look. A smirk crossed my lips, moving slowly towar
d the bed, I was about to show her a trick that I had mastered over the years. One way or the other, I would get my side of the bed back.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Rosa

  Knocking on Corey's door was one of the scariest things I think I had ever done. What if he had a girlfriend and was currently on the phone with her? A complete stranger knocks on his door asking if he wants company? I can see that not going down very well at all. In none of the conversations we have had since we met, has he mentioned a girlfriend but that wasn't to say that he didn't have one. There was just something drawing me to him though. I couldn't stay in my room, wide awake when he was possibly doing the same. After he tickled me into submission, I moved over to the other side of the bed. He joined me but I noticed that he didn't get under the covers. I tried not to overthink that.

  "Are you sure I wasn't interrupting anything?"

  "No, just my thoughts." I nodded and fixed up the pillows behind me as I got comfortable. "Comfy?" I just nodded and we fell silent again, both laying on our backs, looking up at the ceiling.

  "It's a shame you aren't here longer. We could fly over to the UK and see Stonehenge." I saw him turn his head and look at me.

  "I'll just have to come back then." I turned my head and met his gaze. My stomach did that flippy thing it does when I'm nervous.

  "Your girlfriend won't mind?"

  "I would have to have one for her to mind."

  "How do you not have one?" I saw confusion cross over his face before he turned and looked back up at the roof.

  "Guess I just haven't found the right girl yet. I had an on off thing with one girl but as much as I cared about her, it wasn't enough for either of us. We didn't feel like we were dating. We decided to stop trying to force something." I nodded, feeling a little bad for bringing it up. He turned his head back so that he was looking back at me.