Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
He leads me to his office and I step inside. He closes the door and then waits as I sit on the sofa, to which he sits across from me, elbows on his knees, staring at me with those eyes. The ones that my mother loved so much, the ones that bring me such comfort on hard days, but also the ones that lied to me.
The ones that hurt me.
He studies me. “You wanna yell, go ahead. I can take it, baby.”
Something about the way he says it, like he’s braced for the pain, makes my chest cave in. My voice wobbles. “I want to know the truth. All of it. Not just Mom’s version, but yours, too. Don’t sugarcoat it. I want it laid bare.”
He lets his breath out slow. “I didn’t know about her until she showed up here telling me she was mine. I knew Demon had a kid, I assumed she belonged to him. Her mom, Clarice, was with Demon. As you know, Demon and I have bad blood and one night, after your mom and I got into a bad fight and I thought we broke up, so I went out on the town. Got drunk and saw Clarice. I took the chance, I was angry and stupid, I wanted to know that I fucked his woman. So that’s what I did. It was once.”
He won’t look at me. He’s staring at his hands.
“Did you tell Mom?”
His jaw flexes. “Yeah, I did, but not right away. I knew if she found out, she would leave and I was right, when I told her, it was the end of us. Didn’t know Clarice was pregnant until I saw her in town months later. Didn’t even think twice. Figured Demon was having a kid and never thought of it again. Clarice died and, well, you know the rest.”
I let that sit, taking deep breaths. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
He exhales, running his hands through his hair. “Because I didn’t want you to hate me, Violet. I made a mess and I was scared. I knew what it would do to you. I was going to tell you, believe me. Then Jasmine started causing trouble and I thought, was it worth telling you? She is bad news, maybe it was best you didn’t know.”
The hush between us is so deep, I can hear my own pulse.
I say nothing.
He tries again. “You’re my girl, Mischief. Always have been. Nobody replaces you, not Jasmine, not anyone. But I didn’t want that coming in here, tearing what we had apart.”
I swallow hard, throat raw. “She’s not coming in between us. You are.” When he flinches, it hurts. “All I wanted was the truth. Why can’t anyone just give it to me, straight up?”
“You’re right, you deserve the truth. I was going to give it to you, for what it’s worth. Jasmine hasn’t been easy, and honestly, I’m not sure I want that girl anywhere near you.”
I meet his eyes. “She’s my sister.”
He looks at me, his eyes changing, hardening slightly. “Yeah, but you don’t owe her anything. She’s got a bad vibe and she’s already causing problems. She was raised by Demon, and I don’t trust her. I don’t trust anything about her.”
“Is this why Demon hurt Mom?”
He nods. “He is angry, and he wants revenge. He wants me to suffer. He wants me to burn for everything that happened back then. Demon is far from gone, and Jasmine is only an added problem.”
I nod, rubbing my hands together.
We sit for a while, not talking. He finally reaches for the bottle of Jack on the table, pops the cap, pours some into a chipped mug. “You want one?”
I shake my head. My mouth is dry. “What’s Demon going to do now?”
Chief’s brow furrows, jaw set. “He’s here for blood. I don’t trust that Jasmine isn’t feeding him information. She sits around, telling me she wants to get to know me, but I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth. She was raised by the devil, there’s no way she’s good.”
I nod. But I can’t stop thinking about Jasmine. Is she truly bad, or is she a girl confused? She spent her life thinking one thing, only to find out another. Could she be genuine, or could she truly be the thing that brings this club to their knees? It’s a terrifying thought.
“I don’t want you near her, Violet. I mean it.”
I cross my legs. “She is my blood, Dad.”
“Not in this house, she isn’t. She’s not a good egg, trust me on that.”
“What if she’s just trying to be part of our lives?”
He shakes his head. “She isn’t. Need you to believe me and do as I’m asking.”
I exhale, but nod. “Okay.”
More silence.
“We good?”
“You’re my dad, I love you, I’ll always come back to you but I need some time now. Just don’t lie to me anymore. I can handle the things you do in this club, the violence and pain, but I can’t handle being lied to by someone who is meant to be the most honest person in my life.”