Chapter 6
We crossed the street back to my place. I glanced at Twisted, his familiar silhouette a grounding presence, and raised an eyebrow. “Your dad has a hack on that phone, doesn’t he?” I asked, nodding toward the cloned phone I’d tossed to the president. Twisted’s lips curved into a sly grin as he nodded. “That’s good. That means he can’t wipe it without Uncle’s tech code.”
The knowledge that Uncle Rick’s tech team had outsmarted them was a small victory, a reminder that I wasn’t as alone as my mother’s lies made me feel.
I was lying on Twisted's lap, exhausted but wired, as I watched Gilmore Girls. The familiar banter of Lorelai and Rory filled the room, a comforting hum against the storm in my mind. I have been having lots of nightmares. They didn’t drug me enough. I remember more than I will tell anyone but Nana. We then hear him yelling, “Her uncle won't let us whip the phone, no matter how many times you try, and he has all the information that is on it anyway, so you are wasting your time.”
Then I fell asleep on the couch thinking about how I'm tired of acting stupid I know I'm missing a lot of information but I know the people across the way are dirt and I can't wait to leave this crap hole.
It's been one week and nothing rom my family, not even a happy birthday. It's July 10th, 2021. I hear bikes pull up, and I look at Twisted, who has a big smile on his face.
“Fuck, Twisted,” I said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Did they bring the whole family to move me to the house Nana got me?”
Twisted’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling with something like pride. “Let’s just say Nana has been waiting for this day since your brother got sent away and didn’t want to put you in danger."
We all know the Men will listen to Nana before the Senator, so I guess that's comforting.
“Well, hell, let's go, you know I hate surprises. It's bad enough some punk bitch across the street destroyed my bike after that video got sent out, I don't need more shit.”
The rumble of motorcycles vibrated through the ground as I stepped outside, the morning sun casting long shadows across the street. The sight before me was a spectacle: the Wolf MC stood in formation, their leather cuts gleaming, with Tank at the forefront, his eyes alight with the kind of excitement. He probably thought this was about the contract my so-called mother had dangled in front of him. Behind them, a sleek black limo idled, surrounded by at least fifty bikers from the Phoenix MC, the club Twisted ran for his dad.
Well, hell, he is in on it. I guess they just want to make sure I get to my new home without a problem and in style.
My gaze snagged on a trailer hitched to one of the bikes, loaded with motorcycles, one covered by a tarp that piqued my curiosity. Before I could dwell on it, the limo door swung open, and my heart leapt as Uncle Rick and grandparents stepped out.
I ran to them and threw myself into their arms, tears stinging my eyes. “Thank you for coming to get me,” I choked out, my voice thick with emotion. “I’ve missed you. It’s been too long.” Their embrace was warm and I started crying, the weight of a decade’s worth of longing and fear spilling over. I felt safe again. My mother thought they’d never find me, that she could keep me hidden forever. It might have been ten years, but of course they knew where I was. They’d always known.
Before I could savor the reunion, my mom's voice cut through the air. “I thought my ex-husband said you could never see her again when we left back then. What the fuck are you doing here?”
My mother’s words were a blade, meant to wound, but they barely landed before a sharp crack echoed. I turned to see Nana, her eyes blazing, standing over my mother, who clutched her cheek in shock. Nana’s voice was ice. “You little bitch, what makes you think you make rules for this family and tell them to me? I make the rules. I have the mafia behind me and my grandson’s club. What do you have? A bunch of people who don’t know anything about your lies or how you kidnapped my granddaughter.”
The truth hit like a thunderclap, and I saw the confusion ripple through the crowd. My mother didn’t know I’d uncovered her secrets, pieced together from late nights scouring the laptop Uncle Rick had given me. She wasn’t my mother—my real mother died protecting me in a fire that broke out.
Before she could spit another lie, Stone, one of Nana’s towering bodyguards, stepped forward, handing a thick file to Tank, the Wolf MC president. My mother’s face paled, but Nana wasn’t done. “Oh, and we know none of those boys are my son’s,” she said, her voice steady and cutting. “We took a DNA test when they were little, but my son loved your lying ass. Layla was born before you met him. Her mother died saving her in a fire. I know you set it—we all do—but you killed the guard who saw you, so we couldn’t bring you before our council to have you killed. When her dad died, you should have never taken her. You knew she was supposed to come to us per his will, so you ran. We’ve known where she was, but Layla wanted all the evidence against you. So, if you don’t want us coming after you for everything in that file, never contact her again.”
The crowd went silent, the weight of Nana’s words sinking in. My “brothers” stood frozen, clutching the DNA report Stone had handed them, their faces a mix of shock and betrayal. Uncle Rick stepped forward, his voice calm but lethal. “Oh, and now only you get your payment for being his wife. Your sons get nothing.”
My mother’s scream tore through the air, a raw, ugly sound. “This is unfair! She’s an ungrateful bitch!”
Another crack rang out, and I saw Vengeance standing over her, her fist still raised. “You’re no longer a Valkyrie. You’ll move to another room. I can’t believe you lied to us. You said you never went over there because she abused you. What else have you lied about? From the size of that file, a lot. I’m sorry, Layla. I shouldn’t have believed her without proof. I loved her blindly. I should’ve seen the snake behind the innocent act. That’s not an excuse. I promise I’ll do better.”
I let go of Papa and strode toward my mother. Before she could react, I drove my boot into her side, right at her liver, then followed with a sharp left and a right hook to her face. She crumpled, gasping, and I looked down at her, my voice low and steady. “Now you can say I hurt you. Any other time was self-defense. The code to the camera is pineapple. You will even see who took me that night from right outside my apartment door when I took the trash out and everything else that women did and said when she would disappear upstairs for a while. She didn’t know they were there. Oh, and just so you know, it's already been backed up and sent to Papa, so you can't lie now, mother.”
We turned to walk to the back of the house, the crowd parting silently, but she wasn’t done. Her hand shot out, grabbing my hair and yanking me back. I hit the ground hard, the air rushing from my lungs, pain radiating through my cracked ribs. Before I could react, Nana was on her, a whirlwind of fury at 55, her fists flying with a precision that belied her age. But my mom can't fight; she can only slap everyone laughing at her until my Papa grabs Nana and they stop. I take one last kick and say. “Touch me again and it will be your head and they will never find your body. You know what my uncle can do.”
Uncle Rick’s voice cut through the tension, revealing a truth that stunned even me. “Should’ve stayed with me and been a good wife, but no, you thought he was going to be in charge. Looks like that bit you in the ass. Goodbye, Missy. I hope things work out for you. Your father disowned you three years ago—here’s the paperwork to prove it.” He tossed a sealed envelope at her feet. “Does the MC want to buy this house if it doesn’t belong to her? She used Layla’s allowance to buy it.”
Tank stepped forward, his face grim as he flipped through the file. “I’ll buy it back. I didn’t know her mother used her money or the rest of what’s in this file. I don’t allow violence to women and children.”
“Well, watch the cameras then. You’ll be in for one hell of a surprise.”
We walked to the side of the house and I saw there was a big picnic set up with a happy birthday Ice on a banner hanging on the house. We ate up everything that belonged to me. One of my brothers isn't here. He is my dad's too. He left for the military 10 years ago, and we haven't seen him since. I write to him, and I don’t tell him everything. They don't need the stress of his team to get letters too. There's my brother Ghost, and his team Panther, Shooter and Speed.
I was lost in thought about how Ghost doesn’t know Shooter and Speed are related to us or the fact that I investigate all them idiots when shots rang out and I felt pain in my lower back and shoulder so I turned and saw one of the guys who kidnapped me and raped me standing next to my mom as she shot me for the final time in the chest. She shot me 3 times before Papa spun, his gun drawn, and fired a single shot into her chest. A 50/50 chance she’d live, but I didn’t care. Well, hell, then I blacked out from the pain and loss of blood. I did get a knife thrown at her but hit the dumb ass next to her in the shoulder.