Page 35 of Priest

“No fucking way, brother. Not leaving you here with this she-devil,” he insists, never taking his focus off the wild-eyed woman trying to maul me.

“Wait outside. I got this.”

Reluctantly he leaves.

I jump back, releasing my mother. “This is the last time I see you. All this time, I’ve been trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Why I wasn’t good enough for you to love me like a mother should. You took everything good and tainted it. Camille almost died because of you and your selfishness. John’s dead, and instead of learning a lesson and trying to get your family back together, you’re plotting to exploit Dad’s illness. You’re dead to me. You’re dead to Camille, and if Dad’s smart, he won’t have one more thing to do with you either. But he has a choice: break free or never have a chance at a family. That’s up to him.”

My words mean nothing to her. Absolutely nothing. A cackling laugh escapes her. “You think I give a shit that you’re leaving me? Or Camille? I never wanted kids. Your father wanted kids, like it would make him a better person or something. All he did was prove that he was a shit provider. You kids ruined my life. Every day, the same shit.” She uses a mocking tone. “‘Mommy, I’m hungry. Mommy I need this or that.’” I’m fucking stunned. I knew she hated us, but this is unreal. “I wanted to give you up for adoption. I drove all the way to the fire station. But your father figured it out and brought you home. I told him I’d leave him, but he didn’t care about me. I left for a week, thinking he’d realize that he couldn’t handle you kids, but he still refused.”

I must have taken too long, because Demon reappears in the doorway. He must have caught every word. He yanks my arm, forcing me to follow him. I move to my motorcycle, about to climb on, but he stops me.

“You can’t ride like this,” he says quietly.

“Not leaving my bike. The bitch will have it sold before I can come back for it.”

“Then I’m following you back to Quinn’s.”

I shake my head. “I can’t go back to her like this. It’ll scare her.” I can’t let Quinn see me unraveled like this. “Clubhouse.”

“Yeah, fine. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

* * *

The ride back to the compound settled me somewhat, but not nearly enough to call Quinn. I know she’ll be worried, but I can’t keep the anger out of my voice. I need a little more time. The parking lot is full of bikes, and when I enter the main room, Ghost is waiting for me.

“What do you need?” he asks. That’s when I look around and see that all my brothers, short of Hammer and Roscoe, who are probably at the hospital, are gathered around.

I’m ranting. “She’s an evil bitch who never should have had kids. How Camille came out so good is a fucking miracle.”

“Let’s go work that shit out,” Ghost says. He takes a step toward the gym. He doesn’t touch me. He knows my temper too well.

In the gym, I punch the bag for so long and so hard, my knuckles start to bleed. The kicking and punching aren’t enough for me. The anger is so deep that each of my brothers takes a turn sparring with me to work out the disappointment, the rage, the sense of abandonment. The bitch was fucking giving me up. It was as good as dropping me in a garbage can and forgetting about me, like a piece of trash.

* * *

Quinn

The knock at my door reminds me I’ve been glued to my desk for hours. It must be Priest at the door. I haven’t given him a key yet and make a mental note to do that as soon as I can. But instead, I’m surprised to see Guard standing at my door, and immediately go into panic mode.

“Is Priest okay?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.

“Can I come in?” he asks in his low, gravelly voice. I move to one side and let him in. He goes right to the sofa and waits for me.

“What is it?” I whisper. I feel faint, and my knees are getting weak.

Guard reaches for me and sets me down next to him. “Calm down, Quinn. Physically, Priest is fine,” he says. His tone is gentle, but his eyes look like liquid fire. He’s really upset, and this all has to do with my guy, and he still hasn’t told me what’s happening.

“Guard, I know you’re trying to take this slow and careful, but this is just making it worse. You need to rip this off like a Band-Aid. I’m a lot stronger than I look. I can take it.” I rush the words out as I sit on the edge of my seat, readying myself for what’s coming.

“Priest went to pick up his father’s stuff. He found boxes marked for him and his sister. He took it all and was leaving when his mother showed. She came at him with a baseball bat, but that had no impact. It was what she said that threw him off.”

“Where is he now?” | ask breathlessly. I can only imagine what that woman’s verbal attack was like, and all I can think of is getting to Priest.

“He’s with his brothers. Priest needs that right now.” Guard pauses, then asks, “Do you know how Priest came to us?”

“Yeah. When his parents came to see his sister, Priest came with them to get Camille to drop the assault charges for stabbing Wildcard. That’s when he figured out how he was being duped. Priest said that he and Camille talked the next day, and all the lies came out.”

“That’s right. That all happened,” he says. “Do you know what makes a Satan’s Pride member special?”

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