Rick slid out the chair opposite and glared at me. He didn’t like being designated waiter for the evening. I’m sure he expected to be out dealing drugs, beating up people who couldn’t defend themselves, and fucking everything with a pussy and tits when he joined the club, not shit kicking for Marini and wiping his assafterward.
I sat reluctantly, my gaze raking over the table, taking in the splendor of biker-made food and canned beer before settling on myfather.
He sat at the end of the table stroking his beard like a slimy predator, his wicked eyes watching me, watching him. Finally, he lifted a hand, dismissing Rick, who sneered and strode from theroom.
I eyed the new recruit and rolled my eyes. What a littleshit.
“He’s green,” Marini said. No hello, no how are you doing, just straight intoit.
“I’m sure he didn’t expect to be your slave when he signed up,” I replied, not skipping abeat.
My father smirked, the action letting me know my passive-aggressive insult hadn’t flown over hishead.
“What do you want, Betty?” he asked, reaching for his beer. “Other than pissing off my men. Harley had a good beating coming to him, and quite frankly it was overdue, but not fromyou.”
“A woman can’t beat on a man who deserves it around here? I thought the strong prevailed,Daddy.”
“Sam is Harley’s property. Notyours.”
“What?”
He tilted his head to the side. “So, what is it, Betty? What do youwant?”
“I made it clear what I wanted the first night I came in here,” I replied, my sneer matching his. “Crystalclear.” He sipped his beer, making a horrible slurping noise that made my stomach churn.Ugh. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were brewed with the tears of his victim’s families. “After what you put me through, I deserveit.”
Abruptly, Marini slammed down the can. Reaching over the table, he grabbed my hand and wrenched me close. The force jolted the table, knocking over the glass of water in front of me. The liquid spread, but I hardly noticed. My gaze was locked on my father’s face with laser pointaccuracy.
His smile had faded, and he’d taken on a demonic look. I remembered it well enough when his fist was raised in the air, ready to fly at Mom’s face. I imagined this was the look he got when he faced hisenemies.
His eyes were wide and his lips thin with anger as he twisted my wrist. Pain shot up my arm, but I wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction of seeing me squirm. I let him hold me, steeling myself for the threat that was about to slap me around the face. Metaphoricallyspeaking.
“Don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing, Betty,” he said, taking manic to a whole new level. “Taking women away from deserving men, interfering with their business, making friends, getting my fucking tattoo. You’re a child playing in a man’s world, little girl. If I don’t kill you, one of them will, and I didn’t go and get you fornothing.”
“You went and got me?” I asked, sneering. “You sent one of your little lap dogs to do what you should’ve done years ago. You did nothing but sit on your putrid throne and bark yourorders.”
“You don’t need to fight anyone’s battles, Betty,” he said, pulling me closer. “No one takes aim at you. Stay out of Harley’s way. Hell, stay out of clubbusiness.”
“Or what? You’ll beat them up like you didRatchet?”
“He was not given permission to mark my daughter,” Marini practically roared. “A woman should not betouched.”
I snorted, wrenching my wristaway.
He was just humoring me. Lulling me into a false sense of security so I would feel safe. Then when he’d won me over with his psychopathic threats, he wouldn’t blink when he had to sacrifice me for his own personal gain. Ratchet tattooing me with Fortitude’s mark was the worst thing he could’ve done. I was damagedgoods.
I couldn’t let him know I knew what he was up to. I had to play along, no matter how sick it made mefeel.
“What do you want with me, Dad?” I asked, turning down the anger in my voice. “Tell me. It’s obvious you don’t want me to be part of Fortitude. Just don’t tell me the things I’ve done to get here have been fornothing.”
Marini leaned back, his face returning to its usual passivestate.
“They had me,” I went on. “The Hollow Men had me until Chaser busted in and killed them all. I could be hanging from their King’s ceiling right now. I could be lying on the pool table in the common roomlike—”
“Shut yourmouth.”
What? So now he cared about what happened to Mom?Fatchance.
“What are you going to do about them?” I asked, sticking my finger right into the open wound. “How long am I going to be locked up inhere?”