Chapter 22

22

RIOT

I'm playing on my phone when I hear someone approaching. Cookie, who's laying by my feet, lifts his head. Oh, great, it's the wicked witch.

I really don't like this woman, but I have to play the game. She looked her own daughter up and down like she was some kind of stain on her pristine pants, and that just pisses me off. Still, I can't be rude to her no matter what happens, especially in her own home. I'm sure that's exactly what she wants so she can prove to Halo that I'm a bad guy. I mean, I'm a biker after all.

Still, I meant what I said. Her mom, in her own round-about way, does care for her daughter to be this concerned about her welfare. It could just be a control thing, but I don't know her enough to judge that. She's just not going the right way about it, and if she doesn't fix things fast, Halo may be gone from her life forever.

I stand as she approaches. I feel out of place on this massive leather cream couch. The rugs here look like they were imported from Persia, not to mention the massive high ceilings and grand furnishings with thick velvet curtains that frame the room. I wasn't far off with my J.R. Ewing comment.

"You have a beautiful home," I say as she ushers me to sit down again.

"Thank you, Riot."

It irks me that she uses my biker name. I know she's just doing it because my name sounds uncouth, and that's what she thinks of me, no doubt, but I'm not here to start a war.

I'm here for my girl. I love her daughter, and I'll prove it to her if I have to.

I clear my throat. "How long have you liv?—"

"How much will it take?"

I blink. "Excuse me?"

"Money," she says, pronouncing the words like I wouldn't know what it is.

"I'm not followin'."

She sighs loudly. "Wait here. Visual may be more your strong suit."

Bitch.

I watch as she leaves the room, tempted to ask her where else I'd be going, but she's back in a few moments. She has a checkbook in her hand. I don't fucking believe this.

"Mrs. McBride, what are you doing?" I know exactly what she's doing, and I'm not gonna be bought out of Halo's life.

"I'm doing what any self-respecting mother would do, Riot. I'm getting my daughter back. Now how much will it take? A hundred thousand?"

I stare at her. A hundred thousand dollars?

"You can't buy me out of Halo's life."

She smirks. "Oh, really? Everyone has their price. Let me ask you, how did you get your biker name?"

"I earned it."

"From prison?"

"Not everythin' you know is about what a man did wrong. You judge people before you even know them."

"So what have you done right when it comes to my daughter?"

"I know she's happy," I say. "She's doin' well. Got a nice job, a fantastic apartment…"

"This is all just a game to you, isn't it? Did you think you could just weasel into her life and nobody would bat an eyelid? That because we're estranged at the moment, I wouldn't notice?"

"Oh, I think you'd notice no matter how far away Halo is."

Geneveive waves her hand. "My daughter has always been cavalier when it comes to her future. She thinks she knows what she wants."

"And you're sayin' she doesn't?"

"You catch on quick."

"I'm not after her money," I state. I'm firm, but I'm not losing my temper. I refuse. "I have plenty of my own. When I met Halo, I never thought she'd even look twice at me. We're just gettin' to know each other, but well, frankly, we're in love."

She snorts. "Well, she's always been good with needy men. And she has no idea what love is."

"And you do, I assume?"

"Careful, young man, or we may find ourselves with a problem."

Does this woman really think I'm scared of her? That her and her damn checkbook have any interest to me?

My eyes almost bug out of my head at her rudeness. And they say bikers have no manners. This woman takes the cake.

"With all due respect, Halo wasn't treated very well in her past relationships — she's shared some of that with me and under no circumstances should a man be makin' a woman feel like a piece of shit, pardon my French."

"Halo has always had a hang-up about her weight," Genevieve continues, wafting over what I said with the flick of her hand. "So she likes to overcompensate for that by making up lies. Ian is one of the many suitors who would love nothing more than to be a part of this family. Halo just won't give him a chance because she has this idea in her head."

"What's that, her own free will?

Her cold eyes meet mine. "I can see that you can't take this seriously."

I quirk a brow. "Oh, I'm keepin' up. But why should Halo settle for someone she doesn't love, like Ian for example? Why give him a chance when he won't love or cherish your daughter? Or is it because people like the idea of old money, and bein' stinkin' rich outweighs everythin' else?"

Her eyes narrow. "Two hundred thousand."

"No."

"Three hundred."

This woman is insane. Literally insane. I have money, what I don't have is Halo.

"You'd pay me three hundred grand to break up with her?"

"Yes. My daughter is everything to me, and while I feel this will fizzle out on its own accord, I can't have Halo going around with a reputation that she's been involved with a biker." She scrunches her nose up again when she says it. "It's a small place, you know how fast bad news travels. She won't recover from news like this when she returns home."

When she returns home?

Wow. She really is a stone-cold bitch.

"There is no amount of money that can persuade me to leave her. I know it's early days, but we love each other. That's not gonna change on my part."

She almost chokes on her own spit. "You can't be serious?"

I clear my throat. "Why not? We love each other. We're soulmates. I think she's pretty amazin', and she feels the same way about me. Everything about your daughter is perfect. She's not only beautiful, which I'm sure you already know, but she's smart too. She always has a kind word for everyone, I've never heard her say one mean thing about anybody." Even you when you clearly deserve it.

She pinches the bridge of her nose. If there was a prize for the rudest woman award, this lady would win a gold medal. "This isn't happening."

"What? That your daughter can't possibly be happy?"

"How can she be? What will you provide for her? Lord only knows what prospects you even have or how you make your money." She makes a face like she smelled something bad. "I don't want to know, quite frankly."

"Because I wear this?" I tug on the lapel of my jacket. "I didn't want to wear it today, but Halo insisted. It's part of who I am. My club is my family. We're legit, we don't do anythin' illegal, we just like to ride motorcycles. I'm sorry if wearin' it offends you, but when I was rock bottom, my club lifted me up…"

"Right, and I'm expected to believe all of that?"

"Believe what you want, but I'm not here to stir up any trouble, or to take Halo away. She's her own woman and she can do what she wants."

"Listen, I'm sure you're a nice enough man." Oh, I know you don't mean that, sweetheart. Still, at least she's trying all ways to get rid of me. I'm still reeling at three hundred grand. Obviously money is her way of buying her way in or out of everything. Well, I'm really not money orientated, so she's shit outta luck.

"I hear a but comin'."

She levels me with her icy stare. "You can't possibly keep up with a woman like my daughter. She might think she wants a bit of rough for a little while, but girls like Halo don't settle down with men like you, Riot. They have their fun and then they get out."

Her words cut into me with every single lashing.

"She's always had a wild streak. She wants to have her fun, but mark my words, you can't give her what she needs. Not in the long run. She's grown up around country clubs and the finer things in life. Halo may believe that she's being rebellious by running off to New Orleans to find herself, but we both know that this will never work. You're not who she needs."

"Yes. I. Am."

She leans forward, unafraid of me. "Did I just hear four hundred?"

"You've got some nerve," I tell her. "Halo's a grown woman capable of makin' her own choices in life, and you think you can just buy me off with your dirty money?"

"Dirty?"

"I know what your husband did to get money like this."

She pales. "I— I don't know what you mean."

Oh, honey, I do my research too. "Pretty big deal that went down when Halo was four. Your husband and his brother ripped a lot of good people off. Was it Missouri where you used to live?"

Her face goes from pale to bright red. I've known her dad was a crook from a while back. He ripped off some people to make his fortune, promising them shares in the company, then stole the money and declared bankruptcy. He started a new business under a new name when they moved to the Parish. I had hoped I didn't need to divulge this information, but in for a penny, in for a pound.

"You don't know anything about that." She literally clutches her pearls. "It had nothing to do with Rowley. I don't know what you're insinuating, but I think you've outstayed your welcome."

She can say what she wants, but her husband was part of it, whether she wants to lay blame or not.

"How about a million dollars?" I throw back at her.

Cookie lifts his head at my tone, then he stands. I pull him toward me so his sore leg is resting on my knee, relieving the weight.

She's like a fuckin' snake. I've no idea how my precious, beautiful Halo can be related to this woman. "You'd leave her alone for a million dollars?"

I shrug. "I guess we'll see if you write that check out, won't we?"

She looks ashen, unsure, and then to my surprise, she flips the check book open and slides the little pen out. I watch in fascination as she scribbles out a check. She glances up at me. "Your real name, for banking purposes?"

"Myles Curtis."

She goes back to signing. I shake my head. I can't take any more of this woman. I go to stand, letting Cookie down gently as I scruff his head.

She tears the check off and hands it to me. I take it, the soft paper between my fingers doesn't feel like freedom; it feels like complete betrayal. This is the meaning of dirty money.

My eyes meet hers. "You have a wonderful daughter, Genevieve. It's a pity that you will never truly understand what it means to love something wholeheartedly. There are some things that money just can't buy." I tear the paper in half and let it fall to the floor. I whistle for Cookie to follow as I head to the front door, ready to sit in my truck and wait for my girl to be done here.

Now I know exactly what Halo's had to deal with, and none of this is okay.

Her mom was so ridiculously insecure, thinking she knows what's best for her daughter that she'd pay me a million dollars to stay out of her life? Because she really gives that much of a fuck what the neighbors think? Her daughter being independent and happy on her own accord isn't enough?

I know I'm not good enough for her, I know that she can do better than me, but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to walk away. I can't. She's my family.

I shake my head.

Love and control are two different things, and one thing I will never do is try to control her.

I leave the house, picking up my dog as I put him on the passenger seat of the car. The second I'm outside, I feel the fog lifting. I glance back at the house. The feeling washes over me that something just isn't right here. Not just her mom offering me an obscene amount of money to just walk away and find somebody else, like it's that easy. Like I would take a million dollar check and be on my way. Cookie woofs in my face, like he can sense that all is not well here. I kiss him on the head. "I know," I say with a sigh. "I don't like her either."

Halo

I can't believe the things I heard. When I knew I shouldn't be listening, I listened harder.

My mom is completely insane. I went to get Dad a glass of water and then heard the conversation between her and Riot.

A million dollars?

I try to calm myself, but I'm livid. The fact she'd try to sabotage my happiness and pretend like it's all some kind of game makes me not just mad, but raging.

I have to get out of here, but I move back to my dad's bedside to let him know I'll be back later. I can't deal with her right now. I fill his water from the tap in the bathroom and come back to his side.

He's been so much better to talk to than I imagined; asking me about New Orleans and what I've been doing. It's like he actually cares. The second I think about it, I remember my mom's ridiculous proposal to Riot and then I think my dad is in on it. How could he agree to this? Or does he really not know?

I wanted him to meet Riot, when he's well enough to come out of his room of course. But now I just feel sad. Sad, but also a bit happy because I know that Riot can't be bought, not by some ridiculous offer by my delusional mom. Not by anything.

"I'm going to go grab some lunch," I tell Dad. "I'll come back before dinner if you'd like."

He nods. "I'd like that."

"Dad?" He looks at me. "Did you have anything to do with Mom asking Myles to not be in my life anymore?"

He frowns. "I haven't even met the man."

"But you liked Ian, a lot."

"I thought he was good for you, that you'd be a good match. I didn't know the things he'd said until after, and even then he denied it when I questioned why you were so upset.'

I stare at him directly in the eye. "Well, I'm not a liar, Dad. He was awful to me. I don't like him and I don't want to marry him."

"And you don't have to."

Still, this is the man who scolded me when I told him that I wanted to marry for love. This is the man who laughed when I said that not all good things come from money. He treated me like my hopes and dreams were a joke, and now he's suddenly changed his tune.

"Why have you had this sudden change of heart?" I stammer.

He pats his chest. "When I had the angina attack, I thought I was going to die. When a man's life flashes before his eyes, he sees a lot of things he did wrong. Things he needs to fix before his time comes."

Tears well in my eyes. "But you never even acknowledged me," I sob. "You cut me off without a care in the world."

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." His words match his tone; sincere and apologetic. Still, this isn't the man I've grown up with or know at all. It just reminds me of how much I really don't know about him. "I'll talk to your mom. I'll make her back off."

I wipe my snotty nose. "Dad, I don't want you stressing out when you've not been well. That makes all of this worse."

"It's okay, my little Lourdes. I'm going to be fine if I know you truly are happy."

"I am, Dad. I'm really happy for the first time in my life."

He swallows hard. "I haven't always been a good man," he says. "I assisted in doing some terrible things to people to get where I need to be. I thought having all the riches in the world would buy happiness, but it doesn't. Just know, I'm fixing all the things I've done wrong in the past, starting with you."

"Dad? What do you mean? What things do you need to fix?"

He smiles softly. "I wasn't a good man when you were little. Me and your uncle John. I won't go into specifics, but I'm making it right. I will make it right if it's the last thing I do. I should've fixed it years ago."

I'm scared. Dad's talking like something is going to happen to him. Like he's on his last legs or something.

"Dad? You're scaring me."

He pats my hand. "Don't be scared, angel. I'm going to be fine, and when I'm well enough, we'll sit down and work all of this mess out, okay?"

I nod, turning as the door opens. To my astonishment, Antoine stands there, glaring at me.

"Hello, sister."

I roll my eyes. "Antoine." I turn back to my dad, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be back later, okay?"

"Okay. Remember what I said."

I nod. "I will, Dad."

I slip out and I hear Antoine say something to Dad, but he follows me out.

"Not so fast," Antoine says.

I turn to face him. "What do you want?"

"That's a charming way to greet your brother."

I let out a slow breath. "What do you want, Antoine? I'm here to see Dad and that's all. Unless you've got something to say that's productive, which is highly unlikely."

"Mom's upset."

"Really? Did she tell you she just offered my boyfriend a million dollars to break up with me?"

He rears back like I just slapped him. "What?"

I put my hands on my hips. Unlike my dad, I don't believe Antoine has the ability to change, then again, I should probably give him the benefit of the doubt. Not that he deserves it. I've had more than one of his ex-girlfriends crying on my shoulder telling me what an asshole he was to them. After a while, it gets a little old. He's got no room to lecture me when he can't get his own shit together.

"Yep, and he tore the check up. So before you come at me with your pointing fingers, get the facts right first."

"I didn't know that. She told me that he was rude to her and then he left."

"Well, Mom lies."

He narrows his eyes. "She said you brought a biker into their home?"

"He's also a man, a very decent and kind one. If you took a second to pull your head out of your ass, you'd be able to see that for yourself."

"Just look at yourself, Lourdes. You could've amounted to great things, and yet here you are working in an office, dating a biker." He folds his arms over his chest.

"So you just came here to insult me too? Why don't you just save it for when you get together with Mom because I don't want to hear it."

"He beat up Ian," he calls after me.

I flip him the bird. "Trust me, whatever happened to Ian, he deserved tenfold."

I rush out, but my mom's never far away. "Halo," she says.

I turn to her. "I can't believe you, Mom. I trusted you!"

"What?" she says innocently.

"I heard what you did to Riot. I heard every word. Why do you have to be so cruel to everyone you come across?"

"Don't speak to me like that," she warns.

I put my hands on my hips. "Or what? You already cut me off the day you tried to take over my life."

"Listen to her," Antoine says. "She's only trying to save your soul, though I think it's a little too late for that."

I turn to face him. "You're just as bad as she is. I hope the two of you are happy, and thank you, by the way, I'm doing just fine. I'll be back later to see Dad." I turn on my heel.

"He'll dump you before Valentine's Day," my brother calls after me. "You know it's true, Lourdes."

"It's Halo!" I yell back. "And you know nothing about my life or what I want."

I slam the door behind me, relieved when I see Riot is still parked in the same spot and he hasn't gone anywhere.

I'm so embarrassed about my family. I'm so hurt by my mom's actions. She didn't even give him a chance to talk or explain. He isn't terrible because he's a NOLA Rebel. And I didn't fall in love with him just to spite my freaking parents.

When I get to the passenger side, he's already out of the truck, and opening my door.

I turn to him. "Let's go."

"You've been crying."

I shake my head as he pulls me into his arms. "Not here. Please, let's just go."

He cups my face, his eyes serious. "Whatever happens, we'll tackle this together, got me?"

I nod. "I love you, I'm so sorr—" He cuts me off with a kiss.

Nothing else matters as long as I have him by my side. As long as we tackle whatever they throw at us head on.

He turned down a million dollars for me, and I heard his heartfelt words. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before.

No matter what my mom and Antoine say, it doesn't matter. And maybe it never did.