Chapter Sixteen Brigit

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: brIGIT

I glare at my father, silently daring him to convince me I'm being unreasonable. The brand under the bandage is all the evidence needed.

"You gave me that look when I explained why we couldn't have pizza for dinner every night." He chuckles. My lips twitch at the memory. At seven, I was certain pizza was the perfect food and couldn't understand why my father wouldn't agree.

"Dad…" I start, but he holds up his hand to stop me.

"I know this seems like overkill to you. That they didn't need to take such a drastic measure, but I'm telling you they did. I could have killed Wildcard. I meant to. Not when I pulled the trigger, but when I pulled out my gun and took aim. At the last minute, I saw the man I trusted seven years ago, and the doubt came flooding in. That's the only reason he isn't dead. Knowing how close I came to killing him makes me ill."

"I get that, Dad, I do. But you didn't kill him."

"I shot him. His wound is much worse than this one," he says, gesturing toward the bandage. "This is superficial. I'll live and it will be a constant reminder to think before I act."

"I still don't like it," I grumble.

He chuckles.

"It's not funny. I think I made a mistake coming to the club for help. Have I put Colt in danger by bringing him here?"

My question has Preacher sitting up straighter. His mood darkening. "Come here." He reaches his hand out to me. I take it and sit in the chair next to his bed. "I never told you why I joined the club. You know I grew up in the system, right?"

I nod. He had told me about my grandparents dying in a car accident when he was young. How he grew up bouncing from one foster home to another before he joined the Demon Dawgs.

"My parents didn't die in a car accident," he says. "They died in prison."

"What? But you said…"

"I did. You were too young to hear the truth. So, I told you a lie that wouldn't give you nightmares. They hurt us. Me, my brother, and my sister. I was the youngest. They were our pimps. They'd rent us out to sick fucks who got a kick out of abusing kids. The cops arrested them in a sting operation and rescued us. We were all sent into the system. I lost track of my siblings, but I checked on my parents once I turned eighteen. They died when I was twelve. I tried searching for my siblings, but they both disappeared after they aged out. So, I don't know if they're alive or not."

"Oh Dad, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, sweet girl. I survived. I had some good foster homes and not so good ones. At eighteen, my last home handed me my stuff in a trash bag and gave me twenty bucks. That's the day I met Squiggy. I stopped at a diner and bought myself breakfast. The club showed up riding their motorcycles. I still remember the deafening noise of their bikes shaking the windows. The people already eating ate faster or just left their uneaten food as they rushed to leave. I stayed where I was and finished my breakfast. No way was I going to waste the food. Squiggy came over to talk to me. I told him about my situation, and he offered me a place to stay. I became a prospect and thought my life was finally turning around. Being a prospect sucked, but I got my patch a year later and built a life. I had brothers. Then I met your mom, and we had you. Thought my life was perfect."

"Until Mom left." He tries to hide the flinch, but I see it. "You still miss her?"

He shrugs, but gives me a small smile. "I do. She was the love of my life. I just wasn't hers. We shouldn't have gotten married, but we did. She hated the club life. Wanted me to quit. I couldn't do it, not even for her. So maybe she wasn't the love of my life after all. I couldn't risk losing the club. But I also knew if I left, Squiggy would hunt me down and kill me. Back then, you made a life commitment to the club. When I explained this to your mother, she thought I was choosing the club over here. She took off with some guy she met while dealing blackjack."

"Her loss," I tell him, squeezing his hand.

He shrugs. "It no longer matters. I couldn't leave the club while Squiggy was President. But prison changed everything. I got out and never planned on coming back."

"Is that what happened here? Puma won't let you leave? He branded you because he sees you as his property? I thought he was a good guy. I need to take Colt and leave. Come with us. We'll go somewhere where they can't find us." I stand, intending to pack and be ready to leave, when Alisa brings Colt back.

"Shit, I'm not explaining this right. I joined the club because I wanted a family. Losing your mom made me need the club more than ever. I was loyal to the club until Squiggy turned on me. That's why I didn't come back here after my release. When I met Viper, I discovered how much the club changed. Being back here, even under the circumstances, I realize how much I've missed it. I wanted back in. I thought I'd blown it by shooting Wildcard. But they gave me a chance to get back what I'd lost. The brotherhood. However, I had to pay the price. This was the price."

"How can you think it's worth it?"

"Because I found my family. This is what I always wanted. A club just like this one. I'm not an idiot. I know the club under Squiggy wasn't ideal. But we had some good men joining. Like Wildcard. I thought maybe one day, this would be the club I always thought it could be. And it is. Under Puma."

"If you say so." I step over to the window and look out at the backyard where the play area sits empty. I can't deny that the place has changed from what I remember. Squiggy wouldn't have built a play area for kids. I shudder as I consider Squiggy around a child. The child would not be safe.

"He gave me a choice."

I turn to look at him. "What?"

"Puma gave me a choice. He said I could take the brand and regain my spot with the club. Or I could leave. If I left, I'd have to stay away from the club's territory. That wouldn't have been hard. I have a cabin in Red Rock Canyon. I could have returned there."

"Why didn't you? Because of Colt and me? We could have gone with you."

He chuckles. "I wouldn't have lost you. Puma assured me you and Colt could visit any time you wanted. My life would have been exactly as it was before I shot Wildcard."

"Then why didn't you take that deal?"

"Because I wanted to belong to the club. I missed it. I missed the life. This is exactly the type of club I always hoped it would become."

"Why did Puma make the offer?"

"Because Wildcard asked him to give me the choice. He wanted it to be my decision. He didn't want to lose you. So, he asked the club to let me choose."

I roll around what my father has said as I make my way back to the common room. Colt and the others should be returning soon. Hopefully, he will have worn himself out and be ready to sleep. I don't want him to see his grandfather suffering. Dad assured me he'll be up and around tomorrow.

The cacophony of children's voices precedes their arrival. Colt spots me and runs over. "We had the best time. Desdemona let us swim in her pool. It was huge! They had a slide and a diving board plus a big bouncy thing that we could lie on. It had a table in the middle, so we got to eat snacks on it. They even had this toy that sprayed us. I can't wait to go back. Desdemona said we could come back any time."

"Sounds like you had fun. Did you thank her?"

"We did. Alisa's dad had a barbecue. We had hotdogs and potato salad. It was so good."

"Thank you for taking him," I say to Alisa.

"My pleasure. Every pool party has more adults than kids, so adding one more to the mix isn't a hardship. Besides, he's officially part of the NextGen Club."

"The NextGen Club?" I ask with a smirk, watching the kids rush over to Max. "As in the Next Generation?"

"You got it," Alisa says with a chuckle. "Elina has plans. She's already instructed all the couples that they need to have kids."

I laugh, because I can see the confident little girl doing just that. "She's amazing."

"She's a brat," Alisa corrects me, but with a smile. "I wouldn't change her for the world. Before we came here, she was timid. We lost her father when she was a baby. The man who took him from us tried to ingratiate himself into our lives. I didn't know what he'd done, or I'd never have let him near us. He never hurt Elina, but he didn't warm to her either. I didn't think about how that could affect her until we came here. Until Puma. His affection for her helped her blossom. She gained confidence, and she knows he'll always have her back."

"Are the kids back yet? I want ice cream!" Puma's booming voice announces his entrance. The kids squeal and race toward the mountain of a man. He lifts Elina up and places her on his shoulders before reaching down to pick up Angel and Slade in each of his humongous arms. Colt runs forward, too, but instead of going to Puma, he rushes toward Wildcard and slams into his legs. Wildcard lifts him up and glances around the room until his eyes meet mine. I can see the question in them. I make my way towards him to give him the answer.