CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Maisy

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Maisy

"Dad wants to see you," Cliff said sternly.

I kept my back straight as I sat in the uncomfortable chair in the waiting area of the precinct.

"No thanks," I told him, not bothering to give him eye contact.

It had been a few hours since LT had breezed in here along with a handful of brothers and a woman who looked like a lawyer. I'd seen a few of them going in and out, but mostly I stuck to my little corner, thinking of how I could help. Bandit had come over to check on me, and once he realized that I made it through unscathed, he told me that LT was going to take care of Mad Bell and the prospect. He didn't tell me not to worry, but the implication was there. As if I could not worry. As if I could turn off my feelings and stop stressing at the press of a button. I didn't say this to him, of course. I didn't want to be rude. He didn't stick around after that. I didn't know where he'd gone and I honestly didn't have the mental capacity to care right now.

I was worried Mad Bell and the prospect weren't going to get released tonight.

"I said—" Cliff started.

"I think the lady wants you to leave her alone, pig," Twigs said as he stood protectively in my bubble. My lips twitched, but I didn't dare smile or laugh. Twigs had a big set of balls on him, for sure. He was in the house of cops and he didn't give two shits. I'd heard somewhere that most of his family, including him, happened to be familiar with jails and prisons, but I couldn't say for sure.

My brother's face turned red. I was about to tell Twigs to stand down when Cliff whirled around and stomped off.

"You know him?" Twigs asked, relaxing slightly as he plopped his butt down on the seat on my left.

"Yep," I said curtly. "He's my brother."

"What?!" He gaped at me in shock. I couldn't tell if it was real or if he was being playful.

"And her dad's the Chief of Police," Payback said as he took the seat on the other side of me. He didn't sound like he was being an asshole, so my hackles didn't rise right away. Some of the club knew, but I guessed they hadn't shared that information with everyone. Maybe they trusted me. Which was good. I'd never given them a reason not to. Besides, in my mind, it didn't matter that I shared blood with a bunch of cops because I tried my hardest to keep my family out of my life.

"That sucks," Twigs said, almost sounding sorry for me.

"We're not exactly talking right now," I said, tone flat.

Payback made a thoughtful noise and tapped his shoulder against mine. I got the feeling it was supposed to be comforting, and while I appreciated it, I was so stressed out that any contact made me flinch.

"So that's why your giving off the vibe like you don't wanna be fucked with?" Twigs asked. "We figured you wanted us to keep our distance, you know, us being… um, well, not liked by cops. We can't blame you. We'd never want to tarnish you like that."

Twigs let out a laugh like I'd never heard from him. It was a little sad and a little nervous.

I turned my head and blinked at him as I replayed his words in my head.

"I mean, makes even more sense now," Twigs went on, "knowing you got cops for kin."

I opened my mouth, still trying to process everything.

"Twigs," I nearly snapped. His brows went up in surprise. "I am not ashamed of you or the club. I don't give a shit who knows that you're my friend. Fuck 'em. You and the club have always done right by me, and I won't let anyone diminish that because they have a huge stick up their ass."

"So you weren't trying to keep your distance from us?" His eyes looked young and hopeful. It nearly broke my heart.

"Hell no," I said, shaking my head at him. "I'm trying to keep my distance from all of this." I waved my hand around the precinct.

"Cool," he replied as he lounged back in the chair, legs spread wide. "You hungry? Thirsty? Need anything?"

I shook my head, my gaze focused on some nonexistent point ahead as I said, "No. I'm good."

"It's gonna be alright," he assured me.

"Yeah, I know. I…" I sighed as I looked down at my hands in my lap. "I can't help but think I escalated the situation just by being there. I wish there was something I could do. Mad Bell punched my brother because of something my brother said to me."

"Look, I don't know what your brother said or what kind of fucked up family dynamic you got going on, but if I know one thing, it's that Mad Bell wouldn't have gone off if he didn't think it was… uh, what's the word? You know, necessary." His brow creased in the middle. "Warranted. Yeah, that's the word. I'd bet you fifty bucks he doesn't regret it."

I snorted and shook my head. "It was a stupid move. It was exactly the reaction my brother was hoping for."

Seeing Twigs and Payback sitting with me, a few of the brothers moved closer. It was like they'd gotten the okay to come near me. I didn't know what to do with that, so I tried not to think about it. I simply let myself see that I had an army at my back if I needed it and I was thankful.

I caught my brother glaring at me from across the room.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll be back," I muttered to no one in particular.

Gracefully, I rose to my feet and moved in his direction.

"I want to talk to Dad," I said. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in my tone.

"About time you came to your senses." Cliff held a coldness in his eyes as he spoke to me.

I followed my brother to the back and into an office I knew wasn't Dad's. He was likely borrowing it while having to deal with this situation at this precinct. I'm sure it looked really bad for him that I was here with a bunch of bikers and sat there refusing to talk to him.

"Maisy—" Dad started but stopped when I held my hand up.

I could see the fight already there in his eyes. I knew the words that would come out of his mouth. The demands he would make. The threats he would throw around. I knew it all, and I wasn't going to put up with it.

"You'll release them, and we won't talk about it. You want to control me but you can't. Your shitty parenting has rubbed off on Cliff and now he's making bad choices. Like calling me things no brother should ever call his sister. Which I'm sure was caught on his body cam. If it wasn't, I'm have a feeling that would be a good enough reason to bring this up with some other people. A lawyer, for one. A few of your bosses might want to know why your son can't follow the rules." I paused and let my gaze bore into him. "Let's not forget how a story like this would spread like wildfire over social media."

"I will not be threatened and blackmailed by my own daughter," Dad snarled.

"What are you going to do?" I taunted. "I have a whole bunch of bikers who have my back. An entire club ready to handle this should anything happen to me. And let me tell you, they have all kinds of people they know." He opened his mouth but I kept going. "And before you go ranting and raving how their ‘thug ways' will never get past the law, I'll say that I wasn't talking about whatever illegal things you're thinking of. Things you probably have no proof of, because otherwise, you would have done something about it. Think you're so clean? Then fine. Do what you need to. Don't worry about the trained private investigators they have or the fact that they can dig up dirt you wouldn't even think of. Think about how all those bikers could show up everywhere you go. Want to go get a steak? They'll be there."

I was twisting truths here. I'd heard enough working in the bar to weave a convincing story. All I knew, the club had ties to a private investigator business, but I had no idea on their level of skills or how far they would go. I really hoped my dad was buying it.

"Certainly they have better things to do," Dad spat.

"Maybe they do." I shrugged. "And maybe they are just that loyal to the people they think of as family. Something you'll never understand."

I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.

Dad's face was a mask of well-hidden anger. But I wasn't fooled. I knew what was bubbling under the surface. I'd pay for this later, but that didn't matter. Only getting Mad Bell and the prospect free did. Cliff's face was red and I feared he was going to explode.

"We're done," Dad said. "After this, you are no longer welcome in the family."

I stood there stunned for a long moment. I wasn't sure why it hit me so hard, but it did. Like a damn punch to the gut. He so easily threw me out. It was like he was waiting for a moment like this to present itself because he didn't look one bit hurt by cutting me out.

"It's not much of a family if this is how you treat people," I shot back.

I shook my head and blinked back the tears. My eyes went from Dad to Cliff. They were the same. Cliff would stand by Dad no matter how much it might have hurt me.

The club was family. The brothers were family. It was obvious in the way they were there for one another. How they took care of each other and their families.

"Family doesn't always mean shared blood," I said, finally understanding for the first time in my life that I didn't need the two horrible men standing in front of me. Just because he was my dad, didn't mean he deserved to be in my life simply because he held that title. "Release them."

I stared my dad down, the "or else" hanging in the air. He knew my demand, my threat. I'd go through with it too. He didn't want to push me right now, not after how shitty he'd treated me.

"You'll keep your mouth shut," he came back with.

I'd won. I could see it in his eyes. He was fucking scared.

With my lips pressed into a thin line, I nodded once.

"Get out," he said, and I was so fucking tired of hearing those words out of his mouth.

I turned, knowing I'd never have to hear them again. I was done.

Free was more like it.

I'd never have to deal with a damn thing from them again.

I didn't bother to hide my smile as I walked back out to the waiting area.