30. Dom

"Didn't you have shit to do for the club today, Dom? Weren't you and Thea just telling me how you're always there for the club and I was being unfair?" Dad snaps as soon as I walk into his office. I kick the door shut behind me. The echoing sound of it slamming closed surrounds me.

"Why the fuck wasn't I told that King was in the territory?"

"He saved your brother. He can come here anytime he wants. You should be damn grateful to him, too—all things considered."

"All things considered? What are you saying, Dad? Why do you think I should kiss King's ass?"

"Dom, you're walking a dangerous line," Dad growls, but I just laugh.

"You think T getting shot was my fault. Just admit it, old man!"

"Damn it, son!"

"Admit it!" I scream.

"It's rule number one! Club first! You put everything before your own brother! He worshipped you!" Dad yells back, and finally it's all out in the open.

"I fucked up. I freely admit it. Gabby lied to me, and I let myself believe it because I didn't want to confront T myself. He'd been through so much and I found it easier to believe what Gabby was telling me over telling him myself."

"You took the coward's way out. I taught you better than that. You owed your brother your loyalty, not some piece of ass."

"Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've beaten myself up over that since it all blew up? Jesus, I know Dad. Every day, I go without my brother at my side. I fucking know."

"How am I supposed to trust you to take over this damn club, when you couldn't even man-up with your own flesh and blood?"

"Gee, Dad, I don't know. Maybe I'm just a chip off the old block."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Letting out a growl, I want to confront him over everything. I want to tell him what I know. I'm on the verge, but I stop myself. The past is best left dead and buried. I don't know anything for certain. There's no point in resurrecting the past.

"It doesn't matter. Just tell me why King said I should ask you what he's doing in Kentucky—not to mention our territory."

Dad sits down in his chair with a sigh. I don't need to be a fucking mind reader to know I will not like what he's about to say. "For fuck's sake, Dom, sit down."

I sit down, still staring at him and refusing to back down.

"Ford discovered the traitors inside his organization, as well as the rival club, were being bankrolled by our biggest threat here in Kentucky."

"The Kings?" I ask, knowing this is bad news. The Feral Kings MC is in Western Kentucky, with the main chapter in Bowling Green. They're a garbage group full of assholes that make the rest of us look bad, having no rhyme or reason when it comes to killing. They don't have a code. We may be a one percent club when necessary, but the Kings? They kill for sport. They get off on that shit.

"Yeah. T joining Ford's crew lit a fire under them. They're after us and they're not going to be happy until they have their war."

"So, we're going to give them war?"

"We are," Dad confirms. I find myself frowning as I take in the repercussions of what that means. "What's that look for?"

"We need to make sure our women are safe. Lyla and Tamsin will be big targets, so will Mom. Thea will be included because she's a Club Princess, Bull's daughter, Breaker's sister, and she belongs to me. I won't risk her getting hurt."

"We always take care of our women," Dad responds, studying me.

"We're going to need more firepower," I mutter, but I'm talking mostly to myself.

"Dom?"

"Is there a reason you couldn't tell me that King was in town or what was going on until I demanded it?" I ask my old man point blank. There's a lot of bitterness rolling inside of me right now and I don't mind admitting—at least to myself—that I need him to tell me I have this wrong. I need to know he still has faith in me, if not that, I still need to know he trusts me to have the club's back.

"You didn't need to know yet," Dad hedges, but I know that look on his face.

"Did Breaker know?"

"He's our SOA, so yes."

"So, most of the club knows, except me."

"Not all the club," Dad says, scrubbing his face. I study him for a minute and then I stand up. I need out of here. "Dom?—"

"You know, I realize I fucked up. I've been actively trying to destroy myself because of it. Still, I pulled myself up and I'm fighting every damn day to be a better man. The kind of man who deserves a woman like Thea. The kind of man my brothers can look up to. I'm starting to see that the last part of that is not going to happen."

"Damn it, son?—"

"It never occurred to me that my own father would be the man to cut me out over a mistake like this, especially because a woman was involved."

"What do you expect from me? It's my job to worry about the club. I can't allow men to know what's going on until I'm sure they won't let their guard down and jeopardize us all."

I slam my fist down on the table, causing the whole thing to vibrate. "Say what you mean, you son of a bitch! You mean you can't trust me. Maybe I should ask T for a position in his club and prove myself to Ford. Hell, you could exchange me for King. In your eyes, I'm sure that would be trading up. After all, he already knows what's going on. He was in my own club's fucking territory, comfortable as hell, while I had no idea he was allowed here. You can't convince me that the men running our borders lately weren't aware of it, too. Did you make positions in the club for them, Dad? That way, you could let them in on your damn secret and rationalize why you kept your own flesh and blood in the dark."

"I make decisions for the good of the club. Not as your father!"

"Yeah, I get it. You're a sanctimonious asshole who has done much worse than I, but hey, go ahead and fuck me over. I don't need you."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Dad asks.

I let out a laugh that is about the farthest thing you can get from being happy. The sound is chilling and filled with disgust. "Figure it out. All I'm doing is following in my father's footsteps. The only difference is I don't have kids to see the fallout."

"Dom—"

"I'll turn my cut in tomorrow. It's clear I'm not wanted or needed."

I stomp out, slamming the office door, feeling like I'm being cut in half. I don"t know my next move, but I know I won't do it in my father's shadow anymore. I make it outside of the house and jump on my bike. Dad comes out just as my pipes rack and I screech out of the drive. He tries to flag me down. I ignore him. Fuck him. He can kiss my ass.