Page 63 of Jake's Angel

“As soon as we knew Avery was out of harm’s way, the club went to war with the Devil’s Order. We lost a lot of men. A lotof blood was spilled on both sides. We took out their President and several of their officers, causing their club to retreat and rebuild,” Gabe explains. “But the threat of retaliation has always been there. I couldn’t raise my daughter here, knowing there was a chance of that war coming back to take her from me.”

The room is saturated with a mixture of emotions. Pop is pacing, hands clasped behind his head, focusing on the ceiling. Gabe looks like he’s ready to snap at any moment. His eyes have a burning, faraway look in them. Caleb and Ghost sit keeping close, watchful eyes on the Prez and Jameson both. We all knew about Jonah’s murder, but knowing it was intentional, not a robbery as we had been told, and finding out his cousin had a part to play in it, can’t be sitting well.

If he didn’t already know.

Seeing the shame Hawk wears for the shit his father, Nate, did to hurt not just his own family but this club, brings an empathy and rage I’ve never experienced before. We grew up together, as close as two brothers can be without being blood.

I never knew any information outside of Thomas being a traitor and having some part to play in Maggie’s death. With all the dots connected, I can’t blame Gabe for keeping Avery a secret for so long. A part of me hurts for the little boy inside me who believed he caused her death by not taking care of her. He failed to keep his promise.

The beautiful Angel I held in my arms as we kissed the hell out of each other is actually the little girl I promised to protect as a boy. She’s been living in Baron’s Edge the whole time. My pop not only knew but was keeping her existence hidden. The biggest family secret in the MC’s entire existence.

Now the princess has run away from her castle, is being hunted by the Mafia, and will be under the protection of the Kings. Herrealfamily. Not to mention, she’s Pres’s daughter.

Fuck me!She’s one hot temptation I cannot afford to fuck around with. Jesus, I need a drink.

There’s nothing I can do to change what’s happened, but I vow to keep history from repeating itself. If Cusenza wants to come for Avery, let him come. Enough people have hurt her. Anyone who thinks they’re going to take her from her family again will have to go through me first.

This time, I’m keeping my promise.

CHAPTER TWENTY

AVERY

The rumbleof motorcycles approaching startles me awake. I wonder what time it is. It’s not very bright outside, so it must still be early.

My mouth feels like I swallowed a handful of cotton balls. My head is throbbing, and my stomach feels fluttery. I don’t know if I’m hungry or nauseous.

Trying to stretch my arms, I find myself wrapped in a cocoon made of a crocheted blanket in a room I’m not familiar with. It’s a simple, but inviting room. Not too big, nothing too fancy. Nothing like the rooms in Gramps’s mansion.Where the hell am I and how did I get in here?

Sitting up, I take inventory of my memories. I remember being brought to the house and getting to know Liz. She has been a great distraction, helping me forget the shit going on around me and focus on being here with her and Sadie. She catered to us. Feeding us, making drinks, telling stories about when Sadie and Jayde were little. It felt like I found everything I’ve been missing from my life.

Laughter. Shared memories.Love.

I appreciated the fact Liz didn’t ask about what happened with the guys in the clubhouse or how I got here. She didn’t try to force me to tell her anything. I like that about her. She doesn’t push too much. At least not with me. She seems to have no problem giving the men hell and loving every minute.

I’m certain she knows more about my past than I do, but I don’t know if she knows everything, and it didn’t seem right to ask. The men seem to keep their secrets close to the vest and their women kept in the dark. Sadie had mentioned club business before, about how it was for the men only. Their way of keeping the women safe.

Plausible deniability, perhaps?

Sadie may not agree with the men of the club on everything, or even like them most of the time, but she listens and abides bysomeof their same rules. I know because she keeps secrets of her own, and as long as she doesn’t tell me everything, I’ll never be put on the spot for her. I don’t like it, but I understand. After all, I have secrets of my own.

I remember discussing the menu and what needed to be done today for Sadie’s graduation celebration. Liz ran through some of the rules and things I should know about club parties. A do and don’t list I will be forever grateful for. Sadie and I have been to parties in Baron’s Edge, but nothing like the stuff Liz warned me could happen here has ever happened at a socialite party. None I’ve attended, anyway. Eleanor West would burn the entire city down if it had.

Topless was never one of the party attire requirements for the parties she hosted.

Liz practically demanded I be at the party, which I inevitably agreed to even after I had expressed several times, to no avail, that I didn’t feel I should be a part of it.

The thought of being in a crowd of people I don’t know; all of whom have thought I wasdeadall these years is terrifying. How will I even explain where I’ve been, or better yet, why they were told I was dead?

Nothing like bringing the dead back to life to liven up a party.

Truth is, I don’t want to take the attention off Sadie. This is her accomplishment. She deserves to be celebrated. My being there feels like it’ll be a distraction and unfair to Sadie, but she agrees with Liz. She wants me there. She’s not worried about their reaction and says it’s Gabe’s mess to clean up anyway.

I groan to myself at the thought of them having a funeral,my funeral,and everyone believing they were burying a mother and her child. I can’t imagine that experience. I didn’t know my mother, but I have felt the loss of not having her with me every day of my life. I feel sympathy and vexation for all of those who felt pain for their loss.

My thoughts take a nasty turn for the worse when the truth comes back to haunt me.

I wasn’t lost—I was given away. He even admitted it.

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