Page 54 of Golden Atonement

Turning, I saw my father standing in the doorway.

“Your sister is right, Remi,” he added. “Maxim keeps nothing from Illyria. He learned that lesson the hard way and it damn near cost him dearly. And I suspect that Reaper is beginning to learn that lesson as well. You want to stop being a pawn in this game, then you need to learn the real truth and start asking the right questions, because until you understand the man youmarried and what is really at stake here, you will never find peace.”

“Where do I start?”

“At the beginning.”

February 22, 2024

Remi

It had been two days since Vladmir told me everything he knew about Max, the Golden Skulls, and their involvement and takedown of theSociety. And true to his word, he left nothing out. He answered every question I had to the best of his abilities. He even told me about Reaper’s relationship with the Bratva and what Fedorov had done since to make amends. But what caught my attention was how the Soulless Sinners had been trying for years to get rid of the Golden Skulls.

The question Vladmir couldn’t answer was why?

Apparently, nobody knew why, and the ones who did wore a Soulless Sinner brand on their backs.

I knew I couldn’t just walk up to Montana and ask him to tell me. The man would laugh right in my face. Even if he did tell me, I knew not to believe a damn word out of his mouth. Then there were his brothers. Though they distanced themselves from the club, Vladmir informed me that Arizona, Dakota, and Kansas all bore the same Soulless Sinner brand on their backs. They might not want anything to do with Montana, but if the club called, they would go running.

Just like I knew Ghost, Shadow, and Vicious would.

All three may be in other places at the moment, but if anything happened and the Golden Skulls called, I knew those men would drop everything to help.

Family didn’t abandon family.

Closing my eyes, I sighed while I carefully twirled the empty bottle of beer in my hand, knowing I was on the cusp of something monumental. If I could just figure out the last missing piece, I would know what to do. Until then, I had no choice but to stay the course.

“Remi?”

Looking up, I smiled as Valhalla took a seat at the table.

“You look lost in thought.”

“Because I am.”

“Can I help?”

“Only if know you of a reason I shouldn’t trust the Soulless Sinners.”

Valhalla sighed, leaning back in her chair.

“It’s not easy playing catch up.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Word of advice?”

Looking at the woman, I waited, saying nothing.

“Trust your gut.”

I smirked at that. “That’s easier said than done, Val. I’ve done that before and it’s only caused more problems.”

“But that was before Reaper, right?”

I nodded.

“What is your gut telling you right now?”

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