Page 17 of Duke

But now, arthritis and years of hard living has taken its toll. He sits down, and I serve him a stacked plate before taking a seat across from him and grip the side of my mug. The corners of his mouth lift as he watches me add hazelnut creamer and sugar. I never could stand the taste of black coffee, it’s too bitter for me.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“What’s that? Is anyone at the bar giving you trouble? I'll take care of it.”

"No. No, it's nothing like that. Do you remember Duke Masters?"

"Of course. His father, John, was like a brother to me, before that bitch came between us."

"W-what... who?"

"Never mind. Why?"

"Duke’s father died. He came into town for the funeral. He's still here..." I break off.

Pops’ hands start shaking, and hot coffee sloshes over the rim of his cup and spills on the table. I get up quickly, dabbing the spot with a napkin and take the mug out of his hands.

"Pops?" I cover his hands with mine until the shaking subsides.

"I didn't know. Dammit. I wish someone would've told me. We haven't been friends for years, but you don't miss that shit. I should've fucking been there Shanna!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know a thing about either of them until recently. I don’t have to be in until tonight. Do you want me to drive you to the cemetery?"

He closes his eyes, with the tubes from the oxygen tank firmly in his nose and his once dark hair now full white, my heart skips a beat in fear because it's hard to miss how fragile he's become.

"Thanks. I'd like that."

"There's something else Pops. Last night, Duke came in and told me that he owns half of Stan’s."

He shuts his eyes again and inhales sharply. "It is. I'm sorry baby girl. I completely forgot about it. When I parted ways with his father, both of us couldn't give a damn about money or the business. We were hours away from killing each other. Christ, the only reason why we didn't is because each of us had young children. Hell, neither of us wanted our kids growing up without a father even if we weren’t the best ones. He walked away from the bar, and I walked away from the Club. They made him President of the Chapter shortly after but never held it against the boys for still coming around the bar out of loyalty to me. Hell, poor Meat was stuck in the middle, but he loved you something fierce. He always has.”

“What are we gonna do?”

“Nothing. I’ll speak with Duke. Stay away from him, Shanna. I don’t want him upsetting you. This is my business—not yours. The shit that went down between his father and me has nothing to do with you. Christ, we were so tight until that bitch came between us.” He shakes his head.

“Who, Mom?”

“No. It was Duke’s aunt, Dee Dee. That saucy bitch was doing us both. I won’t lie she was a hot little piece, and we were both in love with her. She played us both...getting off on the power trip of making us fight over her like dogs.”

“What happened?”

“She overdosed.”

“It was a fucking mess. We both loved her andblamed each other when she died. Thetruth was we were both cut up withheartbreak.”

“I’m so sorry, Pops.”

“She was it for me. I’m sorry Shanna, your mother was just too stuck-up. Layla loved my rough hands on her body but then would pick fights saying that I wasn’t cultured enough for her. Truthfully, she loved a good fuck but hated I was the one to give it to her.” He pauses catching his breath, and I look down into my mug feeling more like my mother than ever before.

I had the same thoughts about Duke last night.

I’m not at all embarrassed by Pop’s frankness. Growing up as the daughter of the President of the MC—I saw plenty of shit.

Like orgies on ChristmasEve, strippers at birthday parties, Pops' friends doing lines of coke at the bar.I was nine the first time I walked in on Pops having sex with some chick. I might’ve learned what sex was at a young age but have been forbidden from partaking it in myself.

Pop treats me like his most prized possession and I guess I am.

I’ll never forget homecoming my senior year. No one even asked me to the dance since they were all terrified of Pops. If that wasn’t bad enough, Meat and a few other crew members somehowgot on thechaperone list. Thethree massive men stood against the wall all night decked out in their leather cuts and scowling at any boy who came within five feet of me.

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