Page 74 of Mex

“She doesn’t have a fuckin’ side,” Mex roars in response. “She’s a fuckin’liar.”

“Stop,” Bonnie tells Mex, her voice strong but terrified. “You are working on hurt.”

“Please,” I whisper, my eyes on Western. “Please, at least let me explain before you pull the trigger.”

Bonnie squeezes his arm.

After a moment, he lowers the gun.

“You have one fuckin’ minute. Explain.” Western orders.

“I overheard her on the phone to fuckin’ Marek, confirming she had given us the wrong fuckin’ information to throw us off his trail. The reason you found Ivan, was because that motherfucker wanted you to, and she made it happen,” Mex cuts in before I even have the chance.

“Is that true?” Western demands.

My eyes swing to Bonnie. She is looking at me with hurt, and I want the chance to explain, to tell her it isn’t what she thinks. A tear rolls down my cheek, even though I was sure, by now, they had run out.

“Yes,” I say, my voice hoarse, “but it wasn’t meant to betray the club, I was doing it to protect the club.”

“Fuckin’ liar,” Mex thunders.

I jerk my arm from his grips, turning to face him. “Let me speak. Give me the chance. You want the entire truth, Mex, I’ll give it to you, but you do not get to assume to know it without giving me the chance to speak.”

“Then speak,” Western growls, and his voice is utterly terrifying.

I face him once more. “Mex took me,” I begin, “you were right when you assumed that from the beginning. He took me because he wanted information, but I escaped. When he took me a second time, I allowed it because I wanted to stop the club digging into my world. I had enough to worry about. This club was an extra burden. I let Mex believe he had taken me, but I wanted it that way. When you found us, I told you I had taken him, to protect him because I’m such a bad fucking person.”

Colt looks to Mex, his eyes flashing with betrayal.

“Wasn’t doin’ it to fuck you over, Prez,” Mex explains to Western. “Was tryin’ to get answers, and it was takin’ too long.”

“It wasn’t your fuckin’ place to make that call,” Western breathes, low. “We will discuss it later. For now, continue.”

He’s looking at me again.

“Marek wanted the club off his back, so, I agreed to work with him and make sure that happened. I didn’t care for any of youat first...but eventually, I did, and I would rather not see anyone get hurt, so I produced something that I figured would help everyone. I would give you the name of the man you’ve been hunting for so long, and then you’d get off Marek’s back and in doing that, he would get off mine.”

“Didn’t stop you from puttin’ his cock inside you,” Mex hisses.

I exhale but ignore his words.

“I know you wanted to find my mother, but you will never do that because,” I pause, take a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I killed her.”

Bonnie gasps, and Colt’s eyes widen.

Western looks shocked.

“You killed your mother?” Colt asks, clearly needing an extra bit of confirmation.

“Yes. I didn’t want anyone to find out. As I’m sure you know, it would be the end of my life if they did. Marek forced it out of me,” I glance down at the fading burn marks on my arm, “So we made a deal. If I helped him take over what my mother left behind, then he would let me go. He would let me be free to live my life how I choose. No longer tangled in that world. I agreed.”

Silence for a long moment.

“Is there anything else?” Western orders.

“Yes,” I say. “I have to do one more thing for Marek, or he won’t let me go. I have to kill someone who has been in my life for a long time. If I don’t, then I will forever belong to him.”

Mex looks at me, his eyes filled with rage and pain.

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