Page 48 of Finn

She’s finally talking, and I’m scared if I pull away, she’s going to stop, so I hold on tighter. I hold on like I used to when I was a little girl and had a bad dream. Feeling like being close to her could protect me from anything.

“Everything, sweetheart,” she says so quietly that I can feel the pain behind the words.

“Is Dad a bad guy?” I whisper, not wanting Finn to hear.

The front door opens, and she pulls away from me before she can reply. She backs up, bumping into the fridge as she looks around at the huge, muscular, intimidating men of Shattered Souls walking in.

“What the hell is this?” she angrily asks.

“Vic,” Porter says, letting his eyes run all over her.

My mom snaps her head toward me, shaking it. “You set me up? What the fuck, Mia. I’m your mom. I raised you. I did everything for you, and this is how you repay me? Getting me killed?” she screams.

I snap my head to Finn, and he comes rushing over. “No one is killing anyone,” he says to me, pulling me away from my mom.

“Vic, stop being so dramatic. No one is getting killed. We’re here to protect you,” Porter says, taking a few cautious steps toward her.

“Protect me?” She gives a humorless laugh. “Don’t do me any favors, Porter. I don’t need shit from you. Never have.”

Porter takes another step forward, and Riley moves in front of him, resting his large hand on Porter’s chest. His eyes slide toward my mom, and he grins.

“Vic, it’s nice to see that California hasn’t changed that sparkling personality.”

She tries to fight a smile and rolls her eyes. “Still the same smart-ass,” she says.

“Vic, you look great,” Enzo says, moving next to Porter.

She looks at them all, and the smile she was trying to fight slips out. “Probably would’ve been easier to just send Gloria,” she says, laughing.

They all look at each other, and Brooks stares at the floor. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I can see the pain on all their faces.

“Fuck, what happened?” my mom asks.

“Gloria’s gone,” Porter says.

My mom glances at me before looking back at them. “What the hell is all this? I came to see my daughter. I’m not looking to cause any problems.”

“We know you aren’t, doll. It’s Jim. He’s causing unnecessary problems that now need to be addressed,” Porter says.

She gives a bitter laugh and looks around at all of us. “And I’m your fucking bait.”

“Why do you need to be like that, Vic? It’s old friends catching up,” Riley says, wrapping his arm around her. “Let’s go have a drink.”

She pulls out of Riley’s hold and crosses her arms. I glance up at Finn, and as if he senses it, his eyes slide to mine.

“What the hell is really going on?” I whisper.

He wraps his arm around me, kissing the top of my head. “Just what Porter said. We’re gonna keep her safe.”

“Vic, just come with us to the club. Mia and Finn will drive you over. Nora and Adalyn are there. Come see your old family,” Porter gently says.

Her eyes bounce all over, uncertain of what she should do. She feels trapped, and I completely understand because right now, I feel like she is too. This wasn’t the deal. They set her up and used me to do it.

I pull away from Finn and move to stand next to my mom. I grab her hand and look at Porter. “You told me all that just so I’d get her to come here. You spilled her secrets to have an advantage. How do you expect me to trust you, or any of you for that matter?” I ask, glancing over at Finn.

Finn takes a few steps forward, but Porter holds his arm out, stopping him. “Everything I told you was to make sure you had the truth. You were the one who asked if you should get your mom here. We didn’t push that. That was your idea. Yes, we did want her here, but not for revenge or punishment. There are problems happening within the club because of Jim, and the only way to get him to man up and face us is to lure him out. You know how I feel about your mom, and I’d never do anything to put her in danger, which is why being at Souls is best. I let Jim tear apart my family once, but he’s not going to do it again. My club, my daughter, and my old lady are going to be protected this time.”

I look up at my mom, and she has tears in her eyes as she stares at Porter. I look between them both, and I swear there is some kind of unspoken conversation happening.

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