Page 82 of Daughters of Chaos

Conversations are running smoothly as we all eat. Jokes and jibes are shared, and there is more laughter than I've heard in weeks. It's an incredible feeling, but my gut is tense like this is too good to be true. It's almost as if we've been allowed too much joy today, and something bad is about to shoot in and ruin it all.

It's probably irrational, but I can't shake it. Something feels wrong.

"You good, Nix?" Raven asks.

I plant a fake smile on my face as I lie, "Yeah, all good. Just tired from earlier."

She eyes me carefully but doesn't push the issue. "You did well," she says, still surveying me. "I'm proud of you."

My heart tugs at her compliment, and I swallow the knot forming in my throat. "Thanks, Rae."

Jesse pulls her into a conversation, freeing me from her watchful gaze. I breathe a small sigh of relief, though the knot in my stomach is still wound tightly. I try to process it, try to calm myself, and convince my gut that it's nerves and nothing else. Everything will be fine. Nothing I tell myself works to cool the warning blaring in my soul, telling me to be careful.

It has me so distracted I hardly notice when the conversation changes. The sound of one name jolts me out of my stupor. "I can't wait until we cut Dom and his guys down to size," Raven says.

Jesse scoffs his agreement, "Yeah, none of us can. Plus, I'm sure Viper is chompin' at the bit to finally take down Scar."

"Scar? Who's he?" my sister asks.

I look over at them in time to see Jesse give her a strange look. "He's the Bastards' Prez, Rae. You didn't think Dom's dumb ass was calling the shots, did you?"

Raven's brows furrow as she shakes her head, realizing something. "I never actually looked at his patches. I only saw the cut and his ugly mug. Shit, I assumed he was the president with the way he puffed his chest all the time."

"Nah, he likes to pretend he's the boss, but he's just the VP. Scar is in charge."

"Why has no one mentioned him before?"

The guys exchange a strange look before Mason cuts in. "Viper doesn't like talking about him. Shit between the two of them goes back over three decades."

Three decades?It takes a second for me to process the information, but something sparks in my memory. The story Mom told us—why Dad was headed here in the first place. His friend had found them a job and a place to live. Was Scar that friend? I'd always assumed it was Bear or Miguel, but I never asked Dad about it.

Shit, everything makes so much more sense now. "Is that why there's so much animosity between the Sons and Bastards?"

Mason looks at me with a solemn nod.

"What happened between them?"

He takes a deep breath before answering. For a moment, he fights an inner battle with himself before telling us cautiously, "Scar used to run with the Sons."

The information hits me like a punch to the gut. Scar has to be him—Dad's friend from Colorado who introduced him to the MC to begin with. What the hell happened?

Rae's outburst at the news mirrors my shock as Mason continues, "He joined shortly before Viper did. He said he had a friend back home that needed a new start. Scar vouched for Viper to get him into the MC, so the president, Axel, brought him on as a prospect."

Mason looks like he doesn't want to say much more, but Jesse adds to the story. "My dad used to say the two of them were like brothers. Thick as thieves, always watching out for each other. They were like sons to Axel."

When he gets quiet, Raven pounces. "Oh, come on. Tell us what happened. Why are Scar and Viper now mortal enemies?"

Jesse and Mason share a look. Neither wants to say more, but Mason finally relents after catching my pleading stare. He rubs his face and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table,looking anxious as he fills us in. "As the club grew, Scar and Viper took on more responsibility. Went on bigger jobs, making more money for the Sons. Gained notoriety from other crews.

"Everyone figured Axel was priming one of them to be the next leader. Scar was jealous of how close Axel and Viper got. He started getting greedy on jobs. He'd go rogue, do his own thing behind Axel's back."

He shakes his head. "My dad knew him. Said he had no moral code. He'd maim and kill people just for looking at him sideways. Axel tried to rein him in, but Scar kept getting worse. They had a job, running guns for some mob hotshots out of Chicago. A rival MC caught wind of it and stole the job right out from under them. Scar didn't take it well.

"He saw the rival MC president's daughter in town one day and kidnapped her. Said he'd let her go if the club paid the Sons back what they made on the gun-running job with interest. They paid up, but Scar didn't let her go right away. He—" Mason looks away, his words catching in his throat as he shakes his head.

"He what?" Raven presses.

His jaw clenches as he meets her eye. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. Mason shakes his head again. "He beat her nearly to death," Stitch answers as he stares at the floor. "And he raped her repeatedly while he had her locked up."

---