Page 36 of Biker's Dark Revenge

"Damn, I didn’t realize you could keep stuff like that hidden from your family," I replied. But I intended to protect Kara from it for as long as I could – now that I was her official guardian, I wasn’t going to let anything, anything in the damn world, get in the way of her safety.

"I’m hoping that there won’t be too much to hide in future," he remarked. "I’m hoping...I’m hoping that being part of the Dogs is something these guys can be proud of."

I raised my eyebrows, glancing down at the club’s symbol tattooed on my arm. Proud of? Now, that would be something. Not that I wasn’t proud to call myself a member of the Dogs, but being seen as a positive for the city was something I liked the sound of.

"You willing to give it a go?" he asked, and I nodded, a grin spreading over my face.

"I’ll give it a try," I replied. "Old habits die hard though, right?"

"They die in a factory outside town," Chuck shot back, cocking an eyebrow. "And that’s where we’re going to leave them."

"Agreed," I replied, and a moment of silence passed between us. After all these years, after everything that had happened, I realized I still hadn’t come clean to Chuck about what happened to Dina – and, as he eyed me from across the table, I could tell he had questions of his own.

"There’s something I want to clear up first, though," he remarked, and I lifted my gaze to meet his.

"Oh, yeah? What’s that?"

"What happened between you and that Olivio guy?" he asked, leaning forward with interest. "When we got our hands on him, you told me you wanted to deal with him yourself..."

I sighed.

"It’s a long story," I offered him. He shook his head.

"You don’t have to tell me," he replied. "But you don’t have to keep that shit from me, either. New leaf, remember? Leave the past behind."

I gazed down at a whorl in the wood on the table, thinking. If there was ever a time to tell him about my past, it was now. And shit, maybe he was right – maybe the only way I was going to be able to leave all of this behind was if I finally came out and told him the truth of what happened all those years ago.

And so, I did. I told him. I told him about Dina, about my ex, about the accident – about the attack I’d made on Olivio all those years ago, about how much I wanted him dead. And how I let him walk because I just didn’t have it in me. And then, when I got a second chance how I’d taken out all my rage on him and Lombardi until nothing remained.

Chuck let out a long whistle through his teeth when I was done.

"Fuck," he muttered. "That’s...a lot."

"I know," I replied, meeting his gaze steadily. "And... if we’re going to do this, if we’re going to change things with the Dogs...I want your word that we’ll never let a crime like that go unpunished."

"What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath.

"The cops couldn’t do anything, or wouldn’t," I explained. "They made me feel like a psycho for going after him at all, for wanting justice – but the Dogs, they could help with shit like that. They could make sure no other parent has to feel as though their child...as though someone close to them hasn’t received the justice they deserve. That’s what I want. That’s what I want for the Dogs."

Chuck nodded slowly as he took in what I was saying. This moment was heavy, no doubt about it, but I needed to put the hell I had been through with losing Dina to good use – I needed to turn all that pain I had suffered into something worthwhile.

"Then that’s what we’ll do," he promised me. "We’ll make sure nobody has to go through that alone, ever again."

I couldn’t smile – it didn’t feel like the time for smiles, but I was still grateful. I extended my hand to Chuck.

"Deal," I replied, and he took it – my old friend, my boss, the man I had sworn my loyalty to. He always gave me a reason to keep believing in him. And this? This was exactly the shift I knew I needed.

I rose to my feet and headed out of the office, throwing my leg over my bike, and tearing away from the tattoo shop. It was a bright, warm day, towards the end of summer – in just a few weeks, Kara was going to be starting school. She was a little nervous about it, but Liana had promised her she was going to have a great time – and I knew she would. She had already made friends with another little girl who lived on our street, and she was going to have so many new friends when she started classes next month.

I pulled my bike to a halt and headed inside the house, where Liana was cooking, while Kara drew at the table. Liana grinned at me, and I came over to drop a kiss on her cheek.

"How was the meeting with Chuck?" she asked.

"Unexpected," I admitted. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked. "How so?"

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