Page 93 of Wrath

“No, you’re gonna stay here and when I’m done, we’ll pick up where we left off.” He shakes his head.

“Are you sorry for what happened? Knowing what you know now if you could go back and do it all differently, would you?” I look deep into his eyes, beyond his anger, and deeper than his guilt.

“Yes,” he answers me, softly and sincerely.

“You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. Take me with you, let me watch the man who hurt me suffer. Don’t make this decision for me.”

He blows out a heavy breath and stares back at me, and just when I think he’s going to argue, he opens the door and gestures for me to go through it.

“You just took the right road toward being forgiven.” I press a kiss on his rough, stubbly jaw before stepping out into the Collard’s hall. I ignore each one of them as I head outside and get into the black truck that I know will belong to my father, and when I jump into the driver’s seat he gives me a stern look but doesn’t argue.

“Glad you could join us again.” Cliff's eyes flicker open and I make sure I’m the first person he sees. I try to focus on what's in front of me, but ever since Raze got that call from Rocco to say Eden had broken outta the club, my mind’s been racing with scenarios. I know she’s safe because I got the cunt who hurt her, right in front of me. She knows that too, which is what's making me question her being so desperate to leave.

“Where is Willow?” I ask him the same question I did before his lights went out because I refuse to believe that my sister is dead.

“I told ya where she is.” He closes his eyes back up and I tap my hand against the cheek that isn’t blistered and burned. “Look at me! Look me in the eye and say it,” I order, feeling anger burn away at my insides.

“Trust me, she’s dead.” I catch a glimpse of hurt in his eyes when he reopens them and I realize he ain’t fuckin’ lying. “It’s true, and it’s my fault.” He tears his eyes away from mine as if he actually feels some remorse.

“What happened?” I don’t even know if I got the strength to hear this but I owe it to my sister to find out.

“I was on the run, and she was a dead weight to fuckin’ carry with me. I trusted the wrong fuckin’ people to take care of her,” he admits groggily.

“Who? Who d’ya leave her with?” My voice gets weaker.

“You know how Willow could be. She liked to be heard, she was stubborn, her mouth was always runnin’ away with her and gettin’ her in trouble.”

“Who?” I grip my hand around his throat because I need to fuckin’ know the name of the fucker I’m killing next.

“They used me, son,” He shakes his head in shame. “I loved your sister. I love you all. All I've ever tried to do is?—”

“Save your breath with the bull shit. Who killed my fuckin’ sister?” I squeeze my fingers tighter, feeling his pulse quicken.

“Reapers,” he manages. I immediately look up at Raze, who narrows his eyes. “I trusted Ronnie to keep her safe, and they…they treated her like a whore. Your new president is just as much to blame.” Cliff diverts his attention to Raze.

“My fault? How thefuckis it my fault?” He reaches down and takes my father’s foot, twisting it sideways until his ankle snaps and he cries out in agony then, crouching down to the same level as me, he waits for Cliff to give him an answer.

“For years while I was president, I kept the Reapers off our backs,” he seethes through the pain he’s in.

“Yeah, because you’re a deceitful fuckin’ rat—who betrayed the club,” Raze reminds him.

“Willow was still alive the day before ya ordered the take-down on that new compound they were buildin’.” Cliff’s lips shake almost as much as his body. “I guess the fact they had your VP’s sister was too good an opportunity for them. They killed Willow in retaliation.” Cliff looks at Raze as if he’s enjoying his suffering. He always hated the bond I had with my mentor, and I’m sure the fact he has something to put between us is making all his suffering tolerable. “They rang me that night, said thatour agreement had come to an end. I guess it made sense, I was only a useful source to them while I could control the Souls. They made me listen on the phone while they did it.” His eyes turn back to me again. “So, you can use all the methods this asshole taught ya to try and make me hurt, but nothin’ is gonna torture me more than hearin’ your sister beg me to save her.” I release him from my grip and get up, turning away from him so he doesn't see the tears in my eyes. The thought of Willow having to suffer, of never seeing her again, is crippling.

“I needed consolin’.” The fucker keeps on talking as ifhe’sa victim in this. “ I needed familiarity, and when I found out Anita was at that whorehouse, nothin’ was gonna stop me gettin’ to her, not even you fuckers wantin’ me dead.” His admission has my head spinning back to Raze and when I see that he looks just as confused as I am, I get the impression we’re missin’ somethin’.

“Anita, at the whorehouse?” I try to make sense of what he’s saying.

“You think that just ‘cause I ain’t around I haven’t got eyes and ears?” He attempts to laugh. “I told her I’d always be watchin’.” He manages a laugh before Raze kicks him in the guts to silence him.

“Anita was never at the whorehouse,” Raze tells him, still looking confused.

“I figured that out when I got there.” The good side of Cliff’s mouth lifts into a snarl.

“All ya need to know about Anita is that she’s safe, safe fromyouand youreyes.” Raze takes out his switchblade and holds it dangerously close to Cliff’s eyeball.

“I need to talk with her.” Cliff looks down at the blade and tries to stay calm.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Raze laughs at him.

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