Chapter 22: Byte

BYTE

Iwaited until the day after Gabby was released from the hospital to go to the clubhouse and talk to Phoenix.

"That's the fifth time you've walked past my door in the last hour," Phoenix said. "Get in here and say whatever you need to say."

I hesitated for a brief moment before I inhaled deeply and entered his office.

"Well, what is it?" he asked.

"You know Gabby and I are together," I started.

"Yeah."

"I don't see that changing, and I don't want it to, but I don't think I can move forward unless I'm honest with her. Completely honest."

"You want to tell her about your past," he said knowingly.

"Yes," I admitted. "I want her to know my name. My real name."

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "Gabby was raised in the club. We're her family. I'm not concerned about her telling someone she shouldn't or trying to use the information against you. If you want to tell her, it's fine with me, on one condition. You have to tell Ranger, Shaker, and Keegan. You can't tell Gabby something of that magnitude and ask her to keep it from her family."

I exhaled in relief. "Thanks, Prez. I don't have a problem with her family knowing. Actually, I prefer it," I said and paused before I voiced my other concern.

"But?" he asked.

"I don't want Shaker and Ranger to think the club was keeping secrets from them."

"The club wasn't keeping secrets," he said firmly. "I was. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You were a scared fourteen-year-old boy who needed protection. The only way to help you and protect the club was to keep your secret to myself. My decision isn't something you should have to explain. How about you tell Gabby, and then we can tell Ranger and Shaker together?"

"I'm not scared of them," I blurted.

Phoenix laughed. "I know. If you were, you never would've started dating Gabby."

"Yeah, you're definitely right about that," I agreed.

"Think about it and let me know. I'm happy to explain my decisions and my line of thinking."

"Thanks, Prez."

"I don't think you'll need it, but good luck."

"I brought pizza," I announced when I walked into my house.

"Yay! I'm starving," Gabby said from the living room.

"I'll bring it to you. How many slices do you want?"

"Two, please," she said.

I carried our plates into the living room to find her camped out on my couch, surrounded by textbooks and binders. "It looks like you've been busy."

She sighed. "I've been trying to study so I don't go crazy from boredom."

"You'll be back on your feet before you know it."

She held up her bandaged hands. "It's not my feet I'm worried about."

"Your hands are going to be fine," I reassured her.

"I know. I just wish bones healed faster. I hate sitting here when there are so many things I could be doing."

"Whenever you feel frustrated, think of Lauren drinking all of her meals through a straw."

Gabby laughed. "Yeah, that definitely helps. At least I can eat solid food." Gabby carefully lifted a slice of pizza to her mouth and awkwardly took a bite. "Well, sort of."

"Do you want me to cut it for you?" I offered.

A look of disgust appeared on her face. "No. It won't taste the same."

"What?" I laughed.

"If you cut it into bites, it won't taste the same," she explained. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll make this work."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. If you don't believe me, cut yours and give it a try."

I looked down at the slice of pizza on my plate and imagined cutting it into bites. "You know, I'll take your word for it."

"Told you," she giggled.

Her laughter, her smiles, her love—they meant the world to me. And I hoped they'd still be there after I shared my truth with her.

"Gabby," I said and inhaled deeply, "I need to tell you something."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"It's big. And it's something you have to keep to yourself. But this thing between me and you is real. Like the forever kind of real. And I can't keep going until you know everything. It's not right, and it's not fair to you."

"Are you married?" she whispered with a look of horror on her face.

"No! It's nothing like that. It's about my past."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly, but her body was still tense. "What about it?"

"Most of what I told you about my past was true. I did move to Cedar Valley after my mother died. Irene helped me get on my feet, and I joined the club not long after. What I didn't tell you was that my stepfather killed my mother and tried to kill me. I pushed him down the stairs to keep him from stabbing me."

"Oh, Byte," she started.

"There's more," I interrupted. "He didn't die from the fall. He was hurt but not dead. I knew he would place the blame on me for what I did to him and what he did to my mother. He was still holding the knife, so I lifted his arm and essentially made him stab himself. He was gone within a few seconds."

"It was self-defense," she said vehemently.

"Pushing him down the stairs was self-defense. Stabbing him after the fact wasn't."

"It was self-preservation then," she countered.

"Yes, it was, but it was also murder," I pointed out. "I didn't know if they would believe he killed my mother and fell on the knife, or if they would accuse me of killing them both. If they thought I did it, I would've gone to prison. If they thought he did it, I would've been put in foster care. Neither of those outcomes were okay with me, so I ran."

"You wouldn't have been put in foster care. You were eighteen."

I shook my head. "No, Gabby, I wasn't. I was fourteen."

"You were fourteen? When you came to Cedar Valley? When you joined the club?"

I nodded. "I'd already been making fake IDs for other kids. That night, I made one for myself and left town the next morning."

"So, you're four years younger than you told me?"

"Yes, and my name's not Michael Fuller."

"What is it?"

"Blake Williams," I said quietly.

"I knew Michael didn't sound right."

"I've wanted to tell you my real real name from the moment you asked. The lie I've been living has never bothered me. Until you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you," I said simply. "I love you in a way I didn't know was possible. And I couldn't keep lying to you. Even if telling you the truth meant losing you."

"You're not going to lose me," she whispered.

"I'm not?"

"None of what you told me changes who you are. If anything, it reinforces it."

I reached for her and carefully pulled her into my arms. "I love you so damn much."

"I love you, too, Blake."

I smoothed my hand over her hair and held her tightly. The relief I felt from sharing the deepest and darkest parts of my life with her was overwhelming. It felt like I could finally breathe freely without a massive weight on my chest.

"Does anyone besides me know?" she asked.

"Phoenix knows. He's always known. I told him the day he asked me to prospect."

"He agreed to let a fourteen-year-old prospect for the club?"

"He agreed to help me. There were rules and stipulations, but basically, I traded my computer skills for his protection," I explained. "I went to the clubhouse today to talk to him. To ask for permission to tell you, and to tell your family. My secret shouldn't be your burden."

"He obviously said yes."

I nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Does my family know?"

"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first."

"Well, when do you want to tell them?" she asked.

"Whenever you feel up to it." It had only been a few days since the shooting, and I honestly didn't know what would be too much for her.

She made a dismissive motion with her bandaged hand. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Gabby," I said slowly.

"I mean I'm fine for a family meeting. Why don't we have them over for dinner? They're over here every day to check on me anyway."

"When? Tonight?"

"Might as well," she said. "Unless you'd rather wait."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

She smiled triumphantly. "Great. Tonight it is."

Ranger, Keegan, and Shaker showed up at my house for dinner right on time. I wasn't nervous, but I wasn't exactly relaxed either. I had talked about my past more in the last week than I had in my entire life, and I hoped dinner with Gabby's family would be the last time.

"Come on in," I said and held the door open for them to enter. "I hope you're hungry."

Shaker cocked his head to the side while Keegan gave me a quizzical look. Thankfully, Gabby entered the room and stole their attention before either one of them said anything.

Ranger's big hand landed on my shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Why?" I blurted before I had a chance to think of a better response.

"You seem jumpy."

"I probably will be until this whole situation is completely resolved," I admitted. Even though Lauren was in police custody, Chad was still in the wind, and that wasn't sitting well with me.

"Let me know when you find him. I'll be happy to put an end to it once and for all," Ranger said as he made his way to the table.

We were just starting to dish out the food when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Phoenix standing there. He grinned. "Hope you have room for one more."

"Prez," I said slowly.

"I'm not letting you explain decisions I made without me. Now, invite me in for dinner."

I shook my head. I should have expected him to show up. I opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

"Prez," Shaker said. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd join you guys for dinner," he said and took a seat.

Everyone continued passing the food and loading their plates. Everyone except Keegan. She sat frozen in place until Shaker nudged her with his elbow. The fork she was holding fell from her hand and landed on her empty plate with an echoing clank.

"Keegan?" Shaker asked.

She ignored him and glanced around the table. "What in the hell is going on?" she demanded.

I leaned back in my seat and exhaled slowly. "I have something to tell you guys. No one's hurt or anything like that. It's about my past."

"Okay," Shaker said and gestured for me to continue.

"Fucking hell! Are you married?" Keegan shouted.

"No! What is with you two? Gabby asked me the same thing."

Keegan shrugged. "Duke was."

"Duke's an asshole," I countered.

"Touché," she said with a slight smile.

"Well, let's hear it," Ranger said with a touch of impatience.

I took a deep breath and started telling them the whole story. Surprisingly, no one said a word until I was finished. Actually, there was a long period of awkward silence before Keegan finally broke it. She aimed her eyes directly at Phoenix. "Why are you here?"

"Because he knew," Shaker said.

Phoenix nodded. "That's right. And I didn't think he should have to explain or defend the decisions I made. He was fourteen years old and needed help. I had a feeling he would be an asset to the club, and I wasn't wrong. I was also willing to take sole responsibility if I was."

"How in the hell did none of us realize you were so young?" Shaker asked.

I shrugged. "I was always big for my age. Most people assumed I was older than I actually was, even when I was in elementary school."

"There's a big difference between fourteen and eighteen," he said.

"The club was never in danger. I would've said I lied about my identity if anyone found out who I really was," I added.

"This is why you never went out with the club brothers or were involved in any club business for the first few years you were a member," Shaker said.

"That was my doing. I wasn't going to put a teenager in the middle of dangerous situations. I only allowed him to be involved in club business behind the scenes until he was truly an adult, regardless of what his ID said."

"And this is why you stay out of trouble," Ranger added.

"I wouldn't say that."

Shaker laughed. "Dude, you're squeaky clean for a biker."

I shrugged. "I wasn't sure what would happen if I was ever arrested, and I didn't want to chance it. I still don't. There's no statute of limitations for murder."

"Wait a minute. You didn't keep tabs on the situation with your parents?" Keegan asked.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't. I figured it was best not to know. If I knew they were looking for me, I would've been worried about it all the time. If it turned out I wasn't suspected of murder, I knew I wouldn't have been as careful to stay hidden and probably would have been found at some point. Like I said before, I wasn't going down for murder, and I wasn't going to be put into foster care."

"Can't say I blame you," Ranger said.

"So, why now?" Keegan asked.

"What?"

"Why are you telling us now?" she clarified.

"Because I love your sister, and I wanted her to know the truth before things went any further," I explained.

"You could've told her without telling us."

I wanted to roll my eyes. "Seriously, Keegan? I wasn't going to ask her to lie to her family for me."

She grinned. "Just checking."

"You're such a little shit sometimes."

"That's why you love me."

"What are we doing about this Chad prick?" Ranger asked. When all heads turned to him, he looked slightly confused. "What? I thought we were finished with Byte's secret life. Is there more?"

"No, that's everything," I confirmed.

Ranger looked at Keegan and Shaker. "Do you guys need to have feelings about this new revelation?"

Shaker shook his head, and Keegan laughed. "No, Papa. We're good."

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, really. Why?" Keegan asked.

"I don't know. I guess I thought there'd be more."

"I mean, it was a big secret to share, but it doesn't change anything," she said. "Well, except for your age."

"And even that doesn't matter," Shaker added. "Your name and age don't change who you are."

Gabby smiled and leaned closer to me. "Told you they wouldn't care."

I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Yes, you did."

Ranger cleared his throat. "Now that we're one big happy family, let's talk about Chadprick?"

"Chadprick?" Keegan laughed.

"I assumed Chad was short for Chadwick and made my own improvements on his name," Ranger said.

I sighed. "Nothing new there. The police haven't found anything, and neither have I." I hated admitting defeat, but I hadn't been able to find anything on Chadprick.

"Then I think it's time someone had a chat with Lauren," Ranger said.

"Papa, we can't do that," Gabby said.

"Of course we can," he countered. "We just have to be creative."

"Something tells me you've already given this some thought," Phoenix said.

Ranger grinned. "Who? Me?"

"Yes, you, you old pain in the ass."

"I'll pretend to be offended later."

Surprisingly, it was Gabby who spoke next. "Can we skip to the part where Papa tells us his plan?"

"I don't really have a plan. I just think we should send someone in to talk to her while she's still in the hospital. It won't be as easy once she's discharged," Ranger said.

"Even if we manage to get someone in there, she can't talk. Her jaw's wired shut," Gabby pointed out.

"I've got a pair of wire cutters," Ranger said.

"Papa," Gabby admonished with a smile.

"What? They wired it once; they can wire it again."

"Not before she tells someone who cut the wire," Shaker said.

"That won't happen if she's threatened properly," Ranger argued.

"I think I have a better idea," Phoenix said. "Tina knows the detective working the case. Maybe he'd be willing to offer Lauren a chance at a reduced sentence in exchange for information on Chad."

Gabby shook her head. "I don't like it. She's already going to get off easier than she should. I'm more than grateful that Patch and I lived, but attempted murder doesn't receive the same sentencing as murder."

Phoenix grinned. "She won't get a lighter sentence. The detective doesn't have the authority to make an offer like that. Attorneys do, but detectives do not. That's also why I said ‘a chance at a reduced sentence.' It's all in the wording."

"Do you think it'll work?" Gabby asked hopefully.

"There's only one way to find out," Phoenix said and pulled out his phone.