Page 73 of Atlas

I had to take Agatha and Willa into the kitchen and make sure they both knew that no one was going to follow through on the threats getting hurled around the room.

Phil might be a class A fucker, but he’s still Agatha’s son and she’s been through enough already.

Before the other guys even set foot in the house, Phil was already agreeing to turn himself into the police and never mention a thing about the club’s involvement. He’d be doing jail time for sure, and they promised him that the thing about jail is that’s where criminals thrive. We actually don’t have that many guys on the inside—thank fuck for that—but of course we know someone who knows someone, who could make sure someone else winds up dead if there’s a fucker who needs to be put to ground.

When the other guys got here, we directed them straight to the already in session faux torture fest, which was pretty much wrapping up, but Wizard stayed. I could tell he had something to say, but he’d been quiet for an eternity.

Willa and Agatha are at the table, holding onto each other’s hands, steaming mugs of sweet tea in front of them that I just made. As soon as Bullet and Lynette get here, I’m going to have them load Willa and Agatha up and take them straight to Archer’s.

Wizard angles himself towards the kitchen window that overlooks the farmyard and the line of chrome and leather bikes parked in a row.

“I’m sorry I sent you here.” His face is a wreck. He’s more than sorry. This is eating him up. “I should have known something was up. I should have been able to tell that the power was cut. I was just so fucking sure that if something was wrong, I would have seen it on the feed, but the bastard snuck up on me. I didn’t see anything before he cut power to the pole.”

“He knew exactly where to go because he was raised here. No one would have thought that Agatha’s own son would be involved.” I keep my voice low enough that I hope Agatha can’t hear me.

Willa can. Her eyes fix on me, and she offers the smallest, shaky smile. I give her one right back, my promise that this is all going to be okay.

We’re going to be okay.

We’re alive and, for the most part, uninjured.

“Christ!” Wizard curses. I don’t realize it’s directed at me until he bends to inspect my neck. “That’s a nasty burn.”

Willa pales, and I quickly pass it off. I’m not going to allow her to feel guilty for something that wasn’t her fault. She did what she had to do in order to keep Phil from killing someone. If she hadn’t done it, he would have shot me or Agatha. I told her it was okay and it is.

“It’s not your fault. You were doing the best job you could. You do, every single day, day in and day out. We need help. You’re doing the work of ten or twenty people and it’s not fair orsustainable. This isn’t on you, brother. Not at all. It’s on no one but Phil.”

“I should have been more careful.” He’s not going to let this go easily either. He’s stubborn like Willa that way. “I know where the money is. That guy Tyrant mentioned… Viking—he can find anyone. He’ll find her and she’ll turn herself in just like Phil is going to do. We’ll make sure that the money gets back to the victims.”

“I figured. Tyrant said that Viking isn’t the patching in sort, or maybe the club isn’t the sort that wants him to be a member, but I hope that he sticks around and can help you. If not, we need to press for someone else, even if that means finding the right prospect and training them. You’re a brilliant man, Wizard, but even brilliant men have their limits, and your limits are that you can’t be in three hundred places at once.”

Wizard swipes a hand over his face. I’ve embarrassed him. He’s touched and he’s trying to hide it. I realize it’s not just me who tries to hide what’s going on inside or put on a different face to the world. My club brothers who all look like they have their lives together are probably dealing with stuff I know shit about.

“I’m still sorry that I walked you straight into a trap.”

“Nah.” I clap Wizard on the back. “We’re good, and because this happened, there are people out there who are going to get their lives back. From what Phil said, this was straight scammer money. The people who lost it were the ones that couldn’t afford to. This will make a huge difference for them. A lot of them are probably older folks, like his own mother.”

I still can’t believe Phil hit his own mother. He truly didn’t care. How does a person even get to that point?

Willa said I was secure enough in my manhood to admit that I wouldn’t mind smelling like strawberries. I’m more than secure enough to admit that I want to get home and hug my parents. Hard. My mom and dad know how much I love them and appreciate them, but there’s one thing I’ve been keeping from them and I want to sit down and tell them. I have the chance to do that. It’s not a burden, it’s a privilege. I’m alive. I’m here. Phil could have shot me. He could have killed me right in front of the woman I love.

It’s amazing what staring down death does to your brain. That deep sense of shame is no longer rooted at the heart of me. I’m just me and I want my family to know all the bits I’ve been hiding from them. I know that they’ll love me for who I am, as I am. They always have.

Lynette’s car creeps down the gravel road silently. It’s only because I’m standing by the window that I see it turn off and come down the driveway.

Raiden told us both when he first got here that Lynette was frantic to see her sister, but they needed to make sure the house was secure and the area safe before they let her come. They’d do the same for any of their old ladies, and there was no way Bullet was going to let her come until he was sure there was absolutely no threat. They haven’t told anyone about the baby that I know of, but he’s got to be just about feral with his prospective instincts right now.

They both knew we were here, and though it was hard to wait those extra few minutes to get the call that they could leave, they both respected Tyrant’s and Raiden’s authority in the club. Good plans and calm heads keep everyone safe.

Willa’s been waiting anxiously for her sister, but she’s done a good job of swallowing it and sitting calmly to try and give Agatha her support as she grapples with the fact that her only son assaulted her, would gladly have killed someone, and is going to be going to prison. Her whole life has changed. Her future. Her legacy. No matter what Phil’s done, she loves him, and this is breaking her heart.

I walk to the table and set my hands on Agatha’s shoulders. “Why don’t we all go outside for a breath? Willa’s sister just got here, and she’d really like to see her, but she’s not going to leave without you.”

Willa doesn’t rocket out of her chair and go racing through the door to see her sister. She remains perfectly composed, though she’s practically vibrating, and her eyes are shiny. She offers her hand for Agatha and together, we help her out of her chair.

We’re not leaving Agatha behind or alone for a second. We’re her family now. She’ll probably never leave this farm, but we’ll find a way to make sure that we’re out here as often as we can be, checking in on her.

Wizard clears his throat like the obvious affection between the three of us makes him uncomfortable.

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