Page 16 of Devil's Queen

Rex’s expression remains stoic, his eyes holding mine as if trying to unravel the layers of my guarded heart. A flicker of hurt passes through his gaze, but he quickly masks it with an emotionless façade. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Rem.”

My heart hammers in my chest. He’s the only person who calls me Rem. I take a deep breath, suppressing the memories that threaten to overwhelm me. “You don’t get to call me that anymore, Rex. Not after everything that’s happened.”

Rex’s jaw tightens, and I can see the pain in his eyes before he carefully masks it once more. “I know I messed up that night. If you’d only let me explain. That night?—”

“Was the worst night of my life. You stood there, watching Wolff rip away the only home and family I knew and shove my mama and me out on the street. My dad wasn’t even cold in his grave.” The words spill out of me before I can stop them. For years, I’ve held onto this hurt. The betrayal not only by my father’s club but by the boy I thought loved me back. All his promises to protect me meant nothing when I needed them the most.

I shake my head, trying to push the flood of emotions away. “I can’t forgive you for that, Rex. I won’t.” My voice wavers, betraying the turmoil within me. “You abandoned me.”

Rex’s shoulders slump, a flicker of regret crossing his face. “I know I can never make up for what happened. Please, just hear me out.”

“If I do, will you leave?”

“Yes,” he admits.

“Fine,” I scoff. “You have five minutes.” The sooner he leaves, the better for us all. The last thing I need is for my mama to find him here.

“That’s not enough time for what I need to tell you.”

“Make it enough.”

Rex takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. The silence between us is heavy, with unspoken words and unresolved tension. “There’s a lot you don’t know about that night,” he begins, his eyes never leaving mine. “Your father was in over his head,” Rex continues. “Rene made some bad deals with the worst sort of people, and when he couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain, they came to collect.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine as Rex’s words unveil a whole new layer to the story I thought I knew so well. Confusion and anger swirl within me as I struggle to process this revelation. The coroner had put down suicide as the cause of death on his death certificate. If what Rex is saying is true, Dad couldn’t have died that way.

“What kind of deals?” I’d be foolish to think that my father was a saint. He routinely screwed the club girls openly in front of my mama. He loved her in his own way, but not enough to keep it in his pants nor give her his last name.

“The kind that gets you and your family killed.”

“I need more than that, Rex.”

“I can’t tell you the details, Rem. As a club president yourself, you know some things don’t leave the meeting room. This is one of them, but you have to trust me.”

I glare at him, frustration building within me. “You expect me to just take your word for it? That my father didn’t commit suicide. You make it sound like he sacrificed himself for me.”

He ignores my insinuation completely. “It’s all I can give you, Rem.”

Rex’s words hang in the air, filling the room with silent tension. I scrutinize his face, searching for any hint of deceit or evasion.

“Rem, I know it sounds unbelievable, but I swear on everything that matters to me, it’s the truth.”

“Why now, after all this time? It’s been eight years since he passed away. You could have told me that night. Why did you hide it for so long?”

“Because I didn’t have the evidence back then,” Rex replies, his voice filled with regret. “I’ve spent years digging, trying to uncover the truth. They didn’t tell me shit as a prospect. If I hadn’t overheard a couple of the older patches arguing about it, I may have never known until recently.”

“You mean now that you’re the club president.”

A flutter of shock registers on his face.

“Didn’t know I knew about that, huh?”

Rex’s eyes narrow, the intensity of his gaze unwavering. “Rem, I never wanted this position,” he says, his voice tinged with frustration. “But after Wolff got voted out, I had to take it to protect you. The other option would have been worse than Wolff.”

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. “Protect me? Is that what you call it? Leaving me alone and vulnerable? I was barely eighteen when they kicked us out. Why didn’t you protect me then?”

“I couldn’t. I was a fucking prospect. The only way I could protect you then was to stay, to keep an eye on the rest of the club. I thought I was doing what was best for you,” he replies, his tone laced with remorse. “I didn’t want you to be dragged into the mess your father created.”

Anger surges through me, overpowering any lingering hurt. “And look where that got me? Eight years during which your club has done nothing but make my life a living hell. And what about Mama?” I snap. “Leaving her to face the consequences on her own. How is that protecting her?”

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