Page 85 of Menace

Shaking his head from side to side he finally opened his eyes and looked at his prez.

“She supposedly died fifteen fuckin’ years ago, Prez. Fifteen fuckin’ years. Then she pops up and approaches me as Carmella but didn’t get what she wanted. She leaves and now she’s back again, but this time as Gloria. Why is she back? Why is she wearing her Gloria persona again? Why is she here? What does she want?” He spat the words out through gritted teeth.

“Lucky, son, we need you to work this through with us. We need your input.” Grave, their VP, said his voice quiet and soothing.

“Did you claim her? Is she your ol’ lady?” Jonno asked.

The answer came to him instantly. “No, I did not and no she’snotmy fuckin’ ol’ lady.”

“Then why the fuck is she claimin’ she is?” Jonno asked angrily.

“Who the fuck is the bitch?” Iceman asked, his voice as angry as Jonno’s

He drew in a breath and explained their history to the brothers.

“I was a prospect when I met her. She was older, pretty with big tits and a great ass, wild in bed, or so I in my inexperience thought. She was everythin’ a stupid fuckin’ nineteen year old could want. We were together for about a year and I was sure I had found the fuckin’ love of my life. We made plans to get married as soon as I turned twenty-one because that’s when my trust fund was goin’ to kick in. As a prospect I had to talk to my president before I could claim her and was about to do it when she left. I found a note, sayin’ she had to go to Mexico because her grandmother was on her deathbed. When she wasn’t back when she said she would be I tried to call. Her family told me to forget about her. I found a number for her grandmother and she told me Gloria had been killed in a drive-by soon after she arrived at her home. I was devastated and immediately wanted to go down there. Her father refused to let me attend the funeral, made it clear if I set foot in Mexico I wouldn’t be leavin’ alive.”

Around him his brothers’ reactions were about like his at the time. Anger.

“I was goin’ to go anyway but Prez and VP found out and locked me down. Her grandmother reached out. She sent a program of the funeral and a clipping from a flower she planted on the grave. That’s when I accepted I had lost her.” He looked at Grave and gave him a chin lift. “Without Grave and his old lady I wouldn’t have made it. They helped me through. They showed me my life wasn’t over, that one day when I least expected it I would be happy again. They were right. It took some time but I finally got there.”

Dive reached out and put a hand on his forearm that was resting on the table, tightening his fingers then let go. Blowing out a heavy breath he gave his brothers the truth. However much he didn’t want to share, he knew it had to be done.

“It took me a fuckin’ long time to get over that shit. Along the way I’ve been a miserable bastard to a lot of women who didn’t deserve the treatment they got from me. And now, when we have proof that Gloria never existed, that she’s in actual fact Carmella Mendez she suddenly comes back. She’s a liar and if the stories about the bitch is true she’s a killer as well. I can’t let her come back and destroy the life I’m busy buildin’. It’s very possible that I’m the father of a baby boy and I won’t put him and his mother in danger.”

“What the fuck!” There was shock and confusion on most of the brothers’ faces.

But not on all the faces. His inner circle knew.

“Yeah, I know it’s a shock seein’ that it’s me, the man who fucked women and left as soon as he was done.” He shrugged. “But it’s true. My ol’ lady had a boy and he’s almost four months old.”

Stunned looks came from the brothers, some shaking their heads in disbelief.

“You have to be fuckin’ shittin’ me.” Tank, the president of the Jacksonville chapter growled. “Saw you a couple weeks ago and you said nothin’ about claimin’ a woman or getting’ one pregnant. You hidin’ her from us, Lucky?”

And there it was. A question that wasn’t as easy to answer as it seemed. He glanced at Maniac who gave a very slight shake of his head.

Okay. It seems it wasn’t time to share as yet.

“No, brother, I’m not. There’s shit goin’ on with her I can’t talk about yet but believe me, she’s mine. I’ve claimed her and she’s accepted my claim. As soon as we’ve got shit sorted for her she’ll be gettin’ my patch and wearin’ my ring. She’s gonna be mine in every way.”

“It sounds like there’s more goin’ on here with your chapter than Los Rojos and the Grave Robbers. Am I correct in thinkin’ that?” Bones, the Knoxville chapter prez aimed his question at Maniac, and Lucky left it to his prez to answer.

While they were talking his head was on Gloria’s sudden reappearance. What it meant for him.

After the shit she pulled as Carmella he was wary of what her appearing at their gates as Gloria meant. Was it possible that her sudden appearance was another ploy by Los Rojos to get their hands on him?

And why the fuck were they so intent on him?

He wasn’t the most important person at the club, not at all. What was it they wanted from him?

Turning to Ren he spoke softly. “Why does Los Rojos keep comin’ for me? What is it they want from me?”

Ren’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side as he thought about it. And then suddenly he jerked up right.

“Fuckin’ hell, that’s it. That’s what this is all about.” He almost shouted.

Maniac and the others instantly stopped talking and looked at Ren.

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