Page 51 of Banshee
She inhaled deeply before letting it out slowly.
“Watching Winchester and his family just reminded me that I will probably never see mine again.”
“You will see them again. We will figure out a way out of this shit.”
Aspen stood and walked to the kitchen. She started to make some coffee as she explained, “There is no way out. Not without starting a war. If I try to divorce him, my family will find out what happened. And if you kill him, Skinner will declare war on the Silver Shadows.”
“Baby girl, your family already knows what happened. They know he beat the shit out of you.”
She spun around so quickly, she almost toppled over. “What?” she gasped.
“Zeus called King and told him you were missing. Months ago.”
“I don’t understand.”
I’d been keeping information from her, and I shouldn’t have. I should have told her everything.
“Zeus called back in February.”
“This is April.” She was angry, and she had every right to be.
“He told King you were missing. They’ve known ever since you disappeared from the hospital.”
Her eyes dropped to the floor. “He really doesn’t love me,” she whispered. “When Diana disappeared, he wanted to declare war on the Soulless Sinners with no proof they even knew who she was. But me...” She shook her head. “He knew I was gone; he knew who was responsible, and he did nothing.”
“Baby girl, no. He loves you.” I pulled her into my arms as she cried.
“He doesn’t. He wanted my mother to have an abortion. She wasn’t supposed to have any more after Diana and Zeus. He never wanted me.”
“He wasn’t the president anymore. He didn’t have the right to declare war.”
She backed out of my arms. “You think that matters? He’s fucking Kronos! The only son of a bitch to go up against Kalden Baudelaire. The only man in the whole goddamn biker world to sign a treaty with the president of the Brotherhood of Bastards, but he couldn’t be bothered to fight for his daughter. The only fucking daughter he had left!”
Diesel whined at Aspen’s feet. He knew she was upset, and he wanted to comfort her, but unless she sat down, there was nothing he could do. I felt as useless as he did. I watched her pace the small room, tears streaming down her face.
“Aspen,” I said gently. She stopped and stared at me.
Shaking her head, she cried, “He never loved me, Banshee. It was always Diana. I was no one. All this time, I stayed quiet. I never said a word because I didn’t want my family to know. I believed he would fight for me. I believed he loved me.”
I gathered her in my arms. “I love you, Aspen. I will fucking fight for you. I’ll burn the goddamn world down for you.”
Her sobs broke something inside of me. They tore at my heart, and I vowed that if I ever stood in the same room as Lucas Cooper again, I would beat the ever-loving shit out of him.
I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. I helped her undress, and I quickly removed all but my boxers. Tucking her in, I climbed under the covers with her, patting the bed on the other side, allowing the dog to join us.
She buried her face in my chest, and I held her until she fell asleep.
Aspen’s mood hadn’t improved. She was sad and depressed. Haizley had been out multiple times, but nothing seemed to help. We still made love every night. She smiled and laughed. But there was a cloud that hung over her.
My phone beeped and when I looked at it, I sighed heavily, causing Aspen to ask, “What is it?”
“King wants us in church.”
“Did he say why?” Her eyes were wide with panic. I didn’t want to tell her, but after last night, she needed to know everything.
“He thinks the Death Dogs might have been in town. He wants to ask you some questions.” She nodded, but I knew she was struggling. I wanted to wrap her up in cotton and protect her from the world. Only there was no way to protect someone from their own feelings.
As soon as I opened the clubhouse door, Diesel dashed inside. Tucker, his brother, met us at the door.
