I dreaded seeing Slider, my blood boiling at the shit he’d put Farrah through, but I knew I couldn’t put it off. My loyalty had never been an issue; the club had taken care of my family in the past, more than I could ever repay. But for the first time, I didn’t want to be there. I was livid that I’d had to choose between the woman I loved and the club I’d thought would have my back. If anything happened to Farrah, I knew I’d burn the place to the ground and screw the consequences.

“Casper!” Poet called the minute we’d stepped out of the car. He started toward us, Dragon following close behind, and I wanted so badly to fucking ignore him. I didn’t have time for his excuses and platitudes. His daughter wasn’t outside club grounds when there were people specifically targeting Aces families.

“What’s up?” I asked coolly.

Grease came up behind me and set his hand on my shoulder in warning, but I shrugged it off. I didn’t need his fucking warnings.

“Talked to Vera,” Poet said as he reached me. “Got the story from her.”

He shook his head and ran his hand over his beard before continuing. “She wants you to know that she’s working on Slider. Says in a coupla days she’ll have talked him down enough for Farrah to come back.”

I scoffed. “You think she’ll ever fucking step foot on this property again? He called her a cunt. A club whore. He’s her father.”

“Boyo, you weren’t there when Natasha took Farrah away. It was a fuckin’ mess. Slider was tearing apart the clubhouse every fuckin’ day, and Vera was locked up in her room, refusin’ to see anyone.” Poet sighed. “There ain’t a whole lot that can get to Slider, man’s as cool as they come, but the moment he knew where his daughter was, he was like a man possessed. Imagine not knowing where your child is for fuckin’ years and then findin’ her, but she ain’t nothin’ like you’d thought she’d be.”

“She’s nothing like he’d thought she’d be?” I yelled, the veins in my neck throbbing. “I wonder how the fuck that happened?”

“Calm down.”

“This is—” I looked at the ground as I felt Grease’s hand on the back of my neck. “He’s her father and he failed her. Over and over again. He doesn’t like her? Who the fuck cares? So stay the fuck away from her! But he forced her out of the only place in the goddamn country that she was safe, all because his wife fucking blindsided Farrah and then got her feelings hurt. I hope to fucking God I never understand that shit.”

“Enough!”

I turned my head to find Slider, bleary-eyed and wrecked, standing just outside the doors of the club. “I need you, and that’s the only reason you’re still standing, you preachy little fuck. But one more word and I’ll fucking drop you.”

Grease’s hand squeezed tighter on the back of my neck, keeping me silent, and I thought my head would explode as I tightened my jaw to keep my mouth closed.

“We got business to take care of.” Slider cocked his head toward the back room and ordered, “Church,” then spun back around and disappeared through the door.

We followed him in, anxious to hear the plans for fixing the fucking mess we were dealing with.

“He’s a good man,” Poet told me quietly as he passed me. “He ain’t got no point of reference for this shit. Think about if it was your woman, crying like her life was ending.”

I looked him straight in the eye and told him the only thing I could. “It was my woman, crying like her life was ending. But mine stopped breathing until she passed out because she couldn’t fucking deal. So I’ve got no sympathy for his.”

He moved ahead, his gaze on the floor, and as soon as I knew we wouldn’t be overheard, I looked at Grease.

“I’ll see this through until I know the women are safe. But after that, I’m out.”

Chapter 25

Farrah

The days flew by surprisingly fast. I talked to Cody daily, getting updates on what was happening with the club, and before I knew it two weeks had passed. The club still wasn’t anywhere close to figuring their shit out, and I’d had to quit my job at the salon, which sucked. I really liked it there, but thankfully I wasn’t spending any money at Lily’s house, so I was okay financially at least until we got back to Eugene.

It was idyllic in that little valley, and for the first time in years I felt fully relaxed. We spent our time outside on the back porch, drinking sun tea and playing cards, or out in Lily’s little garden that was surrounded by a fence to keep the local wildlife out.

Speaking of wildlife, she had deer. Like actual freaking deer that came onto her property to eat her grass and lie in the sun. My entire life had been spent in the suburbs, so the first time I’d seen a doe and her two little babies, I’d stood there with my mouth open for God only knew how long until the sound of Gram and Lily laughing at me had broken me out of my stupor.

I’d grown comfortable with Lily right away, which I really shouldn’t have been surprised about. She was so much like Gram, taking me in as if I belonged to her. My little personally chosen family had grown yet again, and it felt good. Really good.

A few days into the second week, I’d hopped out of bed at the butt crack of dawn to try to catch sight of the deer family, and had spent the next few hours sitting on the back porch in my cutoff shorts and one of Lily’s old T-shirts. It wasn’t until I’d gone to the bathroom after lunch that I realized that I hadn’t done anything with my makeup or hair all day.