Page 34 of Death's Deal

Chapter 19

Apoc stopped by aboutan hour ago, bringing with him a travel bag full of Toni’s things and a wicked attitude I could’ve done without. He didn’t speak to her, honestly, he acted as if she wasn’t even in the room. If I told him the truth of it, simply put, I don’t know it would change his attitude one bit. He was just a toddler when I went to jail, and he’d always blamed her as he grew up. The situation hasn’t changed for him. She’s still the root of all the things that collapsed our family.

Sitting out in the garage, he gave me an update on the club and how things were fairing, as well as J. It’s only been a few days, but Poc told me he’d made sure the nurses were paid out for the next two weeks, just in case.

When he finally left, Toni and I spent the next five hours poring over the book, all while she’d told me more about my Tristan. My son. Wow, that still feels surreal. The time passed as we made notes of our own, notes that would make a stronger man than me blush. Simply put; Claudine and Hylo were brutal.

“Your mom was kick-ass.” Toni was totally enamored by her tactics, even things as simple as rerouting another cartel’s supply chain by changing the underground tunnels was spectacular.

“She wasn’t what I expected. I had a different Mom in my mind. I remember the woman who would cheer me on from the sidelines and tell the ref off for bad calls. The woman who wouldn’t take shit from the guys in the club.”

“You sound as enamored as this Queen lady was.” Smiling, Toni gathers up the nearest scratch pad, scribbling a note of her own about the page we’re on. As I set Piper’s legend page between us, we’ve added six more symbols to its ledger. Writing them to the page, and deciphering more of my mother and the Queen’s intentions, her process of maim, beat, and bury had taken out more than one cartel. More powerful men than I thought possible had fallen to her feet in adoration. One “foreign emissary” had bestowed her a villa in the south of Italy, complete with staff, a fully stocked wine cellar, and a few thousand stocks in Ferrari, all because of a debt he’d owed her.

“I have a hard time believing all of this isn’t something out of Hollywood. This is unreal.” Pulling my sweaty glass of orange juice off the side table, I lean back with a huff before taking a swig. We stayed up yesterday talking about Tristan, and after a long daytime nap, the two of us pored over the book until it was morning again. Here it is the wee hours and we’re now coming up on a new day once more.

I wipe the wetness off my top lip with the back of my hand. “I always knew my mother was brilliant, but I wouldn’t have pegged her as a criminal mastermind. Learning the man I’d always thought of as my father is not, that’s harder to swallow.” Thinking about it all, I’m still processing the Huesos connection and how they connect to this Claudio and moreover, Murianos. “Am I related to the psycho who tried to pull our clubs to shreds?”

Did he know? If he did, that’s fucked up. If he didn’t, what happens when he does?

“And you found out you're a father. Quite the day, Quinny.” Smiling, she grabs her steaming mug of black coffee, swigging down a hefty gulp.

“I’m a dad.” Mirroring her reply, I scoff at it all, “Fuck.”

Toni places a marker in the book where we are, closing it. “Do you think he knows?”

“You mean Murianos? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe that’s why he’s so hell-bent on destroying us.” I place the now empty glass on the table. “Thing is, he hasn’t made it known. I would’ve been the first he’d tell. He has a way of showboating.”

“Would anyone else know? Maybe someone from the club? Older members.”

Quirking a brow, her question piques my intrigue. “Maybe. Guys like Hopper have been around for ages. Not to mention Mayhem. He would’ve known for sure.”

“It’s not like Mayhem had treated you any differently. You were his son in every way. Personally, I don’t think Mayhem knew, otherwise, he’d have acted like you were an outsider. A bastard. I don’t mean that to be mean, but to be truthful. Mayhem is loyal, but he’s also pretty blunt.”

“True. Though you said your dad never treated Tristan any different. Maybe Mayhem just hid the truth too.”

She’s right. I may not wish to see him, or to hear his lies, but I need to see his reaction when I ask. It will tell me more than any words can.

“Feel up for a ride to prison?”

“Sure. But do you think you could give me a minute to shower and change? I don’t wish to wear the same thing I have for two days if I’m going somewhere.”

“Yeah. Sure. This time though, not a thin shirt. Wear something a bit more—”

“Appropriate for a motorcycle ride,” she replies. “Yeah. I get it. Though, in my defense, I didn’t know I’d be tossed on the back of your ride in such an expedient way.”

I give her a smile. “I put your bag in the room on the left.”

Leaving in the direction I indicated, she’ll figure out quick enough that I’ve sent her to my room. I’ll sleep on the couch if I have to. Poc, when he stays over, uses the spare room and he’s usually not alone. I wouldn’t put her in there.

Clearing the cups away and moving to close the book, absently I flip to the next page out of curiosity. Seeing a notation that has the same cactus symbol we’ve learned is Hylo, and a phone number beside it, I’m intrigued. It’s not a local number. I want to know though.

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