8. Secrets Don’t Stay Buried

CHAPTER 8

SECRETS DON’T STAY BURIED

TROUBLE

When I saw Hollywood tear off through the clubhouse, I knew something was wrong and followed him immediately. He didn’t go for his Harley, and instead ran for his truck, so I jumped in the passenger seat.

“What are you doing? Get out.”

“Coming with you moron.”

“You don’t even know what’s going on.” While he argued with me, he started the truck and took off. I didn’t think there was any need for further discussion, but then he asked again. “Why are you tagging along?”

“When my brother hits a dead run leaving the clubhouse, I’m with him. Questions can come later. I figured you might need backup.”

He scoffed at that. “Not unless ghosts are real,” he muttered.

“What was that?”

“Trent’s mom passed away this morning and Trinity is home alone with her body right now.”

“Fuck,” I hissed as we both continued the rest of the ride to her house in silence. I’d been to their house a few times the year before Trent left for the Army. His mother was always nice enough if she was around, but according to Trent, she was more concerned with getting a new lease on her social life after her husband left her than she was in being there for the kids. He was a senior in high school then, so her absence didn’t mean much, but it was clear he worried for his little sister. The same girl I had a lust-hate relationship with since she finally became an adult.

By the time we got there, it was clear that the funeral home had already sent someone to collect the body. Whitney Anderson, Natalie’s older sister, showed up at the same time we did. “What are you doing here?” I asked as we got out of the truck.

“The funeral home has me on call for situations like this. Ms. Markham didn’t have an at-home nurse, so they need someone to pronounce her.”

“And you can do that?” I asked. She nodded as Hollywood took off for the front door.

“I’m a Nurse Practitioner, so we’re allowed.” She glanced at the door and frowned. “I’m going to wait out here for them to bring her through.” I remembered then that Trent dated Whitney before he left for the Army. They had broken up because she was headed to college and he was off to go serve his country in the Army. Neither of them had been confident that they could withstand a long-distance relationship. I nodded my agreement with her. It would probably be tough to go back to the home Trent grew up in.

I ran to catch up to Hollywood just as he entered the house and we both heard a crash from the other room. When he took off to see what the fuck the assholes had knocked down, I pulled Trinity into my arms and guided her over to the couch. The girl looked like she was two seconds from collapsing there on the floor. Shock must have caught up to her, maybe grief. I held her as she unloaded whatever she had been holding back and it felt like a kick in the gut to know that this must have been the reason she had finally come back home. She had only been here to take care of her mother who was dying. Who the hell did that leave her with for family now? Her father disappeared ages ago, her brother died, and now her mom was gone too. Maybe, Bishop and Hollywood were the closest family she had left. I wondered if that meant she would stay.

By the time they removed the body and left, we managed to find one of Trent’s old stashes of whiskey and got a couple shots into Trinity before she looked as though she would tip over at any moment. “I’m going to put her to bed and stay with her for a bit.”

“Anything I can do?”

“Nah, man. I’ve got this. I’ll get in touch with Bishop, if I can. He and my mom went on a fucking cruise, so I doubt he’ll be able to make it back in time for the funeral.”

“I’ll be there. We can invite the whole club to be there too, if you think it will help,” I suggested.

“Why do you care?”

“Trent was my friend too. There might be a little bad blood between Trinity and me, but I’m not a complete asshole.”

“Soon, brother. You’re going to tell me exactly what that bad blood is because I’m not sure she knows. She knows what you did to her, but not what she supposedly did to you.”

“Carson?” Trinity called out from the bedroom. We both glanced down the hall and then Hollywood tipped his head at me as he put the keys to his truck in the palm of my hand. “Get back to the clubhouse, let them know to be on standby in case they’re needed. Not sure if she had everything paid for, or what, but I know she’s been struggling with finances here. Get them on it and see if Sweet can get in touch with Bishop. He won’t ignore a Chapter President the way he might ignore his girlfriend’s son.”

I chuckled at that. “Are you saying he’s used to you trying to cock block him?”

“Fuck you, asshole. My mom doesn’t have sex. They’re too old for that shit. Get out of here before I have to break your nose.”

I laughed all the way out of the house. Then I remembered why I’d been there and hoped like hell Trinity hadn’t heard me. She may have had a bout of somewhat insane laughter after her crying jag, but that didn’t mean it was okay for everyone else to sound happy in the home where her mother’s body had been removed less than an hour before.

I stood off on the periphery and watched as Hollywood, his mom, Bishop, and Trinity all stood beside Evelyn Markham’s grave and listened to the reverend wax poetic about the life of the woman who hadn’t drawn a bigger crowd. Another woman stood off to the side a bit, though I wasn’t sure who she was. That was the extent of the turnout for Evelyn’s send off into the great beyond. I was downhill, closer to the lake, standing by one of the few trees when someone stepped up beside me. It fucked with my head a bit when I turned to see an older version of Trent standing there. “What the fuck?” I questioned.

“Keep it down. I don’t want her to know I’ve been here.”

I glanced back up the hill and saw Bishop narrow his eyes in our direction. Considering he had his arm firmly planted around his niece’s shoulder, and that she was leaned in on him pretty hard, I didn’t think he’d step away to confront his brother who had disappeared on everyone all those years ago.

“Never occurred to me when I left that the next time I’d see my boy it would be when he was planted in the ground next to his mother.” The man angrily swiped away the tears that ran down his face and then turned to face me. “Need you to know a few things so your club can look out for her.”

“Her?” I asked, knowing full well he meant the daughter he abandoned.

“She’s not my daughter, not biologically.”

“What the fuck did you just say?” He handed me a file folder and held his hand over top of mine when I went to open it. “Everything is in there. You need to give her what she needs from it and nothing else. Give the rest to Bishop. Better yet, give it all to my brother and he can decide what she needs from there, but tell him that he is to treat her the same as he always has because she will need him.”

“You still love her, even though she isn’t your daughter.”

“Of course, I do. She’s my little girl. I watched as she grew in her mother’s belly and I was the first one to hold her as she screamed her lungs out when she came into this world. She will always be mine, in here,” He said as he pounded a fist against his chest. “Her mother had an affair with someone. I know who it was, but it is better that she doesn’t. He is not a good man and might even become a problem for your club. His family isn’t the best either, but most of them are on the straight and narrow. She cannot know who he is because if she goes looking for answers there’s no telling where that will lead her.”

He glanced back up at the funeral proceedings and rushed what he had to say. “Been sober seven years now. Checked myself into a clinic when I heard about Trent.” His voice cracked on his son’s name. There was no need to question whether his boy had been his, since Trent had been a dead ringer for him. “I was into some shit back before I left. When I found out from Sheila,” he tipped his head up the hill and I took in the strange woman who hovered off to the side. “She’s the one who told me about Evelyn’s affair, who it was with, and why she was upset enough to tell me. Apparently, the asshole threw Sheila to the side to go after my wife when he saw her. She was a beautiful woman back then. Her daughter takes after her in that way. Hopefully, that’s the only way she takes after her. Anyway, I refused to divorce Evelyn while I was gone to keep her from getting in too deep with anyone else, but the dickwad who fathered Trinity hadn’t been in the picture for years at that point. The house is mine. It was never in Ev’s name because I figured she’d sell it and leave the kids hanging, especially Trin. I think the damn woman blamed her daughter for everything that happened.” Tommy shook his head and tapped the folder in my hands. The deed is in there. It’s free and clear, so she has a home. I know she’s been in South Dakota for a few years. Won’t be mad at her if she decides to sell the house, go back and make a life for herself there. It would probably be best for her, all things considered. Secrets don’t tend to stay buried in this town for long.”

“Don’t you think she deserves to know?”

Tommy Monroe shook his head, and once again it was a disturbing sight to see. His son might have looked a lot like that these days if he had the chance to grow older. He should have been closing in on his thirtieth birthday next year. My eyes flicked back to the funeral just up the hill. Trent’s tombstone was beside the plot his mother was being laid to rest in. Life was all kinds of not fair.

“She’s better off thinking I’m her loser father. She’ll still think she has an uncle by her side, and I know my brother. He won’t abandon her now simply because there’s no blood relation. Hell, the bastard probably already knows she’s not mine. Always was too smart for his own good. She deserves one good thing in her life, since she lost all the family she had that is worth a shit. My brother and your club will be all she has left. Don’t let the truth take that from her.”

As the funeral wrapped up and Trinity was taken to Hollywood’s mother’s car, Bishop and Hollywood made their way to me. Tommy Monroe had already dipped out and disappeared into oblivion again by the time the funeral was over. The woman, Sheila, stood at the top of the hill and stared down at the grave. It made me wonder what their relationship had been. According to Tommy, she had been the one to fill him in on his daughter’s parentage. He hadn’t said when that happened, though.

“What in the hell did my good for nothing brother want?” Bishop asked through gritted teeth.

“He wanted to make sure Trinity was taken care of. He emphasized the fact that we needed to look out for her well being because her real biological father was a piece of shit.” Bishop nodded as if he already knew that much. “Deed to the house, DNA results, and some other shit in there. He told me to give it all to you and let you decide what she needed to know. He seemed to think she was better off believing that he was her father rather than the alternative.”

“He’s not wrong.”

“Wait, are you telling me you knew you weren’t Trinity’s real uncle all along?” Hollywood asked.

“I’m telling you nothing. She’s been my niece since she was born, before really. Nothing changes that. Not some fucking DNA test or whatever story my brother had to spin. Trinity is still mine. Think of her as a daughter more than a niece, so we’re going to keep her parentage quiet. Tommy gave you the deed to the house?” I dug through the paperwork and produced it.

“Looks like he already signed it over to her.”

“Good. Maybe she’ll stick around for a bit instead of heading back to Spearfish.”

“I would have thought you wanted her in South Dakota.” I stated. Bishop shook his head. “Things are getting serious with Hollywood’s mom. I can always visit my family and friends in Spearfish, but I’m getting older and it’s time to settle my ass down.”

“She gave you an ultimatum, didn’t she?” Hollywood grinned at his soon to be stepdad.

“Fuckin’ right she did. It’s the least I can do for a woman who has been loyal as fuck to me all these years I’ve been on the road.” Hollywood nodded, apparently happy with the latest development in his mom’s love life.

“What do we do about Trinity?” I asked.

“You go back to the clubhouse and live your life. I’ll handle my niece. Tommy should have never brought this shit to you.”

I held my hands up. “Just want to make sure she’s cared for and not left in the lurch.”

Bishop grinned at me. “Uh-huh. I think between me and Hollywood, we have it covered. No need to get you involved too.” He walked away with the folder full of papers then and Hollywood shrugged his shoulders before he followed along behind. I was left to stand there at the tree and when I glanced back up to the grave, the woman who was at the center of the secrets surrounding Trinity was staring down at me. I threw my hand up and waved like I had nothing to hide, and she scurried off down the other side of the hill.