by Debra Kayn
"She had nothing to do with me taking you, kid," Cam said, walking into the room.
Jeremy stepped forward to leave the room and Cam put his hand up to stop him. Christina stayed rooted to her spot on the floor, afraid one of them would lose their temper and someone would end up getting hurt.
"This is bull shit." Jeremy fisted his hands.
Cam turned his attention to Christina. "Baby, go get Merk."
She shook her head. "Cam, we can handle—"
"Go get Merk. It's time to talk." Cam walked between Christina and Jeremy and sat on the couch.
She bit her lip and willed Jeremy to look at her. He needed to understand they all loved him. The truth would hurt, but they were a family and she'd support him.
"Christina," Cam said. "Now."
She hurried out of the house and stood on the porch searching for Merk. What would Jeremy do when he found out Merk was his uncle, his one blood relative who had no idea Cam stole his nephew until recently? Would Merk fight to take Jeremy away from her and Cam, away from Moroad? Would Jeremy turn toward Merk and hate her for what she knew Cam did to him?
Chapter Twenty One
Tension filled the living room, suffocating Christina. The combination of Merk's presence in Cam's house, staring at the coffee table with his hands shoved deep in his front pockets, and Jeremy closed off emotionally from her only made the air thicker. She sat beside Cam, leaning against his solid body for strength. Whatever happened while the truth came out, she needed to present a solid front for Jeremy.
He had two parents who loved and wanted him. Merk refrained from vocalizing his wants regarding Jeremy. If it were up to her, she'd force Merk out of the house and forget Jeremy's uncle existed.
The thought of watching him walk away with the man who tried to kill Cam petrified her.
Jeremy leaned against the wall by the front window, separating himself from everyone. Christina couldn't take her eyes off him. Afraid Jeremy would bolt once he heard the whole story; she remained tense and ready to run after him if he made a move.
"Let's make everything clear. When you signed on with Moroad, you gave your life to the club. You understood running away or leaving the area without prior approval from me made you a risk to the club. You gave each of your Moroad MC brothers the right to kill you without questioning. You'd get the same punishment for betraying any member, your president, or handing over any club information to outsiders," Cam said, unemotionally.
Jeremy crossed his arms. Christina would've missed the telltale nod if she hadn't been staring at him.
"Answer me, kid. Did you understand what you signed?" Cam asked.
"Yeah. I get it." Jeremy gaze narrowed on Cam. "What does it say in the contract about stealing a minor away from the state of Idaho, lying to a Federal judge, and kidnapping a woman, huh?"
Christina sucked in her breath. Jeremy's verbal insults, so similar to Cam's interrogation skills, cut the air. Nobody talked back to Cam. He wouldn't allow it.
Cam said. "You want to throw my crimes against me and judge me, you better get in line. What I've done has no effect on you."
Jeremy let his arms fall to his sides. "Except I'm the kid you stole. You're nobody to me."
"Jeremy, that's not entirely true. Cam supported you. He gave you a home." Christina shifted on the couch.
Cam's hand clamped down on her thigh, reminding her to hold her emotions in. She struggled to hold back and let Cam fix what he'd created. Neither Jeremy nor Cam wanted to listen to each other. If only they both looked at the good that came from a bad situation after Jeremy started living with Cam.
"Listen, kid." Cam paused on an exhale. "I forged the DNA papers stating I'm your father and presented them to the judge. I committed the crime, because Christina—who I met through letters she sent anonymously to the prison, to me, was your caseworker. I knew she'd be representing you, which would bring her into contact with me. From there, I made sure she worried enough to check up on you after the court granted me custody. That brought her into my life. I wanted her and nobody can stop me from taking what I want."
"You kidnapped her," Jeremy said. "Just because you brainwashed Christina doesn't make what you've done okay. I'm not your son. You had no right to make my decisions for me or use me to hurt someone else."
Christina flinched. "He's not saying—"
"If you'll both shut up, I'll finish what I have to say." Cam scooted to the edge of the couch. "The conversation your girlfriend overheard was only part of what I kept from you."
Jeremy shook his head and looked away. Christina laid her hand on Cam's back in support, or maybe she silently needed Cam's strength to get her through what came next. Merk, who remained detached from the conversation, refused to look at any of them. A silent ticking bomb, Merk could step forward at any second and ruin all their lives. She worried Jeremy would think Merk could solve all his problems. He couldn’t be trusted.
"When I went to prison after getting picked up for possessing a weapon—"
"In which he took the fall for you, Jeremy," Merk said, entering the conversation.
Christina gawked at Merk. The whole time they searched for Jeremy and after Cam brought him home, Merk stayed away and never tried to talk with Jeremy. Now the first thing he does is support Cam?
Merk was up to something.
"While doing my eighteen months, I had a lot of time to think. I asked the club's lawyer to break the news of how I gained custody of you to Christina while I was inside a cell. Christina made it clear she expected me to tell you the truth once I got out. I gave her my word I would."
"Yet, you didn't," Jeremy muttered.
"One night during my sentence, Onny— a Moroad member, talked about the old days when most of us stayed hopped up on drugs in our goal to stay alive another day. We threw parties you couldn't even imagine. There were girls, coke, smoke, sex, and enough alcohol to let us forget life did us wrong. The conversation between Onny and me went to the girls who used to hang around the club. He mentioned one particular girl who went by the name Roni."
"That's my mom's name." Jeremy stepped forward lifting his chin. "What are you saying?"
"On your paperwork from the state, your mom's name is listed as Veronica Aldridge," Cam's hand clutched Christina's thigh. "I didn't know, kid."
"Know what?" Jeremy's voice deepened.
"Jeremy, I have...had a half-sister named Veronica Aldridge. I introduced her to Moroad." Merk moistened his lips. "She went by the nickname Roni. You're my nephew."
Jeremy's head snapped back as if slapped. "Right. Cam gets caught doing a crime and now you're both telling me Merk's my uncle. What's next? Is Bear my grandpa? Maybe Christina could be my older sister my mom gave up for adoption before I was born."
"It's the truth, honey," Christina whispered.
Jeremy shook his head, his mouth firm and unforgiving. Christina stood, afraid if she approached him he'd reject her.
"Mom talked about her brother. She said he was in the Army." Jeremy looked to Cam. "She said he lived out of the country most of the time and not to contact him, because he turned his back on her. I kept my promise. I have no other family."
"Roni didn't want you to know me," Merk said.
Jeremy stabbed his finger toward Merk. "Shut the fuck up. I'm not talking to you."
Merk held up his hands and nodded. Christina sat back down. She knew nothing about Merk's relationship with his sister. He never shared anything about his family.
"I don't know why your mom said the things she did, Kid. There were rumors she started hanging out with Reds after I went to prison. We don't know what they convinced her of or how they treated her. It was during those party years, Merk got picked up by the Feds and put back in prison. If I had to guess, your mom wanted to protect Merk. Reds and Moroad Motorcycle Club have never gotten along, even back before you were born." Cam stood.
"You thought I'd go to Reds after I left here?" Jeremy frowned.
Cam nodded. "We tracked
you to Spokane and given Roni's past, we couldn't take the chance of you going back to people your mom hung out with and letting Reds get their hands on you or learn about club business."
Jeremy shook his head. "I wasn't with any Reds member."
"Where were you?" Christina asked.
"Does it matter?" Jeremy glared.
Christina nodded. "You matter."
"This whole thing is fucked up." Jeremy shrugged. "I hung out at some guy's house that let others crash and get off the street."
Cam widened his stance. Christina stepped over and wrapped her arm around Cam's back. The tension practically rolled off him. To everyone, he appeared intense and unmoving, but she knew how much he hoped Jeremy understood why he'd committed the crime. She wasn't so sure Jeremy would ever understand. The damage significant enough, she worried he'd never be able to repair their relationship.
"Shit happens in life, kid. You get fucked over and you come out stronger." Cam ran his hand down his beard. "As your president, I need to know what your next step is going to be."
Jeremy's harsh laughter erupted. Christina leaned against Cam. The pain and humiliation growing in Jeremy contaminated the room. She couldn't blame him. Each person in his life lied to him and the pain was unimaginable.
Each one of them could've done more.
She could've done the right thing, and instead she let her fear of losing Cam dictate the way she handled Jeremy.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. You have every right to be hurt."
Jeremy closed his eyes and shook his head before meeting her gaze. "We're a lot alike," he said, his voice rough and raw.
She blinked to clear her vision and felt the wet path of a tear escaping down her cheek. "I love you. Cam loves you."
Jeremy's lips thinned. "You'll believe anything he tells you."
"No." She inhaled deeply. "He was wrong in what he did. I went through my own doubts and hated him on top of loving him. There are times I still hate him, honey. Hate is a way of validating my feelings. If I didn't feel so deeply toward him, hate wouldn't be an emotion that made me sick to my stomach. I'm standing here now, falling apart, because the thought of losing you, losing Cam, losing the club scares me. But, I'd walk away from it all if I didn't believe deep down you are loved and wanted. We're a family and no matter how we came together, we're all adults and the fact is you signed on with Moroad MC for life. We need to stick it out and try to fix the mistakes we've all made."
Merk cleared his throat. "Your mom would've been proud of you."
Christina wasn't sure Merk knew what his sister thought about anything. There had to be a reason why Jeremy's mom lied about Merk's location for all those years. He'd never served in the Army. He served time in the Idaho State Penitentiary. While she understood protecting a little boy from the seedier side of life, why hadn't Merk's sister let Jeremy know he had another living relative available to him if something should happen to her?
"You want me to believe my mom lied to me." Jeremy pulled at his shirt in agitation. "How do I know you all are telling me the truth now? Maybe you're saying I'm related to you, because Cam got caught."
Merk pulled on the chain hooked to his wallet, removed a picture, and handed it to Jeremy. "It's your mom. You can see my motorcycle behind her."
Jeremy stared at the photo. "When was this taken?"
"She, uh, was pregnant with you in the picture." Merk shrugged off the picture Jeremy handed back. "Keep it."
Jeremy tucked the photo in his back pocket. "Why didn't you try and find me when my mom died?"
Merk's eye twitched and he stepped back against the wall. Christina looked up at Cam. She wanted to know the reason, too. When she'd worked Jeremy's case, he had records going back fifteen years to when he was three years old. She'd lost count of how many times someone reported his mom for neglect. As far as anyone knew, Veronica Aldridge claimed to have no relatives.
"I didn't know about you," Merk said.
Jeremy's forehead wrinkled. "Bull shit. She was pregnant with me in the picture."
"Yes." Merk glanced at Cam.
Cam nodded for Merk to go on. Christina looked back and forth between the two men. An unspoken agreement happened in the room that left her and Jeremy out of the conversation.
"It's in the past. Let it lay," Merk said.
"No." Jeremy shifted from foot to foot. "How can you say you knew about me and yet didn't come and help me? I get you were in prison, but you didn't make a phone call or try to see us in between the times you were in prison. Do you realize what life was like for us? Mom's addiction to drugs left us without anything. Half the time, I raised myself because she couldn't get up from the couch long enough to buy groceries. At five years old, I learned how to steal food from the neighbors because I was starving."
Merk clamped his lips and shook his head. Christina held on to Cam. Her throat closed at the picture Jeremy created in his hurt. She knew his childhood was bad. She'd read the reports, inspected his home life, and stayed up nights worried about him. His mom failed taking care of him and forced him to survive on his own. Worse, Jeremy tried to keep his mom alive and away from drugs. No child should ever have to be the one responsible for an adult, a parent, a mom.
"Tell him," Cam said.
Merk rolled his lips over his teeth. "I didn't know about you, Jeremy, because your mom told me she was going to get an abortion. We'd discussed her pregnancy and she'd decided it was better for her if she got rid of the baby. Then I got thrown in prison. I didn't know you existed."
Jeremy rocked back on the heels of his boots and looked at Cam, and then Christina. "Is that true? Did my mom want to get rid of me?"
"Yeah, kid," Cam said.
"I'm not asking you." Jeremy gaze bored into Christina. "Tell me the truth."
The agony and desperation in Jeremy's demand tore any control Christina carried. Barely a man, Jeremy's need to belong hinged on her answer. An answer she couldn't give him.
"I don't know, honey. I wasn't there," she whispered.
Jeremy nodded, blindly accepting everything brought out into the open. Christina wanted to hug and promise him tomorrow would be better, each day would get easier. Together, they'd support and love him. But, she wouldn't lie. The truth would force him to face things about himself he'd never had to question before.
She swallowed. "I'm so sor—"
"Stop saying that," Jeremy snapped, raising his voice. He squared his shoulders. "Are we done here?"
"Watch your mouth toward her." Cam pulled Christina into his side. "I have one more thing to say. You broke the club rules. If it wasn't for Christina, you'd be dead. We don't let men cry wolf and we don't let any member walk away from Moroad. The only reason you're alive today is because she fought for your ass. There will be a club meeting tomorrow night to decide your punishment. I advise you to be there. If you run away, even Christina can't protect you. We'll find you, and I'll put a bullet in you myself if I have to. You're a Moroad, start acting like one."
Jeremy turned and walked out of the room. Christina watched him climb the steps, one at a time. His sloped shoulders, slow retreat, and anger etched in every move were not something she'd normally see in a person his age. Almost as soon as his bedroom door shut, music blared from upstairs. She turned and planted her face in Cam's chest, giving into the tears she struggled to hold inside. Ever since she'd learned about Cam's crime of stealing Jeremy, she knew the truth would eventually come out. It was worse than she ever imagined.
She lost the boy, and in his place a scarred man emerged from the lies and hurt. A hurt she couldn't sooth or take away.
"Merk, you'll need to be at the meeting. Your future is up for vote, too. I'll let you know I plan to put you up for vote last and depending on Jeremy's results from the club, he could have a vote on your outcome," Cam said.
Christina held onto Cam. In his own way, Cam would let Jeremy extract his anger out on Merk with a vote. He handed over the power
to Jeremy.
Merk's boots thunked against the floor and the front door opened and shut. Cam picked Christina up and carried her to the bedroom. He sat in the recliner. She buried her face in his neck. She had twenty-four hours to hope and pray Jeremy didn't go against the club.
Cam buried his hand in Christina's hair, palming her head. His hand trembled, despite the fierceness of his embrace. She wound her arms around him. Confronting Jeremy took everything out of him. He hid his vulnerability behind a mask of gruffness and procedure. Only she witnessed the man who loved his son and was afraid of losing him.
Chapter Twenty Two
The dew from the drop in temperature overnight glistened on the dark, green blades of grass as the bright rays of the morning sun hit the yard. Cam looked past the obvious and noticed how perfectly straight and even Christina mowed the lawn yesterday. He turned his gaze and followed the flowerbed in front of the porch. There were no weeds and whatever plants Christina watered every evening after dinner bloomed in different colors.
He'd barely had time to sit and enjoy dinner most nights, much less do anything around the house. Christina found time to do maintenance on the yard, keep the house sparkling clean, and do the books for the club. She never stopped moving, especially during the last two months.
Studying the yard, he jolted when Christina hugged him from behind. He grabbed her hand and kissed her wrist. "Sleep good?"
"Yeah." She sat down on the step beside him. "You should've got me up earlier. I can't believe I slept so long."
"You needed the rest." He looped his arm over her shoulders and brought her closer. "Jeremy's still sleeping, too."
"I know." She shrugged, laying her head against him. "I went and checked in on him after I took a shower. I'm glad he stayed."
The kid had no choice. After yesterday's talk, he had all night to think about what he'd learned and to understand the consequences if he ran. He was too smart and young to think about ending his life like some of the older, more hardened members who were tired of serving time for someone else and wanted to take their final sleep.
