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She ignored him and glanced around the table. “What in the hell is going on?” she demanded.

I leaned back in my seat and exhaled slowly. “I have something to tell you guys. No one’s hurt or anything like that. It’s about my past.”

“Okay,” Shaker said and gestured for me to continue.

“Fucking hell! Are you married?” Keegan shouted.

“No! What is with you two? Gabby asked me the same thing.”

Keegan shrugged. “Duke was.”

“Duke’s an asshole,” I countered.

“Touché,” she said with a slight smile.

“Well, let’s hear it,” Ranger said with a touch of impatience.

I took a deep breath and started telling them the whole story. Surprisingly, no one said a word until I was finished. Actually, there was a long period of awkward silence before Keegan finally broke it. She aimed her eyes directly at Phoenix. “Why are you here?”

“Because he knew,” Shaker said.

Phoenix nodded. “That’s right. And I didn’t think he should have to explain or defend the decisions I made. He was fourteen years old and needed help. I had a feeling he would be an asset to the club, and I wasn’t wrong. I was also willing to take sole responsibility if I was.”

“How in the hell did none of us realize you were so young?” Shaker asked.

I shrugged. “I was always big for my age. Most people assumed I was older than I actually was, even when I was in elementary school.”

“There’s a big difference between fourteen and eighteen,” he said.

“The club was never in danger. I would’ve said I lied about my identity if anyone found out who I really was,” I added.

“This is why you never went out with the club brothers or were involved in any club business for the first few years you were a member,” Shaker said.

“That was my doing. I wasn’t going to put a teenager in the middle of dangerous situations. I only allowed him to be involved in club business behind the scenes until he was truly an adult, regardless of what his ID said.”

“And this is why you stay out of trouble,” Ranger added.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Shaker laughed. “Dude, you’re squeaky clean for a biker.”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what would happen if I was ever arrested, and I didn’t want to chance it. I still don’t. There’s no statute of limitations for murder.”

“Wait a minute. You didn’t keep tabs on the situation with your parents?” Keegan asked.

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I figured it was best not to know. If I knew they were looking for me, I would’ve been worried about it all the time. If it turned out I wasn’t suspected of murder, I knew I wouldn’t have been as careful to stay hidden and probably would have been found at some point. Like I said before, I wasn’t going down for murder, and I wasn’t going to be put into foster care.”

“Can’t say I blame you,” Ranger said.

“So, why now?” Keegan asked.

“What?”

“Why are you telling us now?” she clarified.

“Because I love your sister, and I wanted her to know the truth before things went any further,” I explained.

“You could’ve told her without telling us.”

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