Page 15 of Fighting the Odds

“I would be Henry, but it seems Mrs. Jenkins is not on board with the plan of Sierra staying in her home, versus mine, which would be better for her psychologically at this time.” A smug grin appears on his face as he watches Mrs. Jenkins’ eyes go wide.

“Take me off speaker and hand her the phone, please.” The once friendly voice on the line is now cold and hard.

She takes the phone, and all I can do is stare. What is happening here? How is he related to me?

Wait!

Related! So he’s Sam’s uncle too? Why didn’t he step forward when our mom died? Why not get Sam, so she wouldn’t go into foster care?

“What are you thinking so hard about, Sierra?” He leans in and whispers in my ear.

“Why didn’t you take us in? Why aren’t you taking Sam so she isn’t in foster care?”

“Because I’m not her uncle. The two of you don’t share the same father. I promise once I have you home, I’ll explain everything. Answer all your questions.” He looks at me, his face void of emotion.

A throat clearing pulls our attention.

“Here’s your phone. It appears special accommodations have been made and everything is set. You and Sierra are free to leave. We will be contacting you about her case and scheduling visits. Your bag will be dropped off here tomorrow and I can bring them to you or have them picked up.”

“Please, just call me and I will come by and pick them up. Now, I would like to take my niece home. She’s had a long day and I know she’s hungry and tired. We have a long night ahead of us as I answer all her questions.” He stands, reaching out and taking Mrs. Jenkins’ hand, giving it a shake.

“I will, Mr. Williams. Sierra, if you need anything, please call me. I’ll be in touch.” She gives me a smile, extending her hand to me, but I don’t take it. I’m done. I’ve had enough bombshells to last a lifetime.

Standing, I walk out of the room, biting my tongue until I can scream at him.

“Don’t say a word until we’re in the car. I’ll explain,” he whispers in my ear. I nod in understanding, moving down the hallway to the elevator that will lead me to some of my answers or more questions. Perhaps both.

An awkward silence fills the ride down to the bottom floor. I catch him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. So many questions plague me, but I’m abiding by his request and waiting until we get to the car. I just hope he’s ready for them.

As we step out of the building, I wrap my arms around myself, offering comfort I wish someone else could give me.

“I’m parked over here,” he tells me, taking me by the elbow and leading me to his car

He opens the door and I slide inside, same as I’ve done many times before, before moving around to the other side and getting in himself.

“Okay, start talking.” I’m curious and pissed the fuck off. Mostly the latter at the moment.

He pulls out his phone, types a message to someone, and then turns slightly in his seat so he can face me.

“Your mother was one of the sweetest women I ever knew. She was older than me when we met. I was fifteen, and she was eighteen. It was love at first sight for me, but she only had eyes for my brother and him for her.”

“Then why aren’t they together? Why didn’t he come for me when my mother died?” I want to know, but I’m glad he didn’t. If he isn’t Sam’s father, then we would have been separated then and I don’t think my heart could’ve taken that.

“Families aren’t always good. I’m sure you know that. My father was the head of an MC, the Satan’s Rejects. They were violent and above the law. They never cared who they hurt. Mark was the spitting image of my father, and I knew he was going to follow along in his footsteps. One night, your mother saw him with one of the girls at the club, and they got into a fight. He didn’t like how she talked to him in front of the other guys there and made an example out of her.” He pauses, giving me a minute to soak in what he’s saying. My father is nothing but an animal.

“What did he do?” My eyes are blurry as I hold back the tears, afraid of what he’s going to tell me next.

“He beat the shit out of her, right there in front of all the club brothers and whores. The next day, she was gone. Mark looked for a while, but it was as if she vanished. What he didn’t know was I had a friend of mine in another MC help get her a new life.” He swallows, and I’m not sure if he is going to say more or if he’s giving me time to process.

“Why did you help her?”

“Because after my brother was done with her, he got drunk, leaving her on the floor. I scooped her up and carried her home. It was then she told me she was pregnant. She was afraid the beating he gave her harmed her baby. If I had a niece or nephew out there, I wanted them growing up in a different world, far away from here. My buddy Earl, he’s a good man, and he had his best guy handle all the details. The next morning, she was on a plane, heading to a new home, with a bag full of money to help her get on her feet.”

So my dad’s a dick. Great. Just one more failure of a man in my life. At least this one I didn’t know. Shit! What if he finds out about me?

“Does he know about me?”

“No, he never did. A year later, I left, found your mom and hid in the shadows to make sure you were okay. At the time, you were. Then she died, but my brother was still alive, so I couldn’t risk stepping up to take care of you. I had to hide who I was, and I thought your aunt would grow up and do what needed to be done. For that mistake in my judgment, I’ll forever be sorry.”

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