Page 60 of The Keeper

“Here, this’ll help take the edge off,” she said, pressing a mug of what smelled strongly of bourbon into my hands. “Drink. You’re shaking.”

Was I?

I hadn’t even noticed the tremors running through my body until she pointed them out. I took a swig, immediately shuddering at the taste. The bourbon burned a fiery path down my throat before settling in my stomach with a pleasant warmth. I took another sip, letting the alcohol numb my frayed nerves and settle the tremors in my hands.

My mother settled across from me at the kitchen table, her own mug cradled between her hands. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions.

“Mom, I…” I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice, but the air caught in my throat. “I didn’t tell the police everything.”

“What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “The men who robbed the bakery knew about Dane and his club. They said they wanted to send a message to Silent Phoenix.”

Her face paled, and for a moment, I thought she might be sick. “Jesus, Amelia,” she breathed, running a trembling hand through her hair. “What the fuck has he gotten you into?”

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice cracking. “I thought I knew him, Mom. But now... I’m not sure I know anything.”

She took a long pull from her mug before nodding to herself. “Okay. We’ll figure this out.”

“How are you so calm right now?” I asked, searching her face in confusion. “I thought you’d be freaking out.”

She sighed heavily, tracing the rim of her mug with a fingernail. “Believe it or not, I’ve seen much worse. Your father—he’s a biker.”

I stared at my mother in disbelief, her words echoing in my head. My father...a biker? The mug in my hands trembled, and I set it down before I could spill. “What? But you said he was a musician who left us.”

Her hands shook as she took another swig of bourbon. “I lied. Your father...his name is Red. He’s with the Outlaws up in Oklahoma.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” I whispered, my throat tight.

She met my eyes, her gaze haunted. “Because you need to understand how dangerous this world can be. Red didn’t leave us, sweetheart. I left him.”

“What happened?”

“He put me in the hospital,” she said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “It wasn’t the first time, but it was the worst. I ended up in the ER with three broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and…” Her voice broke. “It’s where I found out I was pregnant with you.”

I reached across the table and squeezed her hand, feeling the slight tremor beneath my fingers.

“One of the nurses who treated me had seen it all before. Told me if he beat me, he’d likely beat our baby too.” My mother’s eyes met mine, filled with a fierce protectiveness that took my breath away. “Ididn’t have a dime to my name, but she helped me contact your grandparents. They drove through the night to get me. My mama had to help me bathe just like I did with you…”

“Oh my god, Mom,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I had no idea.”

She exhaled a bitter laugh. “That was the point, sweetheart. I never wanted you to know that kind of fear.”

“So when you saw Dane that first time…” I trailed off as the pieces of my childhood suddenly snapped into sharp focus. My mother’s overprotectiveness…her wariness of men…her insistence that I learn how to use a gun and never be dependent on a man.

It all finally made sense.

The father I’d imagined all these years—a nameless, faceless man who’d walked away—had been replaced by something far more sinister. A violent biker who’d beaten my mother so severely she’d fled for both our lives.

“It was like seeing a ghost,” she said, her expression pained. “The kutte, the bike…it all came rushing back. I was so scared for you and Avery.”

“You think he could be like Red?” I whispered.

Mom glanced down at the table, considering the question before shaking her head. “No. From what I’ve seen, Dane is nothing like your father. The way he is with you and Avery... Red never had an ounce of that tenderness in him.”

“Then why have you been so against us being together?”

“Because even if Dane himself isn’t dangerous, the world he’s tied to is,” she explained, her eyes pleading with me to understand. “What happened to you this morning is proof of that.”

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