As the ceremony ends, I stay there with my mom, my arm around her, as she cries and stares down into the grave. We remain there for what feels like an eternity. Apart from Wave and Serena, who’s observing from a distance, nobody remains.

What will happen to our club?

What will become of my brothers?

I’m at a loss.

I am certain that whoever murdered my father had a grudge against my family.

They killed my father and tried to kill me.

Witnesses said they saw a black van driving off when the shooting occurred in New York, but there were no witnesses to my father’s death.

We don’t want the cops involved, but it looks like we have no choice. They’re snooping around, saying they’re doing all they can to find the shooter, but we know that’s not true. Unless we find them ourselves, the police won’t catch them.

We have more connections than the police do—FBI and secret agents. My father had the police in his pockets. We pay them a fee each month to stay out of our way, but we still try to let them think they’re doing their job. Blackwood is the Chief of Police of the Houston Police Department. He’s been the chief for as long as I can remember.

He and my dad were tight, and he’d always help with intel when we needed it with no questions asked. When we’re done here, I’ll need a few favors myself.

“Mom, are you ready to leave?” I ask as I take her icy hands in mine and turn her to face me. She seems tired. The bags under her eyes are a dead giveaway. Her beautiful face is wet with tears and it looks like she hasn’t eaten in days.

“Oh, son, what am I going to do now? How will I go on?” She cries into my shoulder, and I hold her to me, letting her cry out her sorrows.

“I know, Mom.” I soothe as I run my hand down the back of her head. “We will go on. We need to go on. Papa wouldn’t want us to be miserable. He would want us, no you… to continue living.”

She pulls back. “What do I have to live for?” she states, anger sounding through her voice. “I havenothingto live for anymore.” She whales and continues to cry, and I hug her to me once again. “Shush, Mom. I know, I know… I’m here for you. Remember that. I’m always here for you.”

She pulls back once again and dries her eyes using her hand. “I’m sorry, Miho, I must sound selfish. You have lost a father.”

“Shush, don’t worry about that. We will get through this. Together. Let me take you home.”

She shakes her head. “I want to stay here a while.”

“Mom, no, you need to go home and rest. You’re tired. Please, for me. I’ll bring you back here tomorrow after you have rested.”

She gives me a warm smile and cups my cheek with her hand. “Okay, son, take me home.”

I walk my mom back to the car with my arm around her.

This morning I rode my bike to her house and drove my father’s Cadillac, taking us both to church for my dad’s funeral. My parents are Catholic. Although my dad did some nasty shit, he still believed in God, and Mom attends church every Sunday, so it was a given that we have a church funeral.

It was a closed coffin, understandable after being shot between his eyes. Unfortunately, that isn’t something you can hide with the swipe of some makeup. It’s a harsh reality my mom has had to deal with in the blink of an eye.

Opening the passenger door to my father’s red Cadillac, my mother sits, and I shut the door after her. This car was my father’s pride and joy. It would only be driven when the weather was warm, and no rain was forecast. He would then wipe the dust off the car and lock it in the garage. I tried to take it out once when I was a teenager, but my father caught me just in time, and for that, he forbade me from driving it ever again. Still, to this day, I haven’t had the balls to ask him to drive it. And now, I guess I never will.

Walking around to the other side, I open the door but then feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump and turn, ready to grab the gun hidden behind my pants. “Oh fuck, Serena, you scared the shit out of me. I nearly went to shoot you.”

Her eyes widen and follow my hand at my back, still gripping my gun. She doesn’t know the shit I do for my club. I’ve killed before protecting our VP, and I try to keep the darkness of my life away from her innocence. But I doubt she even knows the business that her father is involved in, to the fullest.

I’d wanted to tell her about his business proposal to our club, but what’s the use? She doesn’t need to know everything her father was into. I know she loves him, so why should I paint him as a bad guy? I do not want to be the one to cause any conflict between them, even if he is a selfish bastard.

Dropping my hand, I ask, “What is it?”

She fidgets with her hands and then finally looks up. “I… I just wanted to check if you’re okay. You haven’t been taking my calls all week. I’m here for you. You know that… don’t you, Harley?” she explains, stepping closer to me.

Her perfume reaches my senses, giving me a feeling of warmth and belonging I don’t need right now after I tell her why I’ve been hiding from her all week and haven’t taken her calls. I was going to tell her tonight, but I think now might be the best time.

Taking her hands in mine, I gaze deep into her eyes, gaining her full attention. “Sorry, Serena. I’ve been a jerk. I should have called you back but didn’t know what to say. I still don’t know…”