Page 10 of Devil's Betrayal

The rest of this shit week is uneventful and I’m thankful for the reprieve. Hawk continued to try and explain his thought process when he made the deal with the Russians but I refused to engage him. All I want is to devise a plan to get this trash out of my town without making a mess. For now, I’ve allowed them to stay because they haven’t made a move to traffic women and the money they’re spending to play poker at the Fuzzy Peach has been good for the club. Is it wrong to continue taking money from them? Probably yes, but I’m no saint just because I want my club to stop certain activity. Besides, this asshole lied to me. Sergei doesn’t know that I’ve been told about his true reason for being here and I’ve kept a tight leash on Hawk because I can’t trust him not to tell him. It’s a damn shame when you don’t know where your own son’s loyalty stands.

I haven’t laid eyes on Cami since that night at the antique store and I’m hoping she’ll be at Lightning Ridge tonight to meet with me. I’ve purposely steered clear of Iron Forge givingher the space I know she needs to make a clear decision. When she comes to me, I need it to be her choice and hers alone. I’m not a very patient man but with Cami, I’ll wait for as long as she needs. She has always been special to me and not a single woman in my life held a candle to her. Distance kept us apart and circumstance paused our destiny but now there is nothing in the way of us being together. Not even Gideon can keep us apart. When fate is on your side, nothing can get in its way.

Though I don't consider myself a romantic, I stop at the Broken Shaker, our local bar and grill, and order Pastrami sandwiches, a couple of side salads, and grab a bottle of wine before heading east. My intention is to surprise Cami with a picnic because women appreciate gestures like that, and I want her to feel at ease. As much as I want her, my sole objective today is to tell her the truth about what happened to Jake. It's crucial that she understands I did everything in my power to prevent it and that Franklin planned the whole thing. It won’t be what she wants to hear because I truly believe she loved him but he wasn’t the man she thought he was.

With my saddlebag filled to the brim, I set out for Lightning Ridge. We would go there every weekend to be alone. Cami’s parents tried so hard to keep us apart but we had a connection so deep that nothing and no one could keep us from being together. When she told me she was going away to college, part of me wanted to beg her to stay. At the same time, I wanted her to go experience the life that I knew I couldn’t give her. I thought that her love for me would sustain her in my absence but I suppose me not telling her those words in return made it easy for her to turn to Franklin. Back then, I was a foolish young man that didn’t know how to express himself. Life taught me different, and at this point, I will show Cami that we belong together.

The sun hangs low in the sky when I pull into a parking space and grab the packed saddlebag. As I walk toward the huge pinetree that will hide us from the world, I can’t help but reminisce about all the times we were here in our own bubble. The side of Cami that only I knew would boldly emerge with no judgment, no one to tell her that she wasn’t acting like a lady, and no one to tell us that we weren’t meant for each other. We were free to just be us. I’m just spreading the blanket out when I feel her presence and I’m not a praying man but I thank God that she decided to meet with me. She slowly makes her way towards me, sometimes hesitant in her steps as if grappling with an internal conflict. As I absorb her presence, words fail me. Although time has passed, the allure of this woman, now more mature, continues to mesmerize me, stealing my breath with each encounter. The natural sway of her hips captivates me, making me yearn to take her in my arms and savor the sweetness of her lips.

She’s always picture perfect when I see her but today she’s dressed casually and free of makeup. Her skin is tinged pink from the sun, accentuating her beauty even more. I find myself wondering how I allowed her to slip away. Perhaps our separation was a necessary journey, paving the way for us to navigate life's challenging peaks in anticipation of our shared future. Templar always says that God will take you through a rough patch, teaching you lessons so that you can appreciate the good things that He has coming your way. I’m thinking maybe he’s right. I’ve had several relationships in my life and they failed to inspire visions of an ever after. Cami is the exception. When I gaze into her eyes, I see an endless future of peace and happiness. Today, I’m hoping she can see that too. Once I retire it will just be the two of us choosing where we want to live, not worrying about what others think, and traveling across the country with her on the back of my bike.

Her voice brings me out of my thoughts when she says,

“Okay, Micah, I’m ready to hear the truth.”

Camille

Nervous energy courses through me as I come upon a smiling Micah. His lack of nerves and easy-going nature intimidates me as I slowly approach him keeping a safe distance between us. I’m not sure why because I’ve always been able to be my true self with him but I find myself unable to return his mesmerizing stare. Maybe it’s because I fear that what he tells me could change the trajectory of our relationship. All week I’ve had several conversations with myself and with Lena, trying to prepare for this encounter with Micah. Lena believes I should give him a chance and hear what he has to say. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to hear his side of things. The years I’ve spent unable to have my questions answered have stressed me out in ways that I could never share with Gideon. Anytime I would bring something up about Franklin or Jake, he would shut me down with a dismissive tone saying that we should leave the past in the past because our lives have moved on.

He has no idea that I’ve struggled for years to make sense of everything that transpired between him, Franklin, and Jake. I was purposely kept in the dark which only resulted in me being more confused than ever and I’m tired of feeling stuck in the past with Franklin’s ghost haunting me to the point that I’m not living. My life feels unfulfilled and I know why. Micah and I have unfinished business. It’s one of the reasons I tried so hard to avoid him. The feelings I have for him are so deep that they scare me. I’m scared of the love I feel for him because I’m willing to forgive him and that is what frightens me. Gideon would never forgive me and I’m not sure how I can make him understand what Micah and I have. Franklin was my husband and we built a wonderful life together that has now been tainted by his lies, betrayal, and deceit.

I’m tired of having to sacrifice my happiness so that others feel comfortable. At the same time, I’m not willing to implodemy relationship with my son because of my feelings for Micah. It’s a risk that I’m just not willing to take. It doesn’t seem fair to me and the fact of the matter is, I’m getting the proverbial short end of the stick.

No longer feeling the need to distance myself, I kneel on the blanket and help him set out the food he brought for us and I can’t help but to imagine how if things were different, us having a picnic would be something we did every weekend. I wasn’t expecting this but the thoughtful gesture relaxes me and loosens the knot in my chest. His eyes are soft as he glances at me and there’s a lightness about him that’s unsettling. This isn’t the Micah who’s president of an MC but the Micah I fell in love with all those years ago. The one I need right now to help me understand what really happened to Jake so that we can both move on.

Pulling off my sandals, I settle onto the blanket and wait for him to do the same. I watch him as he moves around with ease. Relaxed as if he spends every waking moment with me, comfortable in my presence. It’s such a contradiction to how I’m feeling and it’s then that I decide to open my mind to receive Micah’s truth. His words will change my future because if what he tells me is the truth, then my past is a lie. An untruth that I used as a reason to hate him so that I could effortlessly keep my distance. It was easier to hate him than have all of Iron Forge questioning my relationship with a known murderer. As far as everyone knew, Franklin was an upstanding citizen who received a key to the city from the mayor and Micah was the menace who came to town and caused trouble.

Grabbing my sandwich, I unwrap it and take a generous bite. My stomach has been shaky all day from my nerves being shot so I hadn’t eaten all day. When he takes a seat across from me, he does the same and for a few moments we eat quietly, enjoying the peace of the meadow. The gentle breeze causes asymphony of sounds to penetrate the quiet as I take a sip of my wine melting my resolve even more. The sun is starting to set and although it will be dark soon, we’re up high enough where the moon and stars cast enough light to see everything. This spot holds great memories for us and if I’m being honest, I would love to create new memories with Micah. I’ve always known that he was and still is the love of my life which is why I have to fight to stay away from him. Not today though. No, today I give myself permission to be in the same space with him and give him my undivided attention to see if we can find a common ground and possibly rekindle what we lost. That, of course, is contingent on what he has to tell me and if I’m being honest with myself, I’m cautiously optimistic that we will resolve this tonight. It’s long past time to move on from our anger. This will either end tonight with me unwilling to believe his version of the events or we will find our way back to one another. His relentless pursuit of me has given life to my dormant soul, at the same time, it wrecks me and I need him to stop this. No more of the teasing and stolen moments. I’m done. I’ve never been so torn in my life and I can’t take it any longer.

Wrapping the other half of my sandwich, I reach for the bottle of wine and pour more into my cup, this time being a bit more generous for an added dose of liquid courage. I want to remain safe in my bubble of peace where I see my children at their best, happily married, and showering affection on my grandchildren whenever possible. However, allowing Micah to tell me his truth runs the risk of shattering my protective bubble and I don’t have the strength to walk away from him again.

No longer able to retain my composure, I look up to ask a question but I find Micah staring so intensely that I feel it roaming along my skin. The sliver of courage I had disappears and suddenly I feel unsure if this was a good idea. He must notice because he averts his gaze and begins telling me whathappened all those years ago, transporting us to a time where I thought everything was perfect but it was actually hidden in the shadows of betrayal and pain. His words compel me and force me to see that my life was a sham.

“Cami, I need you to understand that I deeply regret not intervening to prevent Jake’s murder. Franklin ordered the hit because Jake uncovered his dirty dealings in human trafficking and money laundering.”

Jake’s murder… yes, he was murdered and the truth of those words causes my heart to ache. He was taken from us to hide Franklin’s secrets and intensify an already heated rivalry between the Rebels and the Devils. Pure ice runs along my veins as a shiver runs down my spine. My body stiffens in anticipation of what’s to come because this alone is too much. What else could there be? It’s hard for me to believe that Franklin could be so cruel. At the same time, he killed himself to avoid answering for the crimes that Gideon accused him of. Nothing should surprise me at this point but I sit here stunned into utter silence as Micah continues.

“I’m not proud of the things I’ve done in the past and I’m not making excuses but I was desperate to make money for my club and Franklin found himself mixed up with some people who threatened to kill you and your sons if he didn’t pay them what he borrowed plus interest. He didn’t want to risk losing the distillery or dragging his family into the mess he created so during one of his business trips to Vegas, he hooked up with a guy named Vincent Black.”

Interrupting him, I inquire,

“Isn’t that the same man who kidnapped Lizzie when she was a teenager?”

“The very one. It’s ironic how small the world is but evil has a way of finding evil. It’s the law of attraction,” he quips but continues.

“Anyway, Vincent agreed to pay Franklin a portion of the money he received from auctioning the women that Franklin provided. The women that worked at the strip club were easy targets, especially the ones who had no family ties here. In addition to the trafficking, he had us burn down MoMa’s when she started poking around in his business and tried to get the police involved. What she didn’t know was that Franklin had the sheriff in his pocket, so once she rebuilt the restaurant, she had to pay him to keep her business safe. The Devils collected that money as well as money from other local businesses and we got a cut.

One day, Jake was visiting with Gideon and overheard Franklin on a phone call with Vincent and threatened to not only tell you what he was doing but he was going to take Gideon away. Once he left, Franklin called me and instructed me to eliminate Jake or we’re all screwed. Franklin then arranged a meeting with Jake, promising to come clean about everything. Regrettably, it turned out to be a setup that took place in my territory. Unfortunately, Jake never stood a chance.

I tried to talk Franklin out of ordering the hit but he was in too deep and he wasn’t about to let Jake ruin his operation. Franklin was bank rolling the Devils so I had to carry out his orders. I’ll never forget the look on Jake’s face when he realized that I had betrayed him. He knew he was about to die and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

When I tried to reason with Franklin and talk him out of this, he reminded me that he held my club in his hands and could take everything away from me. I’m not one to bow to any man but the Devils were finally making their mark and I promised my guys that they would never see the inside of a jail cell or want for anything. They left their old lives and pledged their loyalty based on that promise. Believe me, I wrestled with this for days but the devil inside of me won the battle of my conscience and althoughI didn’t pull the trigger, I might as well had because the guilt still consumes me to this day.”

10

Camille

If the ground beneath me opened up, I would freely dive deep into its core to escape the ugly truth. Emotions swirl around in my mind and the one that overpowers my thoughts is betrayal. Although my heart is still beating, somehow I’ve forgotten how to breathe. Was the life I lived just a figment of my imagination? The dutiful wife who supported her husband and made a happy home was made a complete fool of. I’m suffocating and literally drowning in an abyss of deception and I can’t seem to surface. This could not be possible because Franklin was a loving husband who provided for his family and worked hard to make sure we had everything we needed to make a good life for our boys. But here it is, all spelled out for me in black and white. Everything that Micah said is either the truth or he knows how to spin an elaborate story of someone who has no regard for life.

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