Page 1 of Condemned Soul

Present Day

“Dad… You home?” I hear Ella calling through the house and place the framed photo I’m holding of Hayley back on my nightstand.

“Dad?” She looks surprised to find me still in bed.

“Can’t an old man get a lie-in around here?” I get up and stretch out my neck, and when I head toward the bathroom she follows me and stands in the doorway. I grip both sides of the basin and look at her through the mirror in front of me. “Seems he can’t get any privacy either.”

“I’m nervous about today,” she admits, and once I’ve splashed some water on my face and patted it dry with a towel I turn around and face her.

“You got nothin’ to be nervous about, sweetheart.” I move toward her, kissing her forehead and stroking my hand over her silky, brown hair.

“I know how much you hate it when Mom comes here. I don’t even know why Nyx wants to throw me this stupid damn party anyway.” She fidgets with her hands the way she always does when she gets anxious about something.

“Ella, your mom don’t bother me, and Nyx wants to throw you this stupid damn party ‘cause he loves you. We all love you.” I hold her face in my hands and smile. It’s hard to believe that something as beautiful as her and Hayley could have come from me. Every day I blame myself for the fact they aren’t together.

“Which is why you tolerate my mom,” Ella reminds me with that smile that always eases the ache in my heart. I hate to say it, but she got that smile from her mother.

“You got it, kid.” I wink. “Now, go get yaself ready, and for God’s sake, act surprised. Nyx has put a lot of effort into this for ya.”

“I’ve been practicing my shocked face for weeks,” she assures me, kissing my cheek before she rushes out the room.

I turn back around and look at my reflection, suddenly feeling like a fraud. It’s getting harder and harder to keep pretending to her and everyone else around here that everything’s gonna be okay, especially now that I sense time is running out.

I take my time in the shower and sit out on my balcony so I can do a little more thinking. Lately, I’ve avoided being down at the clubhouse. It don’t feel good keeping shit from my brothers and all the people I care about, but as their leader, I’ve made the choice and decided that it’s best to keep my meeting with Agent Consuela a secret.

It feels too good seeing everyone here happy, I hate the thought of taking it away from them. We’ve been through a lot of shit these past couple of years and although we still have our problems, especially with our Long Beach charter president. We also got a solution to it. My brothers and their families need a little time to enjoy all they have before I hit them with our next big hurdle. The biggest one we’ve faced yet.

My plan to take down Cliff may be supported by all my other charters, but what they don’t know is the damage his actions have caused. Cliff’s screwed us, and until I’ve figured a way to fix it, it’s a struggle to be around everyone and act normal.

The club will be buzzing today, everyone will be getting the party ready for my daughter's birthday. It’s a time I should be celebrating, I missed out on so many birthdays when she was younger, and it hurts too bad to think of all the ones I’ll miss of Hayley’s too. Still, I got no more time for sad thoughts today. I’m a father and I’m a leader, and when life kicks ya into the dirt, I ain’t got no choice but to dust myself off and keep fighting.

As I predicted, the clubhouse is in full party mode when I eventually get there. The music is loud, kids are chasing each other, stomping on balloons, and everyone in the room seems to be wearing a smile, even fuckin’ Grimm.

“Hey, Dad. You missed the surprise.” Ella bounces over to greet me with that contented look on her face that reminds me why I keep doing what I do. She looks so pretty and carefree, just like her momma did when I first met her.

“Grampa.” Dylan side-tackles my thighs, catching me by surprise, and I quickly swoop him up and pretend to gnaw on his neck like a dog with a bone. The sound of him giggling feels like such a huge reward for something so simple.

I watch Ella’s face quickly turn serious and feel the mood in the room change in an instant. I slowly turn my head to look in the direction everyone else is, and see that Joanne has stepped through the double doors. Her high heels click against the wood floor to the beat of the music as she struts toward us, carrying a box that's perfectly tied with a pink ribbon.

Her eyes focus on mine like they hold some kinda power over me as she comes toward our daughter and very formally places a kiss on each side of her cheeks.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.” She hands over her gift before her head slowly turns to face me, and when she takes our grandson's hand in hers and presses her lips against it, I can’t help remembering how they used to feel against my own skin.

“Hello, Dylan.” She squeezes his hand tight in her fist as she shakes it, also reminding me of how she crushed my heart. It takes all that good I’m feeling and turns it into hate.

“Jimmer.” She forces a polite smile for me, and I still can’t decide if I’d rather throttle her or fuck her. So, I do what’s best and hand Dylan over to Nyx so I can put some distance between me and the woman who I allowed to bring me to my knees. Heading over to the bar I order myself a whiskey straight, and when I feel the graze of manicured nails come from behind me, skimming under my cut and sliding over my chest, I quickly spin around.

“Relax, it’s only me.” Haven laughs mischievously. “You wanna make a bitch jealous?” She sets straight to work kissing my neck, while her hands roam all over my body. “Is she watching?” Her lips whisper against my skin, and when I glance across the room and see Joanne staring right back at me, she looks neither jealous nor sad. She looks strong and determined. Exactly the same as she did all those years ago when she first stepped into my bar.

“So, what you're tellin’ me is that I have no chance?” I throw my napkin at my plate and stare across the table at the guy who claims to be the best family lawyer in the state.

“I’m sorry, but judges tend to side with the mother in these situations. In your situation, they would definitely side with the mother.” I note how his eyes move around my barroom nervously. “You're an outlaw, Jimmer,” he reminds me as if that’s some kinda fuckin’ secret.

“I’m also an outstandin’ citizen of this town with big plans for the future. We’ll be openin’ up a garage once we move to the new compound. That will be another legitimate business… this place is gettin’ a new look and will be re-openin’ as a sports bar, and the club is gonna fund the tattoo studio Tac is?—”

“Do you really want people to start looking into your businesses?” He raises his eyebrows questioningly.

“So, what do I do, carry on the way I am? Let this woman threaten to take my daughter away from me whenever I piss her off?”

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