Page 79 of Keys

“Magic. Fucking magic happens and you know it. Otherwise, what the fuck are you doing with Jamie?”

“Angel Girl,” he corrected my sister’s name. I smirked, because she finally managed to train one of us, at least.

Sweet sighed. “I’m not stopping you, but for the record, I think this is crazy.”

“For the record, I’m not giving her the ring yet. I just want to have it, for later, when the time is right.”

Chapter 28

6 months later

My father was dead. The ‘great’ Senator Cassidy escaped the fallout from the media finding out exactly what he had been up to all those years when he served his state as Governor and then both his state and country as a US Senator. I don’t know why he thought his dirty deeds would never go public, since he had the nerve to out me as his daughter, but when the news dropped that he was a huge part of the human trafficking ring, the bastard took the easy way out.

My father killed himself.

Good Riddance.

The cases against the various people involved with the ring were all still pending, but my father’s testimonies against every one of them had already been logged in videotaped witness affidavit statements. It was the only noble thing he did before offing himself. My brother was locked away in a psychiatric ward, one I wasn’t sure he would ever emerge from, thanks to his mother’s side of the family. The boy had been ‘tainted’ by his father’s genes, after all. My sister, Aubrey, was in the wind somewhere. Though, I had it on good authority from Attorney Gordon Johnson that she was doing just fine and living her best life with a new identity.

Good for her.

I worked tirelessly to make new identities for both my mother and her new husband so that they could live out their retirement peacefully and not be disturbed by the press or anyone else asking for them to sell their story. The unfortunate part of my plan happened when my mother sold off her house in Atlanta and used the money to buy one here, in Sierra High instead.

When I planned for them to live their best lives in retirement obscurity, I never imagined they would settle here. Damn my luck.

Okay, fine, I’ll admit it was nice reconnecting with my mother now that she wasn’t completely batshit crazy, brainwashed by my father. Jack was a fucking riot to have around too. The man had a sweet sense of humor and always knew just the thing to say to break the tension when things grew to heavy between my mother and me. In other words, he was a fucking saint, and I loved him.

“Jody thinks I should wear this,” my mom told me as I turned to see what Quickshot’s mother thought high fashion was these days. I glanced at the leather pants in my mother’s hands and frowned before turning to see a snickering Jody who was trying to hide her reaction from my mom.

I gave her a look and was about to lay into her when Angel Girl burst through the door. “Jody!” She called the woman’s name with complete exasperation written all over her tone. “Tuck has been trying to reach you and says he’s worried because you won’t answer.”

Quickshot’s mother rolled her warm, golden-brown eyes that were an exact match to her son’s. “That old bastard can go suck a gnarly, diseased dick.”

I had to hold back the laughter that threatened to spill out as the visual played in my mind. “Gross!” Even shaking my head wouldn’t wipe away the image now that it was there.

“What did he do this time?” Angel Girl asked her, though I don’t think she really wanted to. I knew Jody and Cindy, old ladies from the Aces High MC – Cedar Falls Chapter had practically raised Angel Girl alongside their sons, Quickshot and Steel – when he was there and not with his mom in South Dakota. It was obvious that the respect she had for the woman as a result was the only reason that she currently tolerated her bullshit.

“What didn’t he do? Or maybe I should ask who didn’t he do?”

“You could leave his ass,” Angel Girl reminded the woman for the millionth time since the couple had come to visit two weeks ago.

“Maybe I will.” Jody turned to face me then. “Maybe, I’ll move down here to Georgia to be closer to my boy. He will always love me.” It was my turn to roll my eyes. Quickshot was at the end of his rope with both of his parents and ready to ship them off to the other side of the world if it gave him back a little peace of mind.

Wisely, I stayed silent on the matter though because once Jody got started, there was no stopping her, and like hell I’d encourage that shit.

“You already know what I think, Jody. Toxic is toxic.” Of course, my mother and her psycho-babble logic would poke the bear.

“He is toxic,” Jody sniffed, making me want to bang my head against the wall.

“Well, whatever he is, can you please text him that you’re alive, so he’ll stop harassing me?” Angel Girl demanded, even though she made it sound like a question.

Jody shook her head dismissively at Angel. “I caught that bastard trying to get a blowy from one of the club girls that is younger than you. He thinks just because they don’t hang around the clubhouse in Cedar Falls anymore, thanks to that unfortunate Jewel incident, that he can just do as he pleases and dip his wick in when he heads to other clubhouses. Not when I’m with him!” Her finger rose in the air, as if she was making a proclamation that could not be broken, despite the fact that she had just talked about it having already taken place.

“I should have chopped his dick off after I gave birth to Wallace,” the crazy woman insisted, though she seemed to be talking more to herself than anyone else by that point.

My mother’s wide-eyed stare met my own and all I could do was offer up a shrug for her. Mom loved Quickshot. She thought he was the next best thing to Jack – her husband – and didn’t waste a moment telling everyone. In fact, I think she had a little crush on my man. Either that or she just loved the man more than she did me. Who knew? Both of our mothers were crazy as the day is long.

“Mom, I don’t think the leather pants are a great idea. They’re hard as hell to get off once you’ve been sweating in them all night.” I offered my advice while trying to change the subject.

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