Page 63 of Cage's Fall

“The club killed my blood father,” Jacob said,“and if Autumn learns the truth, she’ll turn.. Hawk and I don’t want that.”

I just stared at him.

“Why?” Aaron said. “Why did the club kill him?” He was staring directly at Wild, who was the only member at the table that was a ranking member all those years ago.

“Dark days brother,” Wild said, running his hand down his beard. “The man was crippled with guilt. Couldn’t take the weight of the hammer.” He looked directly at me.“Some men aren’t born to lead a club.”

Why was he looking at me like that? I wasn’t in fucking line for the president patch. I was no where near it. I was an enforcer, that was as far as I would step up.

“His fuck up costed us five men. It had to be answered,” Wild added. “The man was crippled with guilt about it. We did him a favour.”

My fists came down on the table

“A favor! A fucking favor! You could have stepped him down! Not execute him! Where does Hawk sit on this?”

Jacob looked me in the eyes. “Who do you think gave the order?”

Everyone has secrets in their closets. Ones they hope never come to light. This was a club secret, and now, now it rested on my shoulders- to keep from a woman I was planning on claiming.

“We can’t escape the past,” Jacob muttered. “But that’s all it is. My blood father was a drunk and an addict. He never deserved my mother or my sister’s love. Hawk did us a fucking favor.”

I looked at Jacob. “I doubt your sister sees it that way.” I looked back at Wild. “Emily’s death,” I looked back at Jacob, “ya mother, did we have anything to do with her death?”

“Blow back from a patch over.” And this time Jacob actually sounded human and emotional. “Autumn knows about that though. Or at least, we think she does.”

Aaron cursed. “If the cops want to flip her, telling her and then proving we killed her father will do it.”

“He was a fucking addict drunk!” Jacob hissed. “I’ll talk to Autumn. She'll remember the times I locked her in the closet while he drank. Autumn knows deep down what type of man he was.”

“Who her father was, isn’t up for questioning,” Aaron sighed. “It’s her faith and trust in us, that will be up for the slaughter.”

Aaron looked at me, and we both knew- if Autumn found out, she would wipe her hands of the club, if not go for the heart of it and tear us to pieces. She had information on the club that most women didn’t get access too. I was fucking furious in that moment, because Hawk had let her in so close, that she could tear us apart.

But what I wasn’t thinking of then, is what it would do to me, if she found out. I wouldn’t just lose her. I’d lose my future with her. But then again, what I did next would lose her regardless. Didn’t know that then.

“I’ll make a call.” I said, and they looked at me. “The lady detective I have strings with. I’ll pull on them, get the case closed. And we,” I looked around the room, “don’t fucking tell Autumn, ever.”

And Aaron brought the hammer down on the meeting and it was settled. Autumn wasn’t to know.

Autumn

Nerves flooded my body, as I brought my fist to Cage’s door. He had disappeared yesterday. I knew they had a church meeting after the police showed up. But he didn’t surface when all the other men did.

The door cracked open, and Cage’s face dropped.

“Hey.” I said, with a smile. “Just cooked breakfast, you hungry?”

He looked sheepish, like I was the last person he wanted to see.

“Um Autumn…”

“Cage come back to bed.”

And those few words, sent ice over my body. I watched what I think was fear appear in Cage’s eyes, along with loss, then finally, grief.

I pushed on the door, swinging it open and laying in bed was the brunette. The detective brunette from yesterday.

I scoffed. “Sleeping with the pigs.” I crossed my arms, looking at him hurt. “Guess I should expect that from a pig.” And then I walked off down the hall, leaving him behind, after he had just taken a knife to my heart.

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