Page 23 of Wild Ride

I’m not sure how long I sit there, but it’s long enough that my phone buzzes in my pocket. Goose bumps slide over my skin as I reach for my phone and look down at the number. Shaking my head, I toss my phone on the bed, watching as it bounces.

It’s Briana, and I know she’s checking on me to make sure all is good, but I can’t bring myself to talk to her right now. Slowly, I pull the top off the box, setting it down gently before I look in the box.

It’s full of letters.

Lots and lots of letters.

Frowning, I pick up the one on top. It’s dated just two months ago. Slowly sliding my finger beneath the flap, I take out the folded piece of paper. I don’t know what I expect to find in the envelope, but it’s not this.

Dear Dakota,

I know this letter will likely never find its way to you. I’ve written a million of these over the years, but this one is different. This one is my last, and there is no more hope that we will cross paths again.

I want you to know that I thought of you every single day of your life. I’m not a good man, not a clean man. I never have been. Your mother was probably right to run away like she did back then.

But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t think of you, didn’t wish that you were here every day for the past thirty years. I thought of you every single minute and wished I could have laid eyes on you again, just one more time.

In case you were ever wondering, I named you Dakota because I feel the freest when I’m in South Dakota. It’s the only place I’m ever at peace. You’re in those hills every time I am there.

I can feel you.

I wish I could have known the woman you grew to be. Someday, we will meet again, daughter. But know this: the day you were born was the day I decided to be a better man.

Love,

Nathan

Dad

Blinking the tears away,I try not to think about any pain that he was possibly in while he was writing this absolutely amazing letter. I finger the envelopes in the box and realize there are hundreds of envelopes with dates on them, and my name is written on the front of every single one.

BULLET

I slam my gavel down. Church is in fucking session.

The men all take their usual places around the long rectangle table. Sinking down in my chair, I clear my throat before I begin.I want to make the decision myself to go and fuck with that cult leader, but I know that’s not the way we operate. We have a system, and as much as I want just to do whatever the fuck I want, that’s not the way shit gets done when you’re part of a group.

And since I’m supposed to be the man in charge now, I must lead by example, and that means not going rogue, even when I want to do just that—immediately.

“For those that don’t know or haven’t heard, Shade’s biological daughter, Dakota, is in town. She received notification from his estate that she’s inherited everything.”

I give that news a moment to sink in with everyone, and when it does, I’m not surprised to see both Maverick and Goose jump to their feet simultaneously and slam their hands down on the table, their eyes focused on mine.

Clearing my throat, I lean back in my chair. “I felt the same way, but it’s what Shade wanted.”

Shocker snorts, no doubt finding my words lacking conviction, mainly because he knows exactly how I feel about the situation. I’m just as pissed off as they are about it. I’d like to say that being inside of her didn’t soften me to her situation, but that would be a lie, no matter how much I tell myself it’s not.

There’s also the fact that she was kept hidden from him and was raised in some bullshit cult that trafficked girls, and that shit does not sit well with me at all whatsoever. So, as much as I want to hate the absolute shit out of her, it’s becoming increasingly difficult.

Once the twins have settled their asses down, I clear my throat and tell them the rest of the story, or at least what I know about it. As my gaze scans the room, I watch as everyone’s expressions change almost simultaneously.

They go from being as pissed about this stranger coming in and being given everything that our president worked his ass offfor to being angry as fuck that this group is doing what they’re doing to girls.

And that’s saying a hell of a lot for a club that has a stable of women here at all times for the sole purpose of fucking and sucking. Huge difference is every woman here is just that, a woman, and they want to be here. We have no contracts, no owners, and any woman can walk out of the door of her own free will.

“So, are we going to do something with this information?” Ivy asks.

It doesn’t surprise me that he’s asking the question, considering he’s a defense attorney and sees bad shit all day, every day. It’s a wonder that Piggy and Ivy aren’t raging fucking drunks with the shit they deal with on a daily basis.

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