“I feel like that’s something that David would have had to throw in my face before we killed him. But he didn’t. He just said, ‘You have no idea what lies in the shadows waiting for the right moment to attack’. I thought he was just trying to throw shit out there. I still think he was.”
“Well, we’re about to find out what is going on,” Nerds says as he looks up at all of us, his face full of dread. “She’s here.”
Rage sends Sugar off to let everyone here know what’s going on just to be safe. Nerds heads back to his office while I follow Rage out to the main room where Axe and Stone meet us.
“Text Parker to let her through the gates,” Rage tells Axe.
Walking outside, we all wait a few feet in front of the door as her SUV pulls down the long driveway and parks in the middle of it. From what I can see, it looks like she is completely alone.
The second she steps out of the car, Stone ducks around a parked car and slowly works his way around so he can peek through the windows of the car.
“Gabriel. It’s so good to see you,” she says in a sickly-sweet voice.
I’ve never actually seen her up close before. You would never guess that this person in front of us could be so hideous on the inside when she smiles warmly, her clothes perfectly tailored to her body. Her hair holds perfect curls, and she has a full face of makeup on. Not a flaw in sight.
“It’s Rage. Not Gabriel. And I can’t say the same,” Rage says flatly. “What are you doing here, Tammy?”
She looks him up and down before her eyes scan the rest of us standing out here. “I noticed you discovered David’s little club right out of town.”
Rage feigns confusion. “What are you talking about? David disappeared after Killer died and I took over the club. I haven’t seen him since.”
Tammy narrows her eyes at him and then scoffs, “Don’t play stupid with me, Gabriel. You may have turned into a pussy, but I know you’re the one who burned down his club building. Let me guess, his big mouth finally ran too far, and you found out about how he wants to take over?”
“Well, it’s nice to learn that. But I had no idea he was even still in the area. I haven’t seen or heard from him,” Rage deadpans
“You can stop playing games with me. I fucking know you burned down the building and I’m guessing took him out considering I haven’t heard from him in months,” Tammy sneers.
“How could I possibly burn down a building I didn’t even know existed? If you haven’t heard from him in months, why are you just now checking for your own father?” Rage tilts his head at her.
She rolls her eyes at him and crosses her arms over her chest. “You know as well as I do that the bastard didn’t care about me. The only reason he ever reached out over the last few years was to talk about that precious daughter of yours,” she snaps.
My fists clench at my sides. Breathe, Grayson. I knew she wouldn’t be able to not bring up Harley, but yet it still sets my blood on fire. She shouldn’t be allowed to even think about her.
Rage, being the perfect image of calm, doesn’t answer her. He just stares at her with the same bored look.
A slow grin spreads over her face. “Unless he finally got his hands on her? Is that why you burned him to the ground?” she taunts.
“This is becoming pointless,” Rage sighs. “You’re going in circles, and for once in your life, you are wrong. I figured he took off to one of the other MCs that my father was involved with in another state. I had no fucking clue he was around here. I haven’t talked to the fucker in over five years.”
Tammy’s smug attitude begins to drop. “You know I don’t care if you did kill him and took down his club. They were becoming a bigger problem than asset for me anyway.”
That gains Rage’s attention, and he steps towards her. “How was he becoming a problem for you? From what I understood, you got out of this life when Killer banned you from the club when we were barely eighteen. So, what is this really about? Why are you showing up here after not having shown your face in over a decade?”
Her eyes narrow. “Gabriel, you have never been able to play games like your father. Why are you doing it now?”
“Don’t compare me to Killer.” He snorts. “We are nothing alike. I have never played games. I didn’t like the manipulative shit he did, and I would never do that to someone else.”
Tammy examines him for a moment, as if she thinks he’ll crumble and tell her what she wants to hear. When he doesn’t, her face falls. She pales and takes a slow step back.
“You swear that you had nothing to do with this? Not a thing? Don’t lie to me, Gabriel. Please,” she says almost pleadingly while also trying to keep her hard shell in place. My brows furrow, not really understanding what’s going on.
Rage sighs and runs a hand down his face. “Tammy, I’ve told you multiple times now that I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re talking about. I don’t deal with that shit anymore. I don’t care about any of it.”
“Not even your own daughter?” She raises a brow at him.
“I didn’t say anything about her. She’s my child, and that’s different.”
Tammy clearly wants to say more, I would guess about Harley, but she clamps her mouth shut and breathes through her nose. She glances around at all of us, her eyes lingering on me for a moment, and then she steps back again next to the driver’s side door of her car.