Sinner's Revenge (Sinner's Creed MC #2)(57)
“My plan worked for so many years. But you,” he says, pointing to Cyrus. “You destroyed that. You didn’t take the life of a member of Sinner’s Creed. You didn’t take the life of Dirk Dixon. You took the life of Dirk Demopolous—my son.”
My heart hammers against my chest at his admission. I can’t believe my ears. Holy f*cking shit. Dirk was Dorian’s son. Diem was Dorian’s daughter. Dirk was Diem’s brother. And I’d been f*cking his sister. If he were alive, he’d kill me.
Dirk’s life was doomed from the beginning. His family couldn’t protect him. And neither could his club.
A wave of emotions seems to crash through the warehouse. Sinner’s Creed—guilt and heartache. Death Mob—fear and regret. Dorian—grief and failure. I look at Diem, and her eyes hold the same emotion I felt in my heart at Dirk’s death—pain. “Please, hear me out,” Cyrus begs, his hands folding before his chest like the coward he is. “We gave them a choice. Dirk’s death isn’t on my hands. It’s on theirs.” I start toward him, but Jimbo grabs one arm and Chaps grabs the other when I reach for my pistol. Dorian turns toward me, his look unreadable.
“He killed twelve of my men,” Cyrus continues. “They did nothing to warrant death, but he killed them in cold blood.”
“You initiated the fight by finding his weakness,” Diem adds. I can hear the grit in her tone, but Dorian’s gaze paralyzes me and I can’t look at her.
“But we gave them a choice.”
Dorian holds his hand up, silencing Cyrus, and speaks to me. “Tell me he’s lying.”
I shove my brother’s hands from my shoulders, and reluctantly they let me go. “The choice was Texas or Dirk’s life. Dirk knew that if Sinner’s Creed lost Texas that the club would fold. As a Sinner’s Creed National he had a say in the decision. He knew the woman he loved was dying and he couldn’t live in a world where she didn’t exist or the club didn’t exist. So he sacrificed himself.” I pause, fighting to control my anger and emotions. I didn’t like speaking about Dirk’s death like it was nothing more than a means to an end. He was a f*cking human being. He was my brother. My friend.
“We couldn’t stop him. And we wouldn’t have tried, because he had more pride and honor than any man I’ve ever met. And what he did was the same thing you’ve done. He protected his family, his empire, and did what he had to do to ensure that his legacy lived on.”
Dorian’s eyes narrow, his expression more thoughtful, and I’m sure it’s because I’ve said words about his son that make him proud. The regret in his face shows, and I know that’s because I know more about his own son than he did.
“Why did you take on this battle, knowing that you would lose? That you would die?” His question catches me off guard, but I don’t have to struggle to find an answer. The truth comes as easy as breathing.
“Because he’s my family.” He nods, but I’m not finished yet.
“I’m not like you. I’m not a coward.” Jimbo grows still next to me, as Dorian’s eyes narrow further, making them seem colder and deadlier. Chaps calls my name in warning, but I ignore him. My next words will either kill me or save my life. But the outcome doesn’t matter. I’ve got something to say and I’m f*cking saying it.
“I don’t send my family away out of fear. I fight for them. I honor them. I keep my word to them. And either I’ll succeed, or I’ll f*cking die trying.”
I stand tall as he walks toward me. I’m not intimidated by him. If anything, I feel peace. The same peace I felt with Diem. Dorian looks like Dirk. He walks like Dirk. Talks like Dirk. And Diem, she’s Dirk in a woman’s form. This is his blood. His father and his sister. I’d show Dorian respect if he deserved it, but I stand firm behind my words. I’d called him out, and if he kills me, then it will prove that not only is he a coward, but that he is too weak to handle the truth.
“You’re ballsy. You know that?” he asks, a lethal gleam in his eyes, but I see a hint of respect there too. “But you’re right. I am a coward. I took the easy way out. But one day you will have children of your own, and you will find that sometimes being a coward is worth more than your pride.” He looks at my brothers, taking a moment to stare each of them in the eyes. “I thank you for what you did. And it gives me great honor to know that my son was so well loved and respected. If he was the man you say he was, then I couldn’t be more proud of him than I am in this moment.”
With a lift of his chin, several men surround the members of Death Mob, knocking them all to their knees. He looks down at Cyrus, who’s fighting hard to keep his shit together. “I’ve waited months to do this. But now that everything is in place, I want you to know what is fixing to happen,” Dorian starts, drawing the words out painfully slow. “You are going to die. Your club will cease to exist. Sinner’s Creed will take over your territory and Death Mob will not even be a memory. Killing your men will not bring my son back, but it will bring me great joy.”
“Dorian,” Jimbo calls, and I take a deep breath as I prepare for what he is fixing to say. “With all due respect, I believe that Cyrus’s life should be taken by us. I believe I’m standing next to a brother who deserves this honor.” As my eyes meet Dorian’s, I think about Dirk. About what this means for his death. But more than that, I think about Diem. She’d just found out who I was. She knows that I’m a killer. That I’m a monster. That I have an incurable disease that blackens my soul. But she’s never watched me pull the trigger. And more than anything, I’m afraid that once she witnesses what I’m capable of, she will never be able to remember me as the man I was with her—only as a monster.