by Alice Ward
“Really?” he asked.
“You just can’t stand to admit that I was right,” I snapped. “You hate the fact that my idea was a good one, and that it’s actually working! I’ve spent years doing your job for you. Now it’s finally starting to show and you’re threatened.”
“Threatened?” Zach raised his eyebrows and exhaled sharply. I’d hit a nerve. “By you?”
“Yes.”
“Tara,” Zach said slowly. “Listen to me very closely. You are nothing to this company. Nothing. I could have you fired with a snap of my fingers and don’t ever forget that. You’re only here because I allow you to be, and the second that changes, you’re gone. My father doesn’t care about you. This company doesn’t need you. You. Are. Nothing.”
“And you are just a scared, insecure, child who can’t admit when someone bests him,” I fired back without missing a beat.
I spent so many years hating Zach. All those times I bit my tongue and forced myself to remain calm flared up inside of me in that moment. I didn’t even care if he fired me, I’d had enough of him.
“Be careful, Tara,” Zach warned. “If you lose your job, what will you have left? My brother? Don’t think for a second that he actually cares about you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said with anger in my voice.
“You’re screwing him, right?” Zach asked with a laugh. “I know you are.”
“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped. I wasn’t going to give Zach the satisfaction of knowing he was right.
“Be careful,” he said again. “Or he just might knock you up and leave you to raise a baby on your own. It’s what he did to his ex-wife, after all.”
“You’re full of shit,” I said with disgust. “It’s no wonder Sean doesn’t want anything to do with you. If I were related to you, I would be just as ashamed as Sean is. You’re pathetic, Zach.”
“Whatever you say.” Zach laughed. “But I know the truth. I know my brother better than you ever will.”
“I doubt that,” I said. I turned to leave, but I suddenly realized I had more to say. “I know who Sean is and I know what kind of father he is. He loves Paisley, and I know he loved her mother. Whatever happened between them wasn’t Sean’s fault.”
“You sound so sure of that,” Zach said. “But have you ever stopped to think that maybe you don’t know the whole story? That maybe, just maybe, Sean hasn’t been completely honest with you? That he isn’t the saint he pretends to be?”
“I know who he is,” I said again. I turned to face the door, walking quickly toward it. I’d had enough of Zach, and I wanted nothing more than to be away from him.
“For your sake,” Zach called after me. “I hope you’re right.”
I ripped open his office door and walked out into the hallway. I slammed the door shut behind me and marched to my office. I was still fuming when I sat in my chair and closed my eyes. Zach’s smug, sickening face was imprinted on my eyelids. My eyes flew open and I fought the urge to scream. In all my life, I had never hated anyone as much as I hated Zach.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sean
Paisley and I walked into Yates’ Motorcycles early Tuesday morning. I wasn’t supposed to meet with Tara until nine, but Paisley was so excited that we left the house early. When we walked through the showroom, everyone stopped us to chat. Three different people asked how I was doing and if I needed anything. I was shocked, but pleased. Tara had told me the numbers were good, but I didn’t expect everyone to start treating me so differently.
I stepped in the elevator with Paisley right behind me. I felt better than I had in days because I knew I was going to see Tara. As much fun as I’d been having with Paisley, I couldn’t wait to be around Tara again, and I knew Paisley felt the same way. She was practically vibrating with excitement by the time the elevator doors opened.
Paisley hurried down the hallway toward Tara’s office. I smiled and watched her go. When we reached Tara’s office the door was closed so I told Paisley to knock. She did, and we stood back to wait for an answer.
It was a few seconds before the door swung open and Tara was standing in front of us. She smiled and let us inside. As we moved, I searched Tara’s face for some understanding as to why she’d been so distant for the past few days.
I hadn’t heard from her since Sunday night, when she blew off my dinner invitation. I knew something was wrong. The way she smiled at me when I walked into her office was strained, but genuine. I could tell she was happy to see me, but there was more going on behind her eyes. She was conflicted about something, and I needed to find out what it was.
“I missed you!” Paisley said as she hugged Tara’s waist. Tara smiled and hugged her back tightly.
“Oh, I missed you too,” she said softly. I could tell she meant it. She smoothed down Paisley’s hair and smiled at her. Her eyes were bright, and when she looked at me, I melted.
All my worries from before were still there, but I pushed them to the back of my mind as I stared into her eyes. I so desperately wanted to kiss her, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to resist for much longer.
“Where are we working today?” I asked. “Here or in the conference room?”
“Conference room,” she said.
I nodded. “Okay. Should we go?”
“Yup.” Tara smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Tara, Paisley, and I made our way down the hallway toward the conference room. People greeted me warmly as we passed. I was beginning to feel like a celebrity.
When we reached the conference room, I set Paisley up in a chair by the door and pulled Tara to the opposite side of the room. She frowned but didn’t resist. I held onto her hand until we were a safe distance away from Paisley. I didn’t want her to overhear our conversation.
“What’s wrong?” Tara whispered. She glanced at Paisley.
“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” I said softly. “You’ve been distant. What’s going on?”
I expected Tara to make up some excuse, but she didn’t. She didn’t bother to tell me a well-crafted lie or even pretend like she didn’t know what I was talking about. She just sighed and stared down at her shoes. When she looked back up at me, her eyes were full of emotion.
“What is it?” I asked. “You’re scaring me.”
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Not really. I’ve just been really confused about us lately.”
“Confused?” I repeated. “Why?”
“There are so many things I don’t know,” she said. “So many things that are uncertain.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like your relationship with your brother,” Tara said bluntly. “I know how much you hate him and, to be honest, so do I. I can’t stand him, but you never told me what happened between the two of you. Why are things so bad?”
Her question took me by surprise. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to answer her. I was just shocked she was worried about something like that. It never even occurred to me that she might want to know about my family drama. I kept those things private for a reason, but now that Tara was asking, I knew I had to tell her.
“It’s a long story,” I began slowly. “And one that I’m not proud of.”
“That’s okay,” Tara said. She stepped forward and touched my arm gently. “Just tell me.”
“When I was married to Claire, I wasn’t the best person in the world,” I said quickly. I was afraid I might lose my nerve. “I wasn’t a criminal or anything, but I was in a motorcycle club. We weren’t exactly above board, but we also didn’t outright break any laws. For the most part, we were all good guys who just had a hard time making the right decisions sometimes.”
I paused and took a breath. This wasn’t a piece of my history that I wanted to share with anyone, least of all someone like Tara.
“Claire hated the club,” I continued. “And she had every right to. I had no business being a part of that lifestyle,
but I couldn’t see it at the time. She begged me to get out, but I refused. I never listened to her concerns, or anything that she wanted for that matter. I made a lot of mistakes back then, and I know now that I was partly responsible for driving Claire away. I know that, but—”
Just as I was getting to the hardest part of the story, the conference room door burst open. It bounced off the wall, making Tara and I both jump. Zach stormed inside and moved straight toward Paisley. He grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to her feet.
“I told you!” he yelled across the room. “This is not a damn daycare!”
I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. I moved before I even knew what happened. I grabbed Zach by the collar of his shirt and pulled him away from Paisley. She stumbled to the ground behind me, and I shoved Zach against the wall as hard as I could.
While I held him there, I turned my head to the side to make sure Paisley was all right.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
“I think so,” Paisley said weakly. Tara knelt beside her with fear in her eyes. When she looked up at me, I immediately looked back at Zach.
“Tara, can you take Paisley to your office please?” I asked calmly. My voice was level, but inside I burned with fury. I didn’t know I was capable of so much rage until that moment.
Behind me, I heard Tara usher Paisley from the room. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway. When I was sure they were gone, I reared back and punched Zach in the face as hard as I could. My knuckles connected with his nose, and I felt it break beneath my fingers. Satisfaction swelled inside me, and I grinned at his bloody face.
“This has been a long time coming, you piece of shit,” I growled and threw Zach to the ground.
Zach groaned and tried to stand up, but I kicked him in the stomach. He fell onto his back and I reached down to pull him up by his shirt. With my face inches from his, Zach sucker punched me in the ear, and I jerked away from him. My ear was ringing, but Zach was still on the ground. I kicked him again and climbed on top of him.
I raised my fist, ready to punch him again. A hand closed over my arm and yanked me to the side. I fell over and quickly jumped to my feet. When I looked around, I saw my father standing beside me.
He looked from me to Zach and then back again. His face was etched with anger and concern. I shook from head to toe as he took in the sight of my bleeding brother. The fight had only just begun when he broke it up. I wasn’t ready to be done. Zach had been asking to get his ass kicked for years.
“Take a walk, Sean,” my dad said firmly. He looked at me with anger in his eyes, and I felt like he’d punched me in the stomach.
“Of course,” I spat. “Take Zach’s side. What else is new?”
“I’m not taking sides,” he yelled. “But you’re beating the shit out of your brother in the middle of the conference room! I can’t allow that.”
“You don’t even know what he did!” I fired back. “You have no idea how much he deserved exactly what he got!”
“Shut up,” Zach said from the ground. “Just get out of here. You’re fired!”
“Zach!” Ray snapped. He glared down at Zach before he looked at me quickly. I couldn’t read his expression. He was worried, angry, and confused, but none of that mattered to me. All that mattered was the fact that, once again, my father was taking Zach’s side over mine. Just like he did all those years ago. Just like he always would.
I turned away from my father and walked over to Zach. He flinched when I approached him, but I wasn’t going to hit him. Not again.
Instead, I leaned over him and took his face between my fingers. I forced his chin toward me so he had no choice but to look me in the eyes. I held him there for a few seconds, enjoying the look of fear in his eyes.
“Sean,” my dad said from me behind. It was a warning, but I didn’t care. I only had eyes for Zach.
“Listen to me,” I hissed. “If you ever touch my daughter again, I will kill you.”
Zach jerked his head away from my hand, but I held him tightly. I leaned even closer to his face and glared into his eyes.
“Am I clear?” I asked. “I will kill you.”
With that, I threw Zach’s head against the ground and turned to leave. Now that my moment with Zach had passed, I wanted to check on my daughter. My dad stepped in my way as I tried to leave, but I stepped around him easily.
“Sean,” he called after me.
“Don’t,” I yelled. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. I need to go check on my daughter. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“Are you sure she’s really your daughter?” Zach asked from the floor.
When he spoke, I was sure I heard him wrong, but as I turned around, I saw a sickening grin spread across his face.
“What?” I asked.
I stared at Zach blankly. My anger slowly gave way to a new, more intense emotion. I flashed back to my life nine years ago. When Paisley was conceived, I wasn’t living the best way. I spent all my time with the motorcycle club, and Claire hated me for it. She begged me to quit, but I never did. I ignored her wishes.
Zach’s words burned a hole in my stomach.
Zach’s bloody grin widened. “I said, are you sure she’s really your daughter?”
“Fuck you,” I snapped. I glared at him before I spun back around to leave.
I marched toward the door, but someone was blocking my way to the hallway. I looked up to see Tara, staring at me with wide eyes. She looked from me to Zach and then back again, understanding dawning on her face. I didn’t know if she really understood the true meaning behind Zach’s words, but I was certain she had heard them.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Tara
“Are you sure she’s really your daughter?”
Zach’s question echoed into the hallway. I had just set Paisley up in my office with her sketchbook. After making sure she was okay, I hurried back toward the conference room in time to hear the tail end of Sean and Zach’s argument.
When that question hit my ears, I froze where I stood. I could hear faint whispers as Sean said something and then soft footsteps, but I couldn’t make out his words. I didn’t hear anything else until I was standing in the doorway and Zach repeated the question again. I stood there, staring at Zach as he bled onto the conference room floor.
“Are you sure she’s really your daughter?”
When I looked up, Sean was walking toward me. He didn’t see me at first, but as he looked up, his eyes fell on my face. He paused for a fraction of a second, taking in my surprised expression. Without a word, he brushed by me and ran down the hall to my office. I saw him disappear inside, and a moment later, he reappeared with Paisley by his side. He wrapped his arm protectively around the little girl and ushered her toward the elevator. Neither of them looked at me as they walked.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen and heard. From the time Zach barged into the conference room and grabbed Paisley, I knew we were in for a horrible day. I’d never seen Sean so angry. He charged across the room and threw Zach against the wall like he was nothing. I didn’t blame him. When I saw Zach reach for Paisley’s arm, I was livid. I moved forward, but Sean was faster. By the time I reached Paisley, Sean already had Zach pinned to the wall.
Carrying Paisley to my office was nerve-wracking. I didn’t want to leave Sean alone with Zach, but I knew I had to take care of Paisley first. She wasn’t hurt, but she was scared. Terrified. I did my best to calm her before I returned to the conference room, but I never imagined I would walk in on the scene before me.
With Sean now gone, I could take in the room in its entirety. Zach still laid on the floor, his nose bleeding profusely. As I watched, he slowly crawled onto his stomach and pushed himself to his feet. He groaned and winced. The sight filled me with a sick joy. He deserved whatever pain Sean inflicted upon him.
While Zach struggled, I turned my attention to Ray. He had sunk into a chair at the conference table
after Sean left. His head was on the table, and I knew he was just as upset as I was. Neither of us could believe what had just happened between Sean and Zach.
I took a step forward, wanting to comfort Ray, but Zach’s head snapped up at the sound of my footsteps.
“What are you still doing here?” he demanded. “Get your stuff and leave. You’re fired.”
I blinked and looked at Ray. He didn’t lift his head. I felt my stomach drop, but I turned around without a word. After everything I just witnessed, I didn’t have it in me to fight Zach’s decision. If he wanted me gone, I would leave. That was fine. So long as he never hurt Paisley or Sean again.
I walked toward my office, and everything felt fuzzy. My head spun, and I couldn’t shake the incessant ringing in my ears. I saw stars at the corner of my vision, and I thought I might faint. I didn’t. Instead, I moved slowly down the hall until I reached my office. When I stepped inside, I closed the door firmly behind me and slid to the floor.
My hands shook, and my head drooped between my legs. I took deep, steadying breaths and tried to calm down. The events of the day played in my head over and over again until finally, I had no choice but to get up and move. Zach wanted me gone. He told me to pack my things and get out, so that was what I would do. As much as I hated the idea, I was too worried about Sean and Paisley to care much about myself.
Just minutes ago, I stood in that conference room and asked Sean to explain his strained relationship with Zach. I thought it was so important for me to know the truth, but now I wasn’t so sure. Obviously, there was much more between the two brothers than I ever imagined. For Zach to grab a little girl like that? For Sean to beat Zach so badly he could barely move?
“Are you sure she’s really your daughter?”
I heard Zach’s voice echo through my head as I sat on the floor of my office. I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I had a horrible feeling I didn’t want to. Part of me wanted to know the truth. It felt like the most important thing in the world. For me to find out what went on between Sean and Zach was the one way I would be able to make a sound decision about my relationship with Sean. Thinking about it now, it didn’t make sense.
