Page 15 of Sinful Lies
Chapter 8
Tank
“Reed,” my name slippedfrom her lips in a quiet hush.
I know I’m going to regret asking my next question, but it’s tearing me apart. “Why did you marry him?”
“I couldn’t wait for you forever.” Her words stab me in the heart, but it’s what I knew all along. I drove her into his arms when I let her out of mine. I have no one to blame but myself.
As much as it kills me to walk away again, this time, it’s what she wants me to do and what the club needs. “I need your help to find proof of what Ben is doing. Look into the paperwork with your signatures on it. Question it, Dia. Question everything. Ben doesn’t want you to know what is really inside those cargo containers. Women are suffering because of him, and my club intends to put a stop to it.”
I pull open the bathroom door and let my eyes fall over her one last time. “You’ll always be my angel, whether you love me or not. Just know I have always loved you and won’t stop now. You know how to reach me but when you do, be prepared for what that means.”
There’s no doubt the chemistry between us is still there. I feel it and I know she does too. I tasted it on her lips. I heard it in the cracking of her voice. She can’t deny the pull between us, even if she’s trying hard to hide it.
“What does that mean?” She pants almost breathlessly.
“When you come back into my world. You 're mine. Forever.”
I’ve planted the seed and if I know Dia, she won’t be able to let this go. Hopefully she’ll find something useful and when she does, I hope like hell she calls because this time I intend to live up to my promise.
I take a deep breath, gathering my emotions before meeting up with Reaper at the end of the hall. He has a shit-eating grin on his face when I approach him worked up as all hell.
“Fix your shirt.” He sneers.
I glance down at my half-untucked shirt, “Nah.”
Reaper and I walk back into the ballroom and find my brothers and Cal distracting Ben by the bar. Ben looks at me over Crusher’s shoulder and his already tense expression drops. He knows I was with Dia. I have one hell of a grin on my face and hold my stare on him, adjusting my hard dick in my jeans.
“I’m done here. Let’s roll.” I wink at Ben, grabbing a fancy pastry off a serving tray and pop it into my mouth. Ben stares me down with his beady eyes, his mouth set in a tight line. He tries to shove past my brothers, but Crusher stretches his arm out, holding Ben back. While Ben’s distracted, Hound slips the cell phone into Ben’s suit jacket pocket.
“You have something to say to me?” I snarl at Ben.
Realizing everyone is watching him, he backs up and plasters an icy smile on his face, straightening his tie. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Ben wants to act tough, but under the surface, he’s nothing but a coward. He’s a bigger pussy than all the whores back at the clubhouse combined. I can’t wait to put him in his fucking place and take back what is mine. It just can’t be tonight.
I eat up the length of the ballroom with my hasty steps. If I don’t get out of here fast, I won’t be able to stop myself. It’s killing me to walk away from her again and leave her here with him. My footsteps slow as a familiar tune fills the air and the first chords hit my ears. It was my mother’s favorite song. Mom would sing that song over and over until one day she stopped singing. A darkness filled her eyes, his secrets became hers to hide and in turn mine. I carried the weight for her, like a good son, until I snapped. I hate my father for what he’s done to her.
My father is the most underhanded, evil fucker I have ever known. I didn’t cower to him earlier, so now he’s manipulating my memories by having the band play this song just to fuck with my head. Tonight, is no different than it’s always been. In the public eye, he’s the epitome of success. He’s the loving husband and doting father. But behind closed doors, he’s an entirely different animal.
After I left town, he spun a story of lies that painted my mother and I out as money grabbing ingrates. Anything to make him look better and cast suspicion on me. He might have everyone else fooled, but I know the truth. I know what happened the night my mother lost her voice and I know the truth about the night my mother lost her life.
He may have stripped me of my name, my inheritance and my innocence, but he’ll never rob me of the truth. “Son of a bitch.”
I turn toward him. He wraps his arms around the waist of a woman half his age. The diamond ring on her left hand glitters under the dance floor lights. I never even knew he remarried. Not that I would have attended, even if I was invited.
I stalk toward him. Years of pent-up rage bursting to the surface. When I reach him, he stands toe to toe with me. His biggest flaw has always been thinking he’s a tough man. He has no idea what tough is. Tough is what I became after years on the run, separated from the love of my life, mourning the death of my mother, and hating my father for all of it. I pull my fist back and swing, connecting with his jaw. One swing is all I need to let him know I’m not scared of him anymore. “Fuck you, old man.”
He draws his hand to his lip, “You’ll regret showing your face here.”
“I’m fucking shaking.” I taunt him. He’s done his worst to me already.
The crowd gasps, staring at me with wide eyes. Chainz grips my shoulder, “We need to go now before the cops show up.”
“I’ll handle it on this end. My driver’s out front if you need a diversion. Ride safe.” Cal intervenes before security can reach me.
