20. Secrets Aren’t Lies

CHAPTER 20

SECRETS AREN’T LIES

TROUBLE

The whole way back to the compound, my mind wrestled with the fact that I had to tell Trinity everything I’d learned four years ago when her mother died. She deserved to know, and now it was imperative, because I had a feeling the asshole who spoke to her might have been the man we suspected to be her biological father. She told me when we first agreed to date that she wanted the truth from me, and I knew she didn’t just mean in that instance. My guts churned as I wondered how she would react to me knowing this huge thing that could have a serious impact on her life.

“She’ll understand,” Hollywood said once again as we got off our bikes.

“Easy to say. It’s a huge fucking secret.”

“With a lot of moving parts. She will understand when we explain everything.”

“Either that or we’ll be removing every single person she loves and trusts from her circle in one fell swoop,” I reminded him. “And this isn’t exactly the best time for that to happen now that Warren has made himself known to her.”

“Fuck! I hate this!”

Hollywood’s sentiments were my own and most likely shared by Bishop as well. He sent us a message that he had arrived about fifteen minutes ago, but wouldn’t tell Trinity what was going on without us being there. I was barely through the door when a body barreled into me. I smelled her familiar lilac scent before my eyes managed to look down and see who I had inadvertently wrapped my arms around.

“I have been going out of my mind,” Trinity whispered against my chest. “If you could never go away again in the middle of a crisis neither of us knows about until you’re in the middle of a trip, that would be great.”

I laughed and then pulled back from her a bit so I could look down and allow her to see the seriousness in my eyes. “Sweetness, we’re going to head to a private room where we can go talk, okay?”

“Talk or talk? ” She asked with a sly grin that tipped up the corners of her mouth in that playful way I loved.

“Unfortunately, the kind of talk that involves other people being there. The other kind can wait for later.” I just had to hope that I got the chance for later because when she found out what we’d been keeping from her, shit was going to hit the fan and I knew deep down in my soul that it might spell the end for me. The thought of losing her made me want to rush out and kill every motherfucker who made it impossible to keep this shit from her any longer.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight to my body before I guided her to the basement stairs. “Um, why are we going into the club dungeon?”

“Club dungeon?”

“Yep. That’s what I figured it was since the only time I ever see people head that way, they’re usually pissed off or really worried and now I’m also really worried.”

“It will all be okay, we just need to speak in a place where no one else can hear us because this is personal shit that might spill over to club business, but for now it is on a need to know basis.”

“And I suddenly need to know, which means it is personal shit for me.”

“Yeah, sweetness. It is personal shit for you.”

“Well, that sucks.” Hollywood, who followed behind us, chuckled when she said that. “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you because I already know what this is about.”

“Oh. Who else knows?” Trinity asked.

“Bishop, Quickshot, and me.” I could have told her then that I’d known for years, but I needed a few more minutes with her wanting to willingly be in my arms. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we immediately walked into the first room. The door was already open and Bishop and Quickshot were inside waiting on us.

“Hey, sweetheart, come in and get comfortable,” Bishop announced as he pushed me out of the way to wrap his niece in a full bear hug. He was obviously feeling it too. She could leave us all over this and none of us could blame her if that’s what she chose to do.

“Okay, you’re all making me more nervous than the creeps in the gas station. What’s going on?”

Hollywood shut the door and we all took our seats. I stayed beside Trinity and held onto one of her hands while Bishop took the other side. Hollywood turned around and frowned at not having a spot beside his sister-cousin. I almost laughed at the thought. The asshole wouldn’t stop calling her that and while it was funny, we got some strange looks whenever he said it where outsiders could hear that shit. He thought it was hilarious. I wasn’t so sure Trinity would feel the same. Then again, those two had the same damn sense of humor, so she would probably get a kick out of people’s reactions.

Bishop gave me the nod. “When you had your mother’s funeral four years ago, I was there.”

“I know, I saw you when we were leaving,” she said. “Why didn’t you come up with the rest of us?”

“We didn’t get along that well back then and I wanted to give you space to grieve without having to be mad that I was in your space,” I explained. “I still wanted to be there for you, just in case.” Trinity’s eyes softened and her body melted into mine. I relished the feeling and prayed that she would still want me when this was all said and done.

“Your dad was there, too.”

She shot up straight then and turned wide eyes on me as she leaned back into Bishop and fully faced me. “What do you mean, my dad was there?”

“Tommy showed up and talked to me while the service was underway.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He asked me not to, and you’ll understand if you give me a few minutes to explain. Tommy had some paperwork he needed me to give you. Part of that was the deed to the house.” She nodded, having probably deduced that much for herself. “The rest included a DNA test.” We all watched as her shoulders slumped.

“You know,” she whispered.

“What’s that, sweetheart?” Quickshot asked.

“You know that Tommy Monroe isn’t my biological dad. All of you know?” She asked and glanced around. When she got to Bishop, tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t want to lose you and Hollywood because my mom was a liar and a cheat.”

“Never, Trinity.” Bishop said with such conviction that I felt it to the marrow of my bones. “You are my niece.” He shook his head then. “That’s not entirely true. I think of you as more of a daughter than anything. That will never change. Not because of some silly DNA test that says my brother missed out on being biologically related to you. You’re still my little girl and always will be. I’ve known as long as Trouble has. Nothing’s changed.”

“Sister-cousin for life!” Hollywood teased and thankfully made Trinity smile.

“You really need to stop telling people that,” she mumbled. “I don’t understand. If you didn’t care, why did you hide it?”

“To protect you,” I said and she turned back to me.

“From what?”

“From who,” I started to say as I shook my head.

“My biological father,” she tossed out. “Did Tommy tell you who the hell it was? It was the one thing that my mother didn’t have written down. There were two DNA tests. One had my name and Tommy’s and it showed he wasn’t the father. The other had the man’s identity blacked out.”

“We believe the man you met at the gas station, Warren Anderson, is your biological father.”

“Wait, Anderson? As in…”

“He is Whitney and Natalie’s uncle.” Hollywood supplied. “Well, one of them anyway. We had a brother here until a few years ago named Battle. David “Battle” Anderson. He was her other uncle. Her father seems to be the only strait-laced asshole of the lot. Although, I have a theory that he’s the man behind the money and he knows how to wash the dirty stuff to make it clean.”

“Wow. So I’m from a family of criminals and cunts. This just keeps getting better.”

“At least you still have us,” Hollywood announced. “You do still have us, right?” He asked, and even I could see the worry in his eyes.

“Unless telling me about my parentage somehow changed things for you, then of course you still have me.”

“You’re not angry that we didn’t come clean sooner?” I asked.

Trinity shook her head and then slid back up to my side. Her arm wrapped around my waist as she plastered her side to mine. “I can’t be angry with any of you when I did the exact same thing. I was willing to lie to all of you for the rest of my life rather than lose the relationships we had. I can’t very well blame any of you for doing the same damn thing, and you had slightly better reasons, being that you knew a bit more and wanted to protect me from the bad guys who I might be related to.”

“There’s no might about it. Keys managed to hack the system. She compared DNA on file in a criminal case against your father that was thrown out to the DNA testing that was done to prove who your sperm donor was.”

“They were a match?” Trinity asked, though it was clear she already knew. “Of course it was a match. I had a shitty mom, was abandoned by the man who I thought was my dad, and the real one - biologically speaking - is a criminal who I think kidnaps women and does who knows what with them.”

“We’re going to put that to an end soon, baby girl.” Bishop made the promise and Quickshot gave him a look that said if he could wring his neck in that moment, he would. “Not like she doesn’t know more than enough to understand the dire circumstances, Quick. The girl is smack dab in the middle of this bullshit, has been for longer than any of us realized, but more since the incident at High Shoals.

“I think he knows,” Trinity said and her eyes swept across all of us in the room before they landed back on Quickshot. “When I pulled away from the gas station, he called out to me and said he’d be seeing me soon.”

“Damn!” Quick huffed. “We were hoping he didn’t have a clue.”

“I think it’s safe to say Trinity should remain on lockdown until we can pinpoint where the bastard is hanging out.” I suggested.

“I was just promoted and offered a partnership with the women of S.H.E. for Paramour. I will not let them down by bailing on my responsibilities the minute the shit hits the fan in my personal life.”

“Sweetness, this is a matter of your security.”

“Fine, then replace useless Brian with some of the club men and be picky with them. Anyone who was friends with Battle before he left is out, for obvious reasons. I won’t object to staying here when I’m not working.”

“What about when you’re vulnerable going to and from work?”

“Can’t you guys put your heads together and come up with some of the answers? For shit’s sake, I work for one MC and have too many ties to count to the other one. Between the S.H.E. MC and Aces High, I think you can figure out a way to keep me safe, use me as bait, or whatever needs to happen to bring this shitty episode of my life to a permanent close.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as my woman proved to everyone why she was the only one for me. She had tenacity. “Don’t plan on using her as bait,” I added. I might like the fact that she wasn’t afraid to fight for her happiness, but that didn’t mean I wanted her put in harm’s way again. “People shooting at her when we were stuck near High Shoals was bad enough. I can’t do that again.”

Trinity offered a little comfort as she snuggled deeper into my side. I wrapped my arms around her and wished like hell that we never had to part ways again.I didn’t want her out of my sight, let alone far enough away that I couldn’t reach out and touch her.