Page 85 of All Your Firsts

The realization that death was a real possibility hits me hard, and the thought of Jess being harmed because of me is even more devastating.

Nineteen

Vic

The second I walk back into church, I spot the guys all lounging on the leather couch. I take a seat and look at Trey expectantly.

“Here,” Marcus says as he passes me the bottle of Jack, “you’re gonna need it.”

I grab the neck of the bottle and chug until the liquor hits the inside of my stomach and warms me from the inside out.

With a long exhale, Trey runs his hands over his face. “When Pop first started the club, he wanted to make a name for himself, the club, and leave a legacy,” Trey says with an eye roll.

He and his father never had a common understanding or viewpoint.

“He wanted the territory one of the rival clubs had, so he made a deal.”

“I already know this,” I say with a sigh. I just want to get this done and go lie in bed with Rosie.

“You do, but he never told anyone the who.”

“Rosie’s father,” I say.

“What better way to get to the top than to get hired by the Mafia, right? Pop ran guns and drugs for him for years, then shit started to get weird,” Trey says as he looks over at the guys. “First, with people dying or going missing.”

“Then,” Julian says, “the first run you and Ax went on got fucked. I swear to you nothing on the monitors showed anything. I would have never let you guys stay there as long as you did if I knew.”

I look over at Julian. He looks upset. “You think this was your fault?”

“I should have figured out the pigs were tipped off before it happened.”

“You couldn’t have known, man. Shit happens. It’s not your fault,” I say to Julian. I didn’t know he held guilt over that day.

“Shit was fishy as fuck after you got arrested, so I started snooping around more. Pop was furious and went off the deep end. I figured out it was Hector, Rosie’s father, who employed the club through the years.”

“So, you’re telling me Rosie’s father is the reason I got caught?”

I always knew the run was too clean to become so fucked up otherwise.

Trey nods.

“Why the fuck would he do that? From what Gage has told me, he practically owns the police force.”

This is so fucked up.

The need to expel the liquor as it churns in my stomach is almost unbearable.

“Whispers flew about his oldest son, Gage’s twin, getting in trouble. Hector’s hush money wasn’t enough to fix the last fuckup his son made, so he handed them the club to clear his son.”

My heart beats in my ears. I paid the price for Rosie’s brother’s fuckups.

Then, I landed in the same cell as her brother, Gage. Coincidence? I think fucking not.

Rosie’s father is the reason I ended up behind bars.

“I found out something else,” Trey murmurs as he looks at the ground. “The night your parents died, it wasn’t an accident. They were murdered. They owed too much money, and the time came to pay up. Rosie’s father made the call, and the club carried out the orders.”

As he utters the final word, a heavy weight settles on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. The club killed my parents.

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