Page 112 of Steel

“Because you see him for who he really is, and you accept that about him.” Pearl walks beside me and grabs my shoulder, meeting my gaze in the mirror. “Have I ever told you about when I met his grandad?”

I shake my head.

“Well, he tried to scare me away with the club just like Jameson did with you at first. He thought I couldn’t handle all that comes with it. But I proved him wrong really quick.” She smiles, and I don’t doubt it. “It takes a woman with a backbone to be with one of those guys. Especially when he’s got the president patch on his cut. But you’ve got a spine if I’ve ever seen one, Tempe. One that can handle his club. It takes a strong man to do what they do. But it takes an even stronger woman to love them.”

I swallow hard. “You really think I’m that strong?”

“I know you are.” She squeezes my arm. “What his momma did nearly ripped our family apart, and not for the reasons you might think. We all do bad things. We all make mistakes that we can’t take back. But a family heals together—fights together. She was too heartbroken to do that, and Jameson still hasn’t recovered.”

Pearl takes the dress from my hand, holding it to me and brushing her fingers over it.

“But we can’t let pain be all we are. We have to live for those we lose. Jameson doesn’t deserve to suffer his whole life because of his parents. This punishment he inflicts on himself because of what happened isn’t fair tohim. You help him see that. You show him life outside the club and love greater than he grew up with. And I get the feeling he does the same for you. After all, you’re not your father, are you, Tempe?”

I shake my head, pressing my lips together and fighting back tears.

“I didn’t think so.” Pearl squeezes my hand. “Believe in yourself. All three of you deserve happiness, and you bring that out in each other.”

Pearl pats my shoulder, walking away to search the racks while I stand frozen.

Jameson and I have both spent so much time fearing the sins of our bloodlines that we’ve cut ourselves off from what we could be if we let ourselves see past them. And I’m terrified to admit I want more, but I do.

For Jameson, I want to be everything Pearl thinks I am.

I want to be his.

31

Steel

I’m never the lastone to church, but the weight of today sits on my shoulders, and when I take my seat at the head of the table, it’s no lighter.

“Where are we at with the Iron Sinners?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.

“Titan got our message.” Ghost smirks. “Went over as well as we’d expect.”

“Good.”

After storming Dimitri’s house, we burned it to the ground. The kid who cooperated walked free to hopefully make better choices moving forward, but the others weren’t so lucky. It’s not my preference to leave bodies the cops could trace back to the club, but Titan’s going for the jugular, and I refuse to sit around and take it.

No matter what happens moving forward, we’re fighting back. I’ll skin the entire Iron Sinners population until I get the answers I’m looking for.

Until Tempe and Austin are safe.

“When do you think he’s going to retaliate?” Legacy asks, tapping his boot on the ground because he can never sit still.

“Sooner than later,” Ghost answers. “He and his men have been seen scoping out a few of our businesses across town. They’re anxious and looking for an opening.”

“Anxious is good. Means Titan’s about to make a mistake.”

My men give me shit sometimes because I don’t make big decisions for the club without thoroughly analyzing what I’m getting us into. But it’s better to be right than impulsive. I’d rather strike hard when I know it’ll hurt than throw darts and wait for something to stick.

It doesn’t matter if we’re thirsting for blood. It’s my responsibility to make sure the club is prepared in every situation.

Titan isn’t known for doing the same.

He’s impulsive. Antsy.

Sometimes it works in his favor. Like when he caused a scene outside the compound and got us to thin our crew around town to reinforce our border. But right now, I’m hoping to use it against him.

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