Page 43 of Bayou Knights
“At any time, did she mention any places she wanted to visit? She’s not with them and he doesn’t know where she is.”
“Not off the top of my head. To be honest any time they talked, I blanked it all out. I really just wanted to die. I didn’t think I would live to come home or that anyone was looking for me.”
“Oh, sweet girl, I was coming for you. I had people looking all over for you, so did your dad. You were coming home. I needed you. Still do,” I tell her and I watch her eyes tear up.
“Get some sleep. I’ll have Zoe or Kaylee make you some new food since I ruined the tray,” I say as I look at the tray I knocked over.
She chuckles lightly, “Thank you.”
“Can I come back later?” I ask her and she nods. I lean over and kiss her head and I’m thankful she lets me. I let myself out right before I feel a fist to my face.
“Fuck,” I groan.
“Don’t yell around her,” Diablo sneers and since he’s being protective, I’ll allow this.
“I lost my head. Want to do some carving?” Him and Capone look at me and I see the glee in their eyes that they will get to leave their mark on that piece of shit.
“Sawyer is here too,” I say to Dixon.
“Ziggy came and told us. Gage wants to see his dad.”
“Where is he?” I ask, not seeing Gage.
“I thought he could speak to his dad. Sawyer can’t hurt him. What did Plum say?”
“Not to kill him,” I mutter.
“Pure heart,” Dixon nods. “If he stays, it has to be passed to a vote.”
“I know. I want to talk to him first,” I say as I move down the hall, the others following.
I don’t know how I feel about Sawyer staying. Bits and pieces of what I’ve gathered is that he did hit her, but maybe it was to save her. I don’t want to think he did it to help her at all, but I can’t be for sure.
I open the door to the shed and slip in with the others as Gage sits in a chair in front of his father.
“Why?”
“I’ve told you already why, Gage.”
“It’s not good enough,” Gage seethes and it almost makes me proud.
“Should I start from the beginning?” he’s asking but he’s not asking his son.
“Please,” I hiss.
“Papa Bear had me follow her to California. And yes, I did love her. Lyra is incorrect about the drugs. She thinks I gave them to her, but it was her mother. Myself and another man were the face she used to put it together. I did get her out of rehab, but I did all of this to keep both sisters safe.”
“Safe? You nearly beat my mother to death!” Gage yells and Ziggy has to grab him, so he doesn’t lunge at his father.
“I did. Ricardo is not a man to be messed with and even with him out of the picture, someone will be coming for her, for others. You didn’t bite the head off the snake, you created a whole new one. Plum’s mother is a bitch. Sorry, Dixon.”
“Continue,” Dixon says, no emotion in his voice at all.
“Before Lyra was hooked, she tried drugs, the ones around the clubhouse. Plum tried to keep her away, but her mother wanted her there. Martha is a gold-digging bitch. Both girls scream money—Lyra with her promising career, Plum with her inheritance. You might think I was after the money, but you would be wrong. I would have gone to California whether you allowed it or not. Martha approached me about a deal, one that I couldn’t refuse. Get the money or Plum dies. I had to act like the asshole because I didn’t want to see her hurt or worse. I agreed. Start a war, get Plum away from Dixon. My mission, without giving anything away or telling Dixon, was to try and get Plum to sign over everything. I would have taken care of her after that, lived happily ever after. She didn’t want to, leaving it in Dixon’s name. I didn’t tell Martha this, I don’t know what she would have done. Behind your back, Martha was contributing to Ricardo’s auction. All those girls in town that have gone missing, she turned them over to him. I did something that I knew would drive Plum away, sleeping with her sister. I didn’t know she would run straight here. She never even knew her dad was in a motorcycle club. I think it was luck. I wasn’t the one who grabbed her. I nearly stabbed Martha when Plum turned up. Yeah, I did beat her, but if she was black and blue, he couldn’t sell her, not until she healed. I had to have time to think. I knew you were looking for Lyra. I knew that Ricardo’s men who were posing in the club were with her. I set it up for you to find her. I called them with an emergency, and they left. I was the figure they saw going in and leaving. Plum was so broken and out of it that she won’t remember me telling her that I was sorry, and I am. I will never forgive myself for what I did. Before you kill me, let me help you stop Martha because she’s the head of the snake.”
You could hear a pin drop in the shed, it’s so quiet. Even Gage is silent, watching his father.
“Don’t kill my dad,” Gage finally whispers. It’s so still and quiet that his whisper sounds like a yell.
