REAPER'S KISS(30)

“He knows what he wants,” Dad said.

“What does he want?” I asked.

Dad lifted a weak finger. He pointed at me. “Ava, he wants you dead.”





“Who wants me dead?” I asked.

Dad shook his head. He started to breakdown again.

This time, Jace wasn’t having it.

Pushing me aside, Jace stepped forward and stared down at my father.

“Listen,” Jace said. “You’ve done nothing but f*ck things up for your family. Whatever else you’ve got hiding, get it out now before your damn heart gives out for good. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one behind all of this. One phone call to my club and they’ll be here to settle up. And I think you know what that means. You want to run with gangsters like Frank? Fine. But you’ve never seen the power of an outlaw.”

“Help me sit up,” Dad said to Jace.

Jace grabbed Dad’s arm. He pulled Dad up. One of the machines started to beep wildly and Dad let out a groan. He was short of breath for a few seconds but waved me off when I started to reach for the button to get the nurse.

“Okay,” Dad said. “I have to fix all of this.” He licked his dry lips. They were cracked, purplish. “Ava, you can’t walk away from this.”

“From what?”

“The truth.”

“Give me the truth and we’ll see what happens,” I said.

“It was a few years before you were born, Ava. I had been messing around with drugs then too, okay? Your mother, she was a saint to me. She put up with everything. All of it. I had an affair, Ava. It was a quick thing. Some woman who was into the drugs as much as me. That’s what we bonded over.”

My chest tightened.

“Bonded,” I whispered. “That’s not all, is it?”

“No. She was worse than me. I regretted the affair as soon as it started. It only lasted a week. I confessed it all to your mother. I actually cleaned up for a little while. But then I found out the woman was pregnant.”

I stepped back, bumping into Jace. I jumped and gasped. His hands touched me, trying to reassure me.

“She was high when he was born. She died, but he didn’t. I wanted nothing to do with him, Ava. He wasn’t going to be my son. I had a wife. I had my own marriage to fix.”

“You had a secret son?” I asked.

Dad nodded. “He ended up in the same crew as Frank. He was vicious. He was a terrible man. Still is.” Dad reached for me. “Please, Ava…”

I felt Jace nudge me.

I stepped forward and let Dad grab my hand. “What?”

“I never meant for any of this to happen to you,” he said. “To us. To our family. I kept all of this going so you would have the chance to get away from it all.”

“But you kept me there.”

Dad nodded. “I did. I didn’t want to lose you too.”

“Take us to Frank,” Jace cut in. “Him getting shot.”

Dad looked at Jace. “I hid and Frank was talking to him. They were arguing over the Bitter Aces. You guys. Your club. How to handle things. Frank wanted me to listen and make a move if need be. But then they got heated. Really fast, too. Before I could make a move, he shot Frank right in the head. Right between the eyes. That’s when I felt my heart jump. It was like a sledgehammer to my chest. I had to wait for him to leave and I bolted. I got into my car and drove myself to the hospital. I collapsed in the ER waiting room and when I woke up, I was here.”

“You keep saying he,” Jace pointed out.

“Who is he?” I asked. “My brother?”

Dad nodded. “Yes, your brother.”

“And what’s the name?” Jace asked. “So I can get this figured out.”

Dad looked at Jace. “His name is Glen.”

I looked at Jace and saw his face drop. I’d never see the look on Jace’s face before.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“Glen,” Jace said. He looked at me. “That’s the guy who tried to kill me.”





chapter twenty-five


(jace)



NOW



I stood at the table. Smoke lingered in the air. Everyone had spoken their mind and now it was silent. Everyone taking a drink here and there. Our thoughts racing wild. We had everything laid out on the table.

Glen was the guy who tried to take me out all those years ago. He was the one running the games in and out of Bishop. He was the guy who had kept Frank as a pawn. Which then made Jake a pawn.

Now it was time to strike back and take Glen down.

That’s where all eyes went to Sid. He was the President. It was up to him to formulate a plan for us to vote on.

But I sensed something about the table. Something wasn’t quite right. A couple of the older guys - at the far end of the table - they just sat there with a weird look on their faces.

“What is it?” I asked. “I’m feeling something here.”

“You tell him,” Bill said in a rough voice. “I’m not f*cking spilling old blood.”

“Old blood?” I asked.

“Sit down,” Sid said to me.

I listened.

I looked to the door.