Page 119 of Relentles
“Keep it.”
Daddy stepped into her path.
Not wanting to cry in front of any of them, she averted her gaze. Once, she’d idolized her father. No man could measure up. Even when she’d been at her most hateful, somewhere deep down, she’d admired and respected him. Mainly because of how much he loved her mother and put her on a pedestal. Their love and friendship exemplified what Rebel herself wanted.
Maybe, that was why she wanted Diesel so much. He was older than her. He would appreciate her youth, the way Daddy valued Momma’s. But the weight of disappointment tasted bitter, sitting heavily in her belly.
CJ pressed a cold cloth against her throbbing eye, then backed next to Daddy, who tipped her head up. Twin pairs of emerald eyes stared at her in concern.
“I wasn’t thinkin’, Reb. Hear me? I wasn’t tryin’ to hide anything from Megan for the reason you thinkin’. I just want to help her, but I ain’t got a choice but to tell her now. Brooks opened his fuckin’ mouth to Kendall, anyway.”
“I guess so, Christopher,” Uncle Johnnie said. “He still hasn’t quite recovered from the meatshack.”
“At least he got the chance to,” Uncle Val said.
Daddy frowned at him and nodded to Torie. She was staring at them with wide-eyed curiosity.
“Brooks was supposed to handle it. He should want to stay on my fuckin’ good side. But, no. The motherfucker blabbed to Kendall. Your aunt said she won’t tell.” Daddy shook his head. “She’s probably crucifyin’ my ass right now. Torie means nothin’ to me, which I’ve told her several times.”
“You shouldn’t have had to tell her but once,” Rebel hissed.
Daddy nodded. “I was worried, Iamworried, about your ma and your sister. Torie was there when I needed to talk.”
“You could’ve talked to me.”
“You’re a little kid. It’s bad efuckinnuff I’ve put so many burdens on CJ. It takes a fuckin’ village to raise a kid, but when the village fucked up, too, then the kids still end up fucked up.”
“Age is only a number.”
“No, it ain’t,” Daddy said. “The brain not all grown until motherfuckers in their twenties.”
She ignored him. “I have been exposed to the biker life my entire life. No matter how you tried to shield me, I’ve still seen sex and blow jobs. Drugs. I’ve overheard conversations. You and Momma want us to have a childhood. We have, Daddy. You’ve been the best father any girl could ask for. I admire you so much and I love you even more. Though I can wear designer clothes, go to parks and to get ice cream and I can look like Momma, a delicate fairy princess, I’m stillyourdaughter with your personality.”
“Torie, your uncle Johnnie, still grown adults.”
“Respect is earned, not freely given.”
Stooping, he picked up the card. “Apologize or I’m takin’ it. Your ma gotta know about this shit sooner rather than later. If I take it this time, I don’t know when you’ll get it back.”
“Make up your mind. You just offered it back to me.”
He scowled.
“If you take it this time, I won’t want it back. I have my cellphone back. I have a laptop, a desktop, tablets. You let me drink beer and smoke. You can take anyone of those things from me, but it’s always the card. You can’t buy me into thinking your way.”
He pocketed the card. “I’m steering you in the right direction.”
“That direction doesn’t include an apology to people I dislike, no matter how you feel. I missed the card at first, but I’ve survived three months without it. It just doesn’t matter anymore, not when I almost lost so much.”
“Torie’s leaving to go to LA with Molly,” CJ told her. “Clear the air—”
“Nope. She lied on me. I didn’t even see that bitch. She came to our table. Maybe, I did step out of line with her. To me, it’s a moot point. She avenged herself.”
“We can apologize to each other,” Torie said. “Have a new beginning. Set boundaries by calling me Miss Torie.”
Tipping her head back and still holding the cloth over her eye, Rebel heaved in a breath. She turned. Torie held a cloth to her eye, too.
“You don’t want to apologize to me,” Rebel said. “Life has been nothing but chaos. When Momma is well and in her right frame of mind, it’s still chaotic, but she knows how to control it. Everything’s muddled and confused right now. I came downstairs because that fucking clock was driving me crazy. I just wanted a moment to catch my breath. Then, you came. With your bullshit. In front of an audience. Nothing’s private anymore. It didn’t matter. I will never forget or forgive you for trying to hurt my mom. I haven’t always been the best daughter, but she’s mine. You fuck with her, you fuck with me.”
