Page 22 of Banshee
Haizley released a breath. “Okay, I just thought with the tension between you two last night...”
“That was my fault.” I stood and paced the room. My hands twisted together. “You won’t tell the club what I tell you, right?” I wanted to trust her. But my secrets were dangerous. I wasn’t special, just another battered wife. But my life wasn’t normal.
“No, Aspen. I won’t tell the club. Unless you ask me to and sign a waiver giving me permission, nothing you tell me will get back to the club.”
“Not even Gunner? I know you two are together now. Pillow talk is a thing between a biker and his old lady.” My mother knew everything that went on at the club. My father never kept secrets from her. I wondered if Banshee would be like that.
“No, Aspen. If the club hadn’t been involved, I wouldn’t have even revealed you were a patient. You are safe with me. You can tell me anything.”
Her eyes held compassion, not judgment. I wasn’t worried that she would judge me. But she might judge my family. Still, I needed to talk to someone. I needed to get this all off my chest.
So, I told her everything.
“My real name is Irene Elizabeth Cooper. My father is the former president of the Gods of Mayhem MC out of Athens, Texas. My brother Zeus is the president now. I am also married.”
I watched Haizley as I revealed my secret. Her expression gave nothing away, but I saw the surprise in her eyes.
“I have questions, Aspen. Or do you prefer Irene?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Irene is dead.”
“Why don’t you tell me everything before I ask any questions.”
“The Gods of Mayhem are allied with the Silver Shadows in Arkansas. My father wanted to secure the alliance through marriage. I was offered to Banshee.”
Haizley’s mouth opened a fraction before she slammed it shut.
“Ask,” I said, as I sat back down on her couch.
“Are you married to Banshee?”
“No, he turned my father down. Which doesn’t happen often. My father is a force. He’s built a name for himself in the underworld. One that people don’t easily cross.”
That day so long ago was monumental. Until Banshee, I had never heard of anyone telling my father no. Except my mother. I was disappointed he didn’t want me, but so proud of the way he stood up for me.
“Why did he say no?”
“He said he was too old for me. But he also said I shouldn’t be used as a pawn in politics.”
Haizley smiled. And I got it. Banshee was a man of honor.
“Aspen, I am going to be honest here. I don’t know much about MC life. What politics?”
I took a deep breath. This was where I shared things that weren’t as well-known to the civilians.
“A club isn’t much different from any other organization. There is a hierarchy, there are rules, and there are wars. To avoid wars, alliances are made.”
“Did you agree to this alliance?” she asked carefully.
“I did. When I was eight years old, my older sister went off to college. She never came home. To this day, we don’t know what happened to her. But there was a club in New York. A club we were not aligned with. My father believed that club had something to do with her disappearance. He and my brother spent weeks in New York searching. My father wanted to declare war on that club, but without any proof, there was nothing he could do.
“The Gods of Mayhem is not a large club. There is only one chapter, but they are well-known. But the other club had chapters all over. They had the power not just to destroy our club, but to decimate it. And us.”
I gave Haizley a few minutes to let my words sink in. I knew the moment they did because her eyes grew wide.
“I couldn’t let another club put my family at risk. So, I agreed to the marriage. I didn’t love my husband. I didn’t even know him. But I went into the marriage with an open mind, believing I could grow to love him. He had other ideas.”
I stood up again, pacing the room.
