Page 46 of In the Light of Sin

I would never hurt a place that meant so much to Sarge.

Even though he acted like a top-tier asshole, I could tell there was a soft side to Darrell. Beneath that rough exterior was someone who just wanted to make the world a better place for the innocent. I could see it in the way he was with his daughter, and I could see glimpses of it with Victoria, even though he tried his damnedest to conceal those moments to just himself when he thought no one was watching. Being the President of an MC, though, you’re always going to have eyes on you. Even ones you’ll never feel until it’s too late.

The way he went about it wasn’t morally correct, but it sure was effective. And one thing I’ve learned since coming here was that the moral way wasn’t always the right way.

Sometimes, you had to play with the shadows in the corners. They knew secrets the light would never dare try to discover.

There was a knock at the door, and when I called,‘Come in,’Darrell walked through the doors, cut on with a black henley with a nice pair of dark denim jeans. The necklace around his neck was a simple silver band on a plain chain, matching Nyla’s, who still wore hers despite being in a wedding gown. They both wore them proudly. Darrell’s eyes softened immensely when they landed on Nyla, a look of love from a father to a daughter. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

And she did. Her long brunette hair was curled to the middle of her back. The white gown had a sweetheart neckline, flaring at the hips slightly to give a little more curve to her slim frame. Victoria kept the makeup light. Nyla said Mitchell liked her better without makeup, so she just did a simple blush with mascara to make her unique silver eyes pop.

Her cheeks heated at the compliment, still getting used to this side of Darrell. She was still working to get past the man we all met at first, the one who threatened to kill us multiple times if we didn’t comply with their demands. Walking her down the aisle was a huge moment… for both of them. “Thanks, dad.”

A stab of longing hit me. I tried to push down the envy I felt of Nyla and Darrell—Trevor and Oakley, too. I would give anything to have my father walk me down the aisle, watching out for me and loving me like he did when he was still here. Somedays, I daydreamed about the life I would be living if they were still among the living. Would I have gotten a job at Poppy Oaks? Would Nyla and Oakley be my best friends?

… Would I have ever met Sarge?

I couldn’t imagine the what-ifs that riddled me with anxiety. I just had to accept what did happen and not what could’ve happened. The life I had wasn’t ideal… the one I was starting to have? I bit the inside of my cheek, the faceless man who made me feel on top of the world with just an ounce of his dastardly attention popping into my mind.

I really had to stop getting horny at my best friend’s wedding.

“Is Mitchell ready?” I asked to distract myself from the thought of Sarge bending me over the bartop and taking me like he did at the counter at Poppy Oaks–also, he did make a mess of me that night. Three times. I discovered he had a cabinet filled with Plan B–way more than ten days’ worth.

“He better be.” I couldn’t tell if Darrell was kidding or not. He didn’t mess around when it came to Nyla. He was very protective of his little girl, wanting to make up for the twenty-two years they lost together.

The door was roughly opened, bouncing off the wall with a thud before a high-pitched shout. “No crying!” Victoria chastised, running over to Nyla, her thumbs going up to wipe Nyla’s cheeks. “I spent way too much time on this face of yours for you to ruin it for Darrell.”

He snorted, a smile he desperately tried to hide playing on his usual straight lips. “Thanks for that, Vic.”

She cheesed over to him. “Go on now, make sure Grim’s ready.”

He walked over to Nyla, kissing her on the forehead. “Fuckin’ proud to be your dad, sweetheart.”

I looked over at Victoria to see her reaction, the softness in her violet eye shining. Everyone knew about her feelings for Darrell and that the bombshell of his relation to Nyla would potentially shatter them. But it hasn’t. I knew it wouldn’t. Victoria’s heart was solid gold, knowing what it was like to be abandoned by the ones who love you. She grew up on the rough streets of the Dominican Republic before her mother escaped to the United States. She’s never had stability until Darrell crossed her path.

I hope she will find her happily ever after soon. She deserves peace with the life she’s lived.

The door opened again, making me wince as it once again hit the wall, leaving a doorknob dent. This time it was Claudia, a short woman with long curly brown hair and light, friendly eyes that looked like liquid gold if you pissed her off–which wasn’t hard to do. She was a hothead, especially with her family. Oakley looked and acted nothing like her mother; they were total opposites, but they loved each other unconditionally. “Shoo.” Claudia waved her hands. “We didn’t work this hard to get your girl all cleaned up for you to ruin it. So go on, get!”

“Mom!” Oakley’s face brightened. I thought it was hysterical that a woman half the size of Darrell was bossing him around in his own clubhouse. Any other day, and I’m sure words would be exchanged, but today wasn’t about him. It was for his little girl.

Ever since we were pushed into the outlaw world, Claudia was filled-in. A part of me thinks she’s always known, but for Oakley’s benefit, played a fool when it came to it. So, everyone was starting to get to know Trevor’s wife. She was quickly becoming the mom of the club and had a huge spot for Tyrant. Something that drove everyone, especially Trevor, crazy. He didn’t want her to be friendly with any of the club members, but he couldn’t keep her away from the madness of his secret family now.

She also watched V closely. He was the only brother she wasn’t warm with. Maybe it was because of the way V was attached to Oakley’s hip without consent, or did she sense something more sinister about the man that none of us knew? V was the definition of unhinged, but there was something else there…

Something that was broken beyond repair.

It reminded me a lot of myself, having a piece of you forever torn from yourself, and you couldn’t fix it no matter how many stitches you knitted to hold it in place. One thought and all the years of hard work came undone like you never began recovery in the first place. Something I and many others in this club could, unfortunately, relate to.

With lots of words on the tip of his tongue, ready to strike Claudia for talking to the President of a motorcycle club like he was beneath her, he stepped out of the room, and I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. That could’ve gotten really ugly.

The things Darrell did for his daughter.

“These men,” Victoria grumbled with a shake of her head, her pale orange-colored afro swaying with her motions. She looked stunning in her burgundy crop top and matching skirt that ended mid-thigh paired with black strappy heels.

“Neanderthals are more like it,” Claudia said without shame. She was more modestly dressed in a spaghetti strap maxi dress the same color as everyone else’s clothing.

Victoria looked at Nyla, a soft sheen in her violet eyes. “We’ll meet you out there, sweet girl.”

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