Relentless: The Legacy Rises, page 25
“Everyone comes with the highest recommendation,” Diesel assured her. He bit into his pizza. “Don’t worry.”
“She’ll be all alone at night.” CJ insisted on staying at Lolly’s to watch over Molly. “My brother can’t travel to California with her.”
A look passed between Grant and Diesel.
“What?”
“What do you mean, Rebel?” Grant laughed nervously. “We didn’t say anything.”
Her brows snapped together. “What aren’t you two telling me?”
“You’re too young to be so suspicious,” Diesel said, swallowing the last of his pizza.
“According to you, I’m too young to be anything,” she said flatly. “Your observation hasn’t distracted me. What is going on?”
“Nothing, Reb,” Grant said quickly, much more chill than Diesel.
“Nothing that concerns you,” he corrected. “Uncle Chris has found a way to solve a couple of problems. Molly won’t be alone at night. That’s all you need to know.”
“What—”
“Rebel, I’d like a word with you, please.”
At the sound of Torie’s voice, Rebel stiffened. “No, thank you,” she said politely, snatching her phone from her pocket and unlocking it. She wasn’t interested in anything, but she wanted Torie gone.
“I insist.”
“Let her be, Torie,” Diesel said.
“I felt completely disrespected by her, Diesel. I am owed an apology. That’s all I’m waiting for.”
“Then drop dead now,” Rebel said, still not looking up, “because you will be waiting unto fucking eternity.”
“Don’t sweat Reb, Torie,” Grant said. “At one point or another, we’ve all felt disrespected by her.”
“You’re not helping, dickhead.”
“Not trying to, Reb. It’s the truth.”
“Your father is a good, kind man,” Torie pressed. “I was out of line, but you should’ve let him handle it. It wasn’t your place.”
“It was exactly my place,” Rebel spat. “I’ve barely recognized my father over the past four weeks. I’m trying to protect him from stupidity. More than that, though, I am protecting my mother, and, bitch, I will never apologize to a motherfucker in the world for that.”
Torie stiffened. As if Rebel cared.
“I’m sure your father wouldn’t appreciate how you’ve talked to me.”
Rebel knew he’d be pissed. She still didn’t care. Not while her mother was still recovering and so terribly fragile, Uncle Johnnie was a predator, and her father an idiot.
“If I told him, you wouldn’t be so high and mighty.”
Folding her arms, Rebel leaned back in her chair. “Then by all means, call him. Tell him.”
Indecision tore across the nurse’s face. If she’d had any doubts about who her father was texting the other night, she had irrefutable proof now. Torie had Daddy’s private number, proven when she pulled out her phone, turned it to Rebel to reveal the familiar digits and sent a text.
A shitty day turned shittier. Fury and betrayal sliced through Rebel, and she wanted to spit and cry. However, she wouldn’t give Torie the satisfaction.
Torie’s eyes lit up at the alert on her phone. “He’s on his way down.”
Grant bit into his last slice of pizza. “You know, Reb, Torie is Jo’s main nurse,” he reasoned around a mouthful of food. “She probably has his number to keep him updated.”
Rebel knew the exact moment her father walked in. Electricity charged the room and expectation hung in the air. He wasn’t wearing the spurs on his motorcycle boots today, but it didn’t matter. His powerful presence commanded attention.
He zeroed in on her. She lifted her chin. He responded to each greeting; he didn’t stop to talk, however. Reaching the table, he glared at her.
“What the fuck you’re doin’ for Torie to threaten to call in the badges?”
“Dude,” Grant said, lifting a brow at Torie.
“Torie,” Diesel chided.
Like Uncle Johnnie, Torie was another bitch on her kill list. “Bitch,” she snarled.
“Enough, Rebel,” Daddy yelled, bringing the cafeteria to a complete standstill. “I told you you’re respectin’ adults or I’m beatin’ your ass. You’re respectin’ me and my decisions.”
Rebel jumped to her feet. “When your decisions are jacked-up, fuck-faced decisions, no the fuck I’m not, Daddy.”
“Diesel, take her the fuck home before I choke the fuck out of her.” Daddy turned to Torie. “Thanks for callin’ me.”
Diesel stood and smiled at Rebel. “Come on, sweetheart,” he said, not allowing Rebel to hear whatever Torie was telling her father.
No one blinked an eye. Cheaters, the lot of them. It wasn’t up to any of the brothers to stay faithful to her mother except Daddy. Obviously, he no longer wanted that position.
She’d resigned herself to keeping the secret, so she wouldn’t destroy her mother’s little remaining sanity. But this was too much. Everyone knew. It was betrayal and mockery at the deepest level.
She stalked past her father.
“Rebel.”
She ignored him.
Daddy caught up to her and spun her around. “Rebel, you not lookin’ at me with such disrespect,” Daddy said. “If you want to keep that fuckin’ debit card.”
Rebel dug in her jacket pocket and yanked out the card, tossing it to him. It bounced off his chest. “I will tell Momma exactly why the fuck you took it from me.”
“For stoppin’ Torie and startin’ your bullshit—”
“For stopping…?” Rebel gasped, suddenly so livid she not only saw red, but blood red, and all of it escaping Torie’s body. It was the culmination of a devastating month, compounded by a few fucked-up weeks prior.
“Rebel—” Diesel said a moment before she launched herself on Torie and punched that bitch right the fuck in her mouth for spouting such fucking lies.
Torie’s return punch shocked Rebel, but if she wanted a fucking fight, that’s what she’d fucking get. They rolled, knocking over chairs and tables, and throwing punches.
Hands grabbed her and Rebel struck, punching whoever the fuck was trying to hold her back.
“Ouch, fuck!” Daddy said.
His injury pleased her. Somehow, he managed to grip her and drag her away, while Diesel subdued Torie.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Rebel?” Daddy roared.
She stomped his fucking foot. “You! You’re an idiot. She’s a liar. I’m the equalizer.”
He snatched her around and shook her so hard, her brain rattled. Fury blackened his eyes. “And I’m the motherfuckin’ punisher—”
“You’re also the fucking cheater.”
He released her so quick, she stumbled back. He had the audacity to look hurt.
“Right there with you, Daddy. I’m hurt, too.”
“Rebel, listen up, cuz I ain’t sayin’ this no more. I ain’t cheated on your ma with Torie or no other girl. I was just helpin’ her out—”
“Does Momma know?”
“She not in the frame of mind…” He finally fucking got it. Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes. “Fuck, Reb.”
“If she doesn’t now, she soon will,” CJ said blandly, walking into the silent cafeteria. “As a matter of fact, every motherfucker on this floor, knows.” He looked from Rebel to Torie and shook his head. “You didn’t take my advice, huh, bae?” he said to the nurse.
“I wanted her to apologize to me first,” she admitted, her face as bruised and battered as Rebel’s.
Uncle Johnnie sauntered in, the last motherfucker in the world Rebel wished to see. His arm was in a sling, but he just didn’t appear in as much pain as he deserved. His whole ass should be in a fucking sling. He frowned at Torie, then at Rebel.
“Er, it’s done, Christopher,” he said.
“Fuck, Reb, baby, motherfuckers mentioning you all up and down the hallway,” Uncle Mort said, strolling in. “Told you, Prez. They look after their mommas. Harley wasn’t pleased with Symphony either. She just held on to the shit until she could use it against me. Reb will beat fucking ass.”
Uncle Val walked in. He winked at Rebel, then shrugged at Torie.
“Uh, Outlaw,” Uncle Stretch said, joining the melee, followed by Aunt Kendall.
Wait. What about Jo? Why were they all—
“I’m Kendall,” Aunt Kendall introduced, holding her hand out to Torie. She snatched a check from Uncle Stretch’s hand and waved it in front of the nurse’s face. “Your relocation fees, severance pay, and signing bonus.” The words were tight and crisp. She paused to glower between Daddy, Uncle Johnnie, and Torie.
Uncle Val shook his head and pointed to the ceiling, indicating the barely noticeable camera. “You got a guardian angel, babe. You would’ve been out of a job after today for fighting.”
Not responding, Torie reached for the check in Aunt Kendall’s hand.
Aunt Kendall jerked it behind her. “Just so you are aware, I am completely against this. If Molly sneezes wrong and you make the mistake of calling Outlaw, I will tell Meggie.” She narrowed her eyes. “Am I perfectly fucking clear?”
“Yes,” Torie said quietly.
“Good.” Smiling, Aunt Kendall held out the check again. Instead of handing it to her, she released it and allowed it to flutter to the floor. “Assholes,” she hissed, sweeping Daddy and Uncle Johnnie with a look, and storming away.
Torie stared at the check where it landed on the floor. CJ walked to her and stooped down.
“If you touch that, I will break your fucking fingers,” Rebel warned.
“And I will knock the fuck out of you,” CJ snapped, picking up the check and handing it to Torie. “You’ve made your fucking point. Okay, Reb? Goddamn, have some fucking manners.”
“You, asshole, are helping that man to hide shit from Momma.”
“That man is our father, Rebel, so get over it. He didn’t do anything.”
“So he explained it to you?”
“Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with you?” CJ asked, dodging her question. “Is everybody fucking crazy around this motherfucker? You two are beat the fuck up, when Molly needs Torie to look after her in Los Angeles. She can’t go—”
“Molly’s more important than Momma?”
“What the fuck are you on?” CJ asked, appalled.
He took a step toward her. Rebel raised her fists.
“Did you not hear anything?” he asked tiredly. “On Christmas Eve when you were threatening to fucking fight, and we told you that you were protected because of Dad.”
“There was no protection, CJ. Torie fought me. It was a fair fucking fight.”
“If things got too bad and you couldn’t hold your own, she would’ve been fucking dealt with,” CJ said.
Torie’s lack of reaction told Rebel a lot. Someone had already briefed her.
“You’re not in the club, CJ,” Rebel said, doubly angry that their father confided in CJ but left her hanging.
“Neither are you,” CJ grumbled. “Nor will you ever be.”
“Rebel—” Daddy drew in a breath. “Not only that but you are underaged and you can’t fuckin’ pick fights.”
“Hypocrite much? I do believe you’ve been affiliated one way or the other with the club since you were ten. And you started doing jobs for Granddaddy when you were thirteen.”
“I was fifteen, and who the fuck told you that?”
“Does it matter?”
“Your ma and me didn’t raise you to be a fuckin’ biker, Rebel.”
She eyed Torie and Uncle Johnnie with dislike. “I don’t want to be a biker. I want to be a special enforcer.”
Snickers rose in the crowd, although Uncle Johnnie lifted a brow and smirked at her. She resisted the urge to flip him off.
“How about this, baby?” Uncle Mort said around a cloud of smoke from his cigarette. “You chill out. If Outlaw agree, I will start training you with guns and knives when you turn sixteen.”
“Still don’t mean she becomin’ an enforcer, Mort.”
“It just means she has other means to fuck us up, Outlaw,” one of the bikers called.
Daddy scowled.
“Christopher, she won’t become an enforcer,” Uncle Johnnie said. “She isn’t a club member.”
Words that had been pounded into the fucking ground.
“I don’t want to join the club, Uncle,” Rebel drawled. “I want to fuck up jackasses, bitches, motherfuckers, and traitors.” She gave him a pointed look.
“What exactly are you accusing me of, niece?”
She smiled, but she didn’t feel very happy, and the movement hurt her fucking face. She’d gotten into her fair share of fights over her life, but this was the first time she’d gone against a grown woman. And she’d loved it! It was a draw. She’d learn from her mistakes and win the next time. Today, it pleased her that she’d given that bitch a run for her money.
“Nothing,” she said blandly. “What are you guilty of to take an innocent look from me so much to heart?”
“Rebel, shut it,” Daddy warned. “First fuckin’ rule of workin’ for me is you follow fuckin’ orders. There’s a fuckin’ hierarchy. If you on the fuckin’ payroll, I’m your fuckin’ boss first and your old man second.”
“Fine.” She started to walk away. She was done with them, but especially her father. Eventually, this would fade into the background and she’d somehow remember she wanted to work for him. However, the fact that he was hiding this from Momma angered Rebel more.
“Get your card,” he said, as she stalked past it.
“Keep it.”
Daddy stepped into her path.
Not wanting to cry in front of any of them, she averted her gaze. Once, she’d idolized her father. No man could measure up. Even when she’d been at her most hateful, somewhere deep down, she’d admired and respected him. Mainly because of how much he loved her mother and put her on a pedestal. Their love and friendship exemplified what Rebel herself wanted.
Maybe, that was why she wanted Diesel so much. He was older than her. He would appreciate her youth, the way Daddy valued Momma’s. But the weight of disappointment tasted bitter, sitting heavily in her belly.
CJ pressed a cold cloth against her throbbing eye, then backed next to Daddy, who tipped her head up. Twin pairs of emerald eyes stared at her in concern.
“I wasn’t thinkin’, Reb. Hear me? I wasn’t tryin’ to hide anything from Megan for the reason you thinkin’. I just want to help her, but I ain’t got a choice but to tell her now. Brooks opened his fuckin’ mouth to Kendall, anyway.”
“I guess so, Christopher,” Uncle Johnnie said. “He still hasn’t quite recovered from the meatshack.”
“At least he got the chance to,” Uncle Val said.
Daddy frowned at him and nodded to Torie. She was staring at them with wide-eyed curiosity.
“Brooks was supposed to handle it. He should want to stay on my fuckin’ good side. But, no. The motherfucker blabbed to Kendall. Your aunt said she won’t tell.” Daddy shook his head. “She’s probably crucifyin’ my ass right now. Torie means nothin’ to me, which I’ve told her several times.”
“You shouldn’t have had to tell her but once,” Rebel hissed.
Daddy nodded. “I was worried, I am worried, about your ma and your sister. Torie was there when I needed to talk.”
“You could’ve talked to me.”
“You’re a little kid. It’s bad efuckinnuff I’ve put so many burdens on CJ. It takes a fuckin’ village to raise a kid, but when the village fucked up, too, then the kids still end up fucked up.”
“Age is only a number.”
“No, it ain’t,” Daddy said. “The brain not all grown until motherfuckers in their twenties.”
She ignored him. “I have been exposed to the biker life my entire life. No matter how you tried to shield me, I’ve still seen sex and blow jobs. Drugs. I’ve overheard conversations. You and Momma want us to have a childhood. We have, Daddy. You’ve been the best father any girl could ask for. I admire you so much and I love you even more. Though I can wear designer clothes, go to parks and to get ice cream and I can look like Momma, a delicate fairy princess, I’m still your daughter with your personality.”
“Torie, your uncle Johnnie, still grown adults.”
“Respect is earned, not freely given.”
Stooping, he picked up the card. “Apologize or I’m takin’ it. Your ma gotta know about this shit sooner rather than later. If I take it this time, I don’t know when you’ll get it back.”
“Make up your mind. You just offered it back to me.”
He scowled.
“If you take it this time, I won’t want it back. I have my cellphone back. I have a laptop, a desktop, tablets. You let me drink beer and smoke. You can take anyone of those things from me, but it’s always the card. You can’t buy me into thinking your way.”
He pocketed the card. “I’m steering you in the right direction.”
“That direction doesn’t include an apology to people I dislike, no matter how you feel. I missed the card at first, but I’ve survived three months without it. It just doesn’t matter anymore, not when I almost lost so much.”
“Torie’s leaving to go to LA with Molly,” CJ told her. “Clear the air—”
“Nope. She lied on me. I didn’t even see that bitch. She came to our table. Maybe, I did step out of line with her. To me, it’s a moot point. She avenged herself.”
“We can apologize to each other,” Torie said. “Have a new beginning. Set boundaries by calling me Miss Torie.”
Tipping her head back and still holding the cloth over her eye, Rebel heaved in a breath. She turned. Torie held a cloth to her eye, too.
“You don’t want to apologize to me,” Rebel said. “Life has been nothing but chaos. When Momma is well and in her right frame of mind, it’s still chaotic, but she knows how to control it. Everything’s muddled and confused right now. I came downstairs because that fucking clock was driving me crazy. I just wanted a moment to catch my breath. Then, you came. With your bullshit. In front of an audience. Nothing’s private anymore. It didn’t matter. I will never forget or forgive you for trying to hurt my mom. I haven’t always been the best daughter, but she’s mine. You fuck with her, you fuck with me.”
