Page 67 of Starting Over

“Christ.”

“What the fuck?”

Brothers whispered around the table. No one understood. Hell, I didn’t understand. After speaking with Declan, I knew he was still hiding something. There was more going on than just an estranged brother I didn’t know about.

I had a feeling it was all connected to Maureen showing up here, of all places.

“Certainly makes sense why Dec was so worked up about Maureen showing up. What’s the connection?” Colt asked.

“I don’t know. Dec told me my mom had Sal before she met my dad. Said Dad was offered a job, so they moved. Sal was seventeen and chose to stay in Boston with his father. I was born seven months later.”

“Another goddamn episode inAs the Biker World Fucking Turns.”

I looked over at Stocks. He was an odd one. He mostly kept to himself. He grew up with Blade and Ryder, here in Diamond Creek. When Blade approached me and offered to sponsor him when we started the new chapter, I had reservations. But Blade assured me he would be worth it. He’d been a great brother, and his knowledge of the stock market had made us a lot of money, but he had no filter. He had a habit of saying what popped into his head. One day, it was gonna bite him in the ass.

“Dec was right. Every time a woman comes into town, she brings drama with her.”

Looking over at Winchester, I had to admit, he wasn’t wrong. But this shit landed solely at my brother’s feet. We could have been prepared for this. We could have avoided being blindsided, if he had just opened his fucking mouth and told me the truth.

“Can we really blame Maureen? All she did was try to get away. She chose a small town, having no idea what she would find. The odds of her choosing a town with not one but three people connected to the Mob she grew up in and was trying to get away from have to be astronomical.”

Romeo was right. He was a flirt and a man whore, but the man was smart. That was why I talked him into moving here with us, when we opened the new chapter. He was astute, often seeing things in a way no one else noticed.

What were the odds that Maureen chose Diamond Creek randomly? There had to be more going on than a simple coincidence.

I looked over at Blade. He was pissed, and I didn’t blame him. Declan came down hard on him, when he found out about his connection to Sal. Watching him, I noticed the moment he realized what Declan was so afraid of.

“SON OF A BITCH!” he roared.

“Blade, calm down.” I knew it was pointless. I knew when he turned his icy stare back to me, he was on the verge of losing it.

“My goddamn old lady is his fucking niece!” He paced along the side of the table. “He fucking knows it. Every six months, he calls me. Every six months, he fucking asks me about the club. How are things going? Are we growing? Asks me about my president, and what my relationship is like with the town sheriff. Does he know anything about my past? All the questions were vague as hell. Questions I assumed he was asking in regard to what happened with my father. Questions to keep me in line, notsaying a word about what they did. I have been a fucking pawn for years. He fucking knew everything all along.”

“Blade, those calls started before you joined the Silver Shadows. It has to be a coincidence.” Jack tried calming his friend down, but it was no use. I didn’t believe in coincidences, and after the life Blade led, I knew he didn’t either.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

“He is your old lady’s father. You can’t kill him. She would never forgive you.” I sighed.

But I got it. Declan had a lot to answer for.

“Why isn’t Declan here?”

Turning to Big Ben, I was surprised by his question. He didn’t talk much. He was often referred to as the sleeping giant. I knew better. He was quiet, but always alert. He never missed a damn thing.

“I wanted to talk to you all first. Don’t expect much from Dec. He’s still hiding shit.” I held my hand up, cutting off the questions I knew they all had. “If I knew what he was hiding, it wouldn’t be a fucking secret,” I hissed, shaking my head. “The reason I am telling you all is because I plan on making contact with Sal.”

“WHAT?

“Not a good idea.”

“Why?”

“What the hell?”

I waited for the chatter to die down. I knew they might not agree. But I had to meet him.

“Listen!” I shouted. “This man is my brother, my family. I want to meet him. I could take a trip there, but with five of us living in this town that are connected to him in some way, it makes sense to ask him to come here. On our turf. Where we would likely outnumber him.”

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