Page 97 of Banshee
Diesel rushed to my side, inching in front of me, snarling and snapping at my father.
“You will not speak to my wife that way,” he growled.
“My. Name. Is. Aspen.”
“Lucas, don’t.” My mother moved in front of him. “She is an adult; she is allowed to speak her mind. Her truth.”
“Not at your expense.”
“She isn’t wrong, though.” My mother turned around and faced me. “You’re right. My secrets got us here. I can’t take them back. I can admit that what I did... the choices I made were for me. But they were for you three as well. If anyone had known who you were—”
“What mother? What would have happened if they’d known? We’d have been kidnapped like Diana was? Like Mimic was? We’d have been tortured like Mimic? Used as a pawn like I was? Beaten like I was? Please tell me how our lives would have been different if we’d known who you were related to?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for her to answer.
“I can’t change anything. I wish to God I could. I was sixteen when I left home. I had no one until I met your father, and together, we made a choice. When my uncle came looking for me, we made the only choice we could to keep myself and my children safe.”
“But we weren’t safe. I haven’t felt safe a day in my life since Diana disappeared. And it only got worse after I got married. I still don’t feel safe. Not without Banshee.”
My father scoffed, and I glared at him. “If he’s so awful, why did you offer me to him?”
“Your mother made me do it.”
“Lucas!”
“What is he talking about?” I stared at my mother. The look on her face was pure guilt.
“Can we talk somewhere private, Sugar?”
“No,” I said and pinned her with a glare. “What does he mean?”
My mother closed her eyes and blew out a breath. When she opened them, her guilt was gone, and her expression was one of cool resolve.
“I meddled.”
“Mom!” Diana gasped beside me.
“Meddled how?”
My mother turned and glared at my father. “Asshole.”
“I’m not going down alone, Rosebud.”
With another heavy sigh, my mother confessed, “I saw the way he looked at you. And I knew you had feelings for him, but you were too shy to say anything.”
“So you decided an arranged marriage was the way to go?” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. “I can’t fucking believe this.” Turning, I walked to the bar. Archie was behind it, and as soon as he saw me coming, he grabbed the bottle of whiskey.
I didn’t drink often, but there had been a few times I was up late and couldn’t sleep. One of the prospects was always around.
I took the shot and gulped it down.
“And Pepper?” I asked, turning back around to my family. I looked around the room, not realizing everyone except the Godsof Mayhem and Haizley had left us alone. Haizley sat on the couch, there if I needed her.
“That was my fault,” my father confessed. “Skinner said he had a lead, and it was the first one we’d had in years. I let my emotions get the best of me. I honestly thought you would be okay. When I learned you weren’t, I went to get you.”
“But I told you I was happy,” I whispered. “Pepper made me lie. He said if I told you anything he would have Skinner attack the club.”
“We kept trying,” my mother said, moving closer to me. “We never stopped trying to contact you. It wasn’t until almost a year after you disappeared that we finally found the crack we needed to realize you were missing. That you hadn’t stopped wanting to speak to us.”
