She was right. These were my brothers and I needed to have faith in them. I did.
“Blizzard!” Eagle, one of my brothers that had recently returned to us jogged down the stairs. He’d been away on and off at another chapter in North Dakota. It was new, and a handful of brothers from other chapters around the country had been sent to help them set up and settle in.
“Yeah?”
He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. “Your girl’s crying in your room.”
I sat up straighter. “Jay?” I immediately headed for the stairs, climbing them two steps at a time and rushing down the hall. I could hear her now. Such loud sobbing for such a little girl.
My heart stuttered as I threw the door open and flicked the light on. She was sitting up on her bed, tears staining her face and struggling to breathe. I ran over and scooped her tiny body into my arms. She clung to me like a little monkey, almost choking me.
“Jay, it’s okay. Breathe, baby.” I tried to soothe her, but her little fingers just dug into me deeper.
I wasn’t really sure what I was doing.
This whole parenting thing was new to me.
Parenting? Was I a parent?
“Rock her.” I looked over to see Eagle standing in the doorway, his face concerned. “Trust me, bro. I had little sisters growing up.”
I started to rock back and forth, making soft shushing noises. It took a few minutes but she slowing began to calm. Her grip never faltered, though, she wasn’t letting me go. I rubbed my hand up and down her back and took a seat on the edge of my bed, continuing to sway my body side to side.
“Is she okay?” Chelsea asked, pushing past Eagle, who’d settled himself against the door, watching intently.
“I don’t know. This hasn’t happened before.” I looked up at her, my eyes wide.
Chelsea held her arms out. “Jayla, honey.”
Jayla looked at her, but shook her head furiously and buried her face in the crook of my neck.
Chelsea looked surprised but just placed her hand softly on the little girl’s back. “It’s okay, honey. We’re here now. No need to be scared.”
Another sob shot through her body. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. It’s okay. I’m not scared.” She repeated the same words that she had said to Rose earlier that day. My hackles stood up and a spark of anger shot through my body. I looked up a Chel, who stared at me, her brow creased in confusion.
I shook my head and mouthed to her, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
She nodded. “Come on Eagle,” she murmured as she placed a kiss on the top of Jayla’s head. “I’ll find you a drink at the bar.”
She headed out the door, but Eagle held his spot. “Gonna be all right?”
I wasn’t sure if he meant her or me, but I nodded anyway. “Yeah. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
He hesitated before pulling the door closed behind him as he stepped out.
I sat there for God knows how long before I felt the tension in Jayla’s body slowly begin to soften. This was all so new. Jay and I had always had a special bond, but she’d also had one with Chelsea and other brothers and women around the club. But suddenly, since she’d been staying with me, our bond had strengthened. It was strange and I couldn’t exactly explain it. But I knew one thing, I loved this kid. And there was no way in hell I’d let anything hurt her, ever again.
I ended up laying down on my bed with her cuddled up next to me until she fell asleep. Her words resonated in my head the whole time, sending chills through me.
I knew now that things for her growing up had not been as innocent as we first thought. Maybe her mom, Hayley, had been scared to tell us the truth? Or maybe she had something to hide herself? I needed to talk to Wrench some more and see what we could find out. I needed to be prepared.
It was a good hour before I detangled myself from Jay and headed back downstairs.
Optimus stood at the bar chatting quietly with his woman. He looked up when he heard me approach. “Judge called.”
“The room is soundproof, but we have ears inside,” Hadley explained quietly. Skins had disappeared but she assured me he was nearby. It was too much of a risk to have him seen with me. We didn’t want to raise any kind of suspicions. “I’ll be right here. If you’re desperate and need help, bang on the door and I’ll come straight in.”
I wasn’t sure what she intended to do if I needed help that urgently. We were both a lot smaller than that man waiting for me in that room. But she seemed confident, so I breathed a little easier.
I had to forcibly tell my body to stop shaking, and even then you could still see the small tremor in my hands. I hoped that I’d be able to disguise it as long as I kept my body moving. The rooms were for private dances only. Iris explained earlier during our tour of the space that the men who enter must sign agreements to say they won’t touch the girls.
I hoped Edge would keep to his agreement.
I pushed the door open and slipped inside, leaning against it until it clicked shut again.
The lights were dim, but I could see my target sitting in a large armchair that was centered against one of the walls. The rooms weren’t big and with his massive frame inside it, I felt like no matter where I stood, he could reach out with his hand and grab me.
There was another smaller wooden chair placed in the corner, something some of the girls used for their routines. Maybe if he attacked me, I could hit him with it?
“You Lily?” a deep voice growled.
I took a deep breath and lifted my chin, taking two steps so I was standing in front of him. He was so tall that our eyes were almost level even with him hunched in the chair.
Forcing a smile, I placed my hands on my hips. “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you, mister…” I let it hang in the air. I wasn’t supposed to know who he was, so I played dumb.
He huffed. “Edge, people call me Edge.”
I nodded and moved over to where there was a small stereo system embedded into the wall. I hit play and the music played softly through the room. “It’s nice to meet you, Edge.” I turned back to him with an eyebrow raised curiously. “Your parents name you that, or is it a nickname?”
My body swayed to the music which started out slow and would begin to build.
Edge pointed to his leather MC cut, his finger resting on the patch that read ‘VVMC.’ I already knew what it stood for but I asked anyway.
“What exactly is VVMC?” I tilted my head, trying to look innocent. I continued to dance, trying to keep my eyes focused on him as much as possible.
His eyes centered on me, they never left. The strange part was, he wasn’t roaming my body with them or ogling me. Even as I had danced on the stage, his friends leered at my body making me feel like a piece of meat.
Edge was different. His eyes stayed on my face like he was more interested in what was going on inside my head than what I was doing with my body.
“Vicious Vulture Motorcycle Club.” The words were slow and pronounced. He scrubbed a hand across his short hair and blew out a long breath. “Look, can you just stop please?”
I froze, looking over my shoulder. “Huh?”
He let out a short laugh and pointed to the small chair in the corner. “Just sit down.”
I frowned, my mind racing.
Had I screwed up? Did he already know who I was?
“Um, you paid for this… I think I should probably keep—”
He laughed again, this time a little louder. “My brothers out there paid for this. I don’t give a shit if we waste their money.”
I chewed on my lip. This hadn’t been what I was expecting. I had pumped myself up, thinking I was going to seduce this man. But he just wanted me to sit down, and what? Chat?
He seemed amused by the state of indecision I was in. “Just sit already. You’re making me feel awkward.”
I turned and grabbed the chair, placing it a safe distance away from him—if that were even possible in this small space—before sitting down. He lea
ned back in his chair, lifting one foot and placing it on his opposite knee. It was like this was a casual meeting like he was just catching up with an old friend.
“I actually think Rosalie suits you better.” He nodded like he was agreeing with himself. He must have seen my eyes widen and a satisfied smirk crossed his face. “You know you can upload a picture and it matches that picture with others on the Internet of people who look similar.”
My heart was pounding, I could feel every thump all through my body. The force was so strong that my chest began to ache. “I don’t like to be called that anymore.” My voice was tight. I tried to stay calm but every part of me was pleading to see Skins bust down that door any second.
Shrugging he held up his hands. “No offense intended. We can stick with Lily if that makes you feel better.”
I folded my arms across my chest, it made me feel a little more secure, maybe even protected, having something in between us. It also made me look a little stronger than I felt. “Where are you going with this?”
“What is a DePalma doing all the way over here in Arkansas?”
One thousand thoughts rushed through my brain. The way he emphasized the DePalma name told me that he was more interested in that than anything else. Maybe he didn’t know everything after all.
“So you know who my family are?”
Edge chuckled. “Everyone knows who your family are, babe.”
“Criminals know who my family are,” I corrected.
His smirk grew. “Touché.”
“You and your boys have some kind of ploy now that I’ve been outed?” I was impressed with myself. I managed to sound stronger than I was feeling. Even throwing him a bit of attitude. I had to remember, he saw me as a DePalma, and no DePalma would ever back down without a fight.
“Naw, babe,” he answered with a small shake of his head. “The boys don’t even know. I had Rip send me the picture he took before that old woman who runs the place came over and made him delete it.”
Thank fuck for that. I could only imagine what would happen if that picture got out. And as much as I wanted to dislike Edge, I think he knew better than to leak anything that could piss off a mafia family, no matter how big or strong his club was.
“It’s weird, though, I thought Anthony only had one daughter.” I knew he was fishing for info. And I didn’t care. He could have it if it took the heat away from what I was really doing here.
“He’s my uncle. His brother Marco was my dad.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Do I need to be worried that you’ve got the crazy gene then?”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that came, and in return, he gave me a small smile. “Heard about him then?” He lifted his chin. “Didn’t meet him until a couple years back. My mom took off with me before I was born and refused to tell me who my dad was. When I found him, I figured out why.”
Edge’s face softened and he placed both his feet on the floor. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. Now he was more in the light I could see his face a little clearer. He was handsome. Bristles covered his square jaw and just above his lip. They were dark, hiding his face like a light shadow. His eyes were dark brown, almost blackened in the light, but what didn’t match was the lighter colored hair that was cut short on his head.
“What’d he do to you?”
I almost thought he sounded concerned, maybe even a little empathetic. I tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal like it didn’t weigh me down anymore. “Like you said, he was crazy. All I’ll say is I got to experience that shit first hand.”
His hands gripped tightly together in front of him and his features tightened. “I feel you.”
The music that had been playing in the background filled the silence.
“Still, doesn’t really answer my question about why you’re here.” He prompted me again.
The thoughts in my head scattered, nothing definite coming to mind.
Why was I here? To bring you down.
In the end, I went with the truth—well, as truthful and I could get without him wanting to stab me. “I don’t fit in there.” My shoulders slumped and I sagged in my seat. “It’s too much pressure to be perfect, to not taint your family name. I’m not perfect. I do stupid shit all the time.” I gestured to myself, waving my hands all over my body and indicating my outfit and where I was.
Edge nodded. “Yeah babe, I get it.”
There was a loud ding sound in the room indicating our time was up.
He pushed on the arms of his chair, forcing his body up to stand at full height. I followed suit, sliding my chair back discreetly so I could have a little more space between us.
He took a step, reaching for the door handle.
“Edge?”
He looked over his shoulder at me.
“I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone about this.” I pulled at my outfit nervously. Even though we’d formed some sort of connection, I needed to make it deeper, more intense if I was going to get him to trust me. And the only way to do that was to ask him to keep a secret so he felt like he was in control. “I might not fit in with my family, but I still love them. I don’t want to embarrass my uncle.”
“You in tomorrow?” he asked casually.
I shrugged. “I can be.”
“Same time, same room. This time, you’re paying.” A grin spread on his face, showing me all his white teeth.
I laughed. “Will there be dancing this time? Because if I knew we were just gonna chat, I would’ve worn sweat pants.”
He chuckled as he pulled the exit open. “Wear whatever you want.”
I stood at the door and watched him walk away down the dark hallway. Many emotions rushed through my body at that point. Relief. Surprise. Confusion.
It had all gone so completely different to what I was expecting. I went in there thinking I was going to tease and entice this man with my body, but that wasn’t the case at all. We’d had a civilized conversation. He seemed level-headed and reasonable, nothing like the way Judge and the club had described the Vicious Vultures.
“You’re okay!” Hadley popped up in front of me, grinning from ear to ear. “How did it go?”
“It was different… weird. But we’re meeting again tomorrow night, so that’s a win, right?” I forced a smile. Edge seemed normal, caring even, as I told him about Marco. I suddenly had a sinking feeling in my gut.
A feeling I’d felt before, not so long ago. And I had to wonder if I could put myself through it all over again.
“You need to pull her out then,” I growled, throwing my hands in the air.
Optimus made me wait until this morning before he would give me any details about what went down last night with Rose. All he’d told me, before ordering me back to bed, was that she was okay.
I was tempted to ring her myself, but Jayla had started fussing again in her sleep, and since Op had confirmed that Rose was all right, I decided to focus on the little girl who needed me the most right now.
Now, after a restless night and early morning, I was attempting to get some caffeine into my system so I would calm down and not rip my best friend’s head off in my over-tired state.
“Will you fucking let me explain?” Op snapped, glaring at me from his seat at the head of the table.
He’d called church to fill everyone in. While the situation in Arkansas didn’t directly affected the club or us, we had offered our support, and Rose was technically one of ours.
Mine, if we’re being specific, but I would let my brothers know that later if they didn’t already.
Long story short, if they end up floating in shit creek, we will be the paddles.
“As I said. Rose explained that a picture was snapped of her during her routine. He’s loaded it into the search engine, which has brought up other photos of Rose. Obviously, the DePalmas are one of the most well-known Mafia families in the United States. When Marco was killed in his prison cell recently, the press was all over that shit.”
My
stomach churned. “How did they get that kind of information and pictures of her? It’s not like it was plastered everywhere. Anthony keeps his family issues locked down tight.”
He slid me a piece of paper that had several printed pictures of Rose with Rico—Anthony’s youngest son—and also her and Anthony himself. Some were close up and clear, her face the main focus.
Wrench spoke up, his eyes were locked onto his computer screen as he typed away. “These were taken several months ago. People wondering who the new woman was. Some suspected an illegitimate child, others that she was a new girlfriend. Someone finally confirmed who she was last week after Marco passed. Could have been a leak in the ranks, I’m not sure.”
“So he knows who she is, but not her connection with us?” Anxiety filled me, my heart heaving in my chest.
Why the fuck had I let her leave?
Reclining in his chair, Leo hooked his hands behind his head casually. “Even if he did, what they would hear is stories of how she deceived us and joined her father in trying to bring the club down. There’s nothing that would make them even suspect she would be working with us or another MC.”
Op nodded in agreement. “Just as a precaution, we’ve got Wrench attempting to pull everything humanly possible off the net that would somehow connect us with Satan’s Sanctuary. Your birth certificate with your mom’s name on it, baby pictures that could have somehow been floating around, info about your dad and their marriage.”
Wrench bobbed his head but his fingers never stopped. I knew he was doing everything he could to make sure that Rose was safe, and I thanked the universe silently that he was one of my brothers.
We hadn’t spoken much since I’d walked in on him and Sugar right in this room. I’d hoped that they would do the right thing and tell Optimus about what was going on, but I knew that they hadn’t. I wasn’t the only one who knew about it, there were others who’d noticed the buzz between the two of them. I had no idea why Op hadn’t picked up on it yet. Maybe he just trusted that if there were something, that the man who was meant to be his family would own up to his shit.
Blizzard: (The Brotherhood Journals Book One) Page 16
