Rushing through the door, I’m met with a concerned looking Ryder. “What’s the matter? Why is Uncle Tylan yelling? Who’s out there?” He tried to step around me.
I place my hands on his shoulders, trying to get his attention back to me and not what’s happening outside. “Baby, I need you do me a favor,” I say as I pass him to head to my room. “I need you to watch your sister. Give me a sec, okay?” I ask over my shoulder before I enter my room and shut my door behind me. I make a quick change of my clothes, I throw on a fitted Devil’s Fury T-shirt, a pair of jeans and my sneakers. Heading back out of my room I see Ryder still where I left him.
“For how long? What’s going on? You’ve never left me alone with Rox before.”
I stop in front of him, rubbing my hands up and down his arms. “I know, that’s true, but I need you to do this for me. Just for a bit. We’ll be over at the clubhouse. We won’t be long.”
I pass by him, pulling up my still wet hair, I twist it into a messy knot while I walk. My heart’s racing. Seeing my father has scared the heck out of me. I never thought he’d make any effort to come and find me, but then again, my not being at home is showing the church that their precious leader doesn’t have a handle on his family. If he can’t handle one daughter, how can he handle the entire congregation?
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“My father’s here, and I need to speak with him, but I don’t want you guys involved. I’m certain that it’s not going to go smoothly, and I don’t want you kids to have to listen to anything that may come out of his mouth.”
“Jenni…” he groans.
When I turn around, he looks irritated. “I know, honey. You’re not a little kid, but your sister is, and I don’t want her little ears to hear anything that might put thoughts of doubt in her mind. My father…” I sigh. “My father is a difficult man, so I need you to stay here and watch your sister. Do not, by any means, allow anyone into this house. Make sure the front door is locked, and I’ll head through the back. Do not answer the door for anyone, Ryder, do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, lock the front door. Don’t answer it and you’re going through the back. Got it.”
“Okay.”
“Jenni?”
His voice stops me. “Yeah?”
“You–you’re not leaving, right? Is that why your dad’s here? Because he wants you to go home?”
“I am home.” I give him a wink and head towards the back.
“I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
My father’s voice booms from inside as soon as I open the metal door that leads into the main room of the clubhouse.
“Fuck, lusting in the flesh is the best part.”
Lick’s response makes me laugh. He’s not intimidated by my father and his constant spouting of his religious jargon. My father probably thinks that because he can silence the people in his congregation with his words and his tone, he can do the same here. But he’s not in his church, and he’s definitely not with his people.
Walking into the front room, I see Tylan. He looks larger than life sitting behind the octagon shaped table the guys play poker on. We may share a home, but I know that for the better part of his life, this clubhouse is the one place where he felt safe, and where he felt he could be himself. Right now, without The Fallen or any member of the MC taking up space, it’s a typical bar type room.
My father is pacing back and forth like a caged lion. I’m sure his skin is crawling having to be in the ‘lair of the devil’. Micah stands with his hands in his pockets as he eyes Tylan. He, on the other hand, pays him no attention.
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth—”
“Father.” A rule I’d learned growing up, I was never to interrupt my father when he spoke. Another prime example how I’m not living up to my father’s standards. Yay me.
“Ah, so there you are. And dressed in the devil’s clothing, no doubt.”
“Fuck yeah, she is,” Tylan states with a chuckle. When I hear the scrape of metal along the wooden floor, I glance over and see that he’s pulled out a seat next to him, patting it for me to occupy it.
“Her clothing isn’t so bad,” Micah interjects, only to have my father shoot him daggers.
Poor Micah. He’s always been one of my father’s lackeys. I’m not sure what he thought he’d gain by following my father around like a little puppy. Maybe it’s because Micah’s own father had fallen to many temptations in his life. He’d left Micah and his mother alone years ago. The church helped raise Micah. We took a monthly donation to help families in need, and Micah and Rosemary were always on the list of handouts. Maybe Micah feels that he owes my father, but to me, it looks as if he is living a life my father wants him to live, not the life he wants.
“She dresses in the ways of sin and blasphemy.” His eyes sweep across my body, making my skin crawl in their wake.
I pad over to Tylan, needing the security of his presence, and take a needed seat. Swallowing down my emotions, the feeling of dread takes root within my stomach. I lift my head, locking eyes with my father. “There’s no need to continue on with your sermon. There aren’t any followers. No ears open to listen. No praises to be heard. You will not gain any followers today.”
“Faith is never a waste, daughter. You best remember that, for your life will be based on nothing more than your faith. Your faith in the Lord, in your husband, Micah, in your children which you shall bore from your loins.”
“I’ve finished my finals for college. I’ve been taking classes online. I’m almost a certified teach–”
“Time that you’ll never get back. Such a shame. God doesn’t require credentials to teach his word. Once you’re home, you’ll see that.”
“You’re like a fucking broken record, you know that?” Tylan says. “She ain’t going anywhere.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Have you no family, boy? Do you not know the importance of loyalty? I suppose not since you have children and yet, no wife. Do you see my daughter as a sacrificial lamb? Her innocence appealing to you? Do you think you can tempt her to leave her faith? A life that she was destined to live?”
“Jenni?” Savannah’s voice pulls my eyes away from my father. She walks in, with Grace on her hip and Sin at her heel. His face is hard as he narrows his eyes at my father.
“Savannah,” my father says shaking his head. “Of course, this is all because of you,” he says as he streatches his arms out wide. “Because she had to come to you. Because her friend was in need.”
He continues to talk, looking up to the ceiling as if he’s talking to God. “My daughter is so blind by the wickedness of a pretty smile.” He brings his head up to face Savannah. “From the moment, you were adopted from that Jezebel of a mother and brought into my town, you’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side. I knew the day you came that you would cause nothing but trouble. Sometimes, when a child is born of Satan, there’s nothing that can be done. Even that child that is perched on your hip reeks of Satan’s blood. She has no chance. Just as her mother, her beauty will be her downfall.”
“What the fuck?” Sin steps forward.
“Don’t,” Lick commands. “He’s not worth it.”
“No, fuck that.” Sin takes a step forward. “You’re talking about my daughter, you piece of shit. If you weren’t Jenni’s father, I would have laid your ass out already.”
Savannah’s hand shoots out, grabbing Sin before he can advance any closer on my father. His breaths are quick, arms down at his side, fists clenching. The air is thick with tension. When I see Sin’s gaze move from my father to behind him, I follow his line of sight. One by one, the Devil’s Fury MC fills the room, including a few of the prospects, standing shoulder to shoulder in their uniformed black leather cuts. Leather bound, jean-clad with long hair, tattoos, and bearded faces; these men, right here, have been more of a family to me than my own.
I can see Micah swallow in discomfort. “Sir?” He tries to warn my father of our new visitors, but my father waves him off.
“Is this the company you keep, daughter?” Bringing his gaze to me, my father takes steps in my direction. “You’ve always been head strong, weak in heart but stubborn in mind. Your mother always tried to make excuses for you and your inability to conform to whom you were meant to be. You thought making friends who lived outside our faith was a right. You felt your need to find higher education was a necessity and your mother always obliged. Doting on her only daughter, and showing you love instead of raising you with a stricter hand. She did wrong by you. Surely sparing the rod, only spoiling the child! Why? Why has Satan tempted you? How can the devil be so alive within your veins when you were born of a holy man?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being your own person,” Savannah says. “Thinking for ourselves. It’s not the middle ages, Pastor Hoyt.”
The look on his face is one of total disgust. “I don’t care to listen to what you have to say, girl. Your words have no bearing on my daughter or me. You’ve influenced her enough, and those times are over.”
“You’re a piece of work, buddy,” Sin interjects.
“You should be proud of your daughter. She’s the strongest woman I know. How can you not see that?” Savannah continues her defense of me.
“Strong!” He raises his voice. “How is she strong when she has been here, living a life she’s wasn’t intended for. She fell to her weaknesses. Instead of staying home, learning as she should, she had to come and look for you. You make her weak, you always have. No, strong does not describe my daughter. She’s been weak since the day she was born.”
The hurtful words rip my heart right open. Tears begin to roll down my cheeks. Never have I felt so broken, listening to my father spew such hateful things to me.
Shooting to his feet, Tylan knocks over the chair he was just sitting in, slamming his hands down on the table. “You need to shut the fuck up, right now,” he shouts. Knuckles white as he clenches his hands, slamming them against the wood once more. “You are blind to think that. There isn’t a lot of good in this world. Everywhere you turn, Godly or not, there is evil and darkness. It’s a fucking miracle to come out of this life unscathed by the evil that’s behind every corner. Your God can’t help you defeat some of the evil I’ve met in my life. Jenni is the only bright thing in my life, and it’s because of her that I see clearly. I’ve become a better person because of her, because of her strength and her heart. You say she’s weak, you’re the weak piece of shit! I don’t see one ounce of strength looking at you. You’re fucking pitiful.”
“You have no right to place judgment at my feet.”
“I have no fucking right?” Tylan throws his head back and laughs. “Jesus Christ,” Tylan rasps between fits of laughter.
“Thou shalt not use the Lord’s name in vein,” my father roars. The veins on his neck begin to pump. I’ve never seen my father so angry. Micah approaches him, grasping for his arm only to be pushed off.
“You know nothing of me or of my daughter,” my father fumes.
“I sure as fuck know your daughter. In every sense of the word,” Tylan growls back.
“No, you only see through lustful eyes and know nothing of how empty her soul is.” He paces, spit flying from his mouth as he continues to ramble. “You’re guided by your devil, and only see what’s in front of you, in your temptation and nothing more. Look at the sin of the flesh that surrounds you.” He points behind Savannah and Sin to where Lily and Bianca have joined us, both wearing their Fury gear. Scarlet, Twist and Poppy, along with Heather stand near the opening that leads to the back supply room.
“You’ve lost your fucking mind,” Lick growls.
My father ignores him as he continues his rant. “Sinful. Disgusting. This is the work of the devil and I can no longer allow a child of mine to partake in this type of wicked debauchery. It is those who are uneducated in the word of the Lord who speak of things they know nothing about. Sarah Jennifer Hoyt, your time here is done. It is now up to God to forgive you for your trespasses. Your fate is now in His hands, and the sooner we get you back home and start on your redemption the better off you’ll be.”
Lick’s eye twitches while he listens to my father’s words. “Over my dead body, you piece of shit psychopath.”
My father turns to Micah, who has gone pale. “You’re a good man, Micah,” placing a hand on his shoulder, “for agreeing to take on the likes of my daughter. Especially now, knowing the filth she’s been cavorting with over these past few months. If I had only known, I would have come sooner. I’m sorry, son, that you are tied to the likes of my daughter.”
“Sir, there’s no need to apologize to me.” Micah scans the area, seeing more than what my father sees. My father has never felt that he’s had to watch his back, not coming from the town in which we have. But here he’s the enemy, and he’s attacking the people who have come to mean more to me than what my own flesh and blood ever did. “I think we need to go, sir. It’s clear we’re not wanted and as you can see, Sarah, I mean, Jenni isn’t willing to go.”
“Willing?” my father spits back. “Oh, my boy…” He shakes his head, chuckling under his breath. “She is not willing because she has no free will. She will do as I say. She will obey and bend at my mercy until she becomes your wife, then she shall bend to yours. Ephesians 5:22 – Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.”
“I’ve heard enough,” Cut booms from behind my father, who turns around at the sound of his voice. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’re in my clubhouse, spouting your shit to my people.”
“I’m of no concern to you or your…people,” he says with disdain. Turning back around to face me, his face is void of emotion. “Come now, Sarah. We leave tonight.”
“Hold the fuck up!” Cut commands.
“No!” Standing, I let my voice finally be heard. I shake my head, “No, father. I’m not going anywhere.”
“There is no choice here,” he says with no emotion.
I laugh a little at how closed minded my father is. “That’s the thing, there is. You’re simply unable to comprehend that I am making mine.”
“Your family needs you. Micah has been promised your hand, and I am not willing to break my promise.”
I press my lips together. “That’s not your promise to make.”
“Your church—everything that we stand for rests on you and your brother. It’s the way it was prophesied.”
I square my shoulders. “There’s no prophecy. They’re delusions within your mind–”
“Silence!” he yells. “Do not disrespect your father, your pastor, or your future husband with this talk.”
Taking a deep breath, I calm the anger and frustration that’s starting to intensify. “I’m staying here.”
“No!”
“Goddamn it, Father!” I scream, slamming my hand on the wood of the table.
“How dare you!”
“How dare I?” I stalk towards him, no longer needing the comfort of Tylan or the security of the table. “How dare you,” I growl. “My entire life I have felt beneath and belittled by you. Time after time I’ve tried to get you to see me, but it never happened. Under the roof of your church and on that path you intended for me to walk I never once felt love. Not from you, not from my brother, Jacob and only from my mother when she knew you weren’t looking.”
“It saddens me that you are so selfish to see what matters. We live to fall to our knees and worship our Lord, not our children. You are not entitled to that kind of devotion.”
“But I am entitled, no, deserving of that type of love. It took me leaving the confines of your home, my childhood home to finally find love and family. I am home. Here, I am who I was meant to be. I’m cared for here. I’m wanted. Here I am needed.” Striding over to Tylan, I take his hand in mine. “Now I am,” I repeat myself. “I’m part of something that I never want to give up. That I will never give up. I’ll never walk away from this place and these people because you don’t leave your family behind. That’s what these people are.”
I turn towards my father. He seems small as the curtain of men stands behind him. Tylan’s right. He is a weak man.
“Foolishness,” my father declares.
“No, not foolishness. It’s a different belief than your own and that’s why you can’t open your mind to it. Or to me, for that matter. I love you, Father. No matter what, you will always hold a special place in my heart. It saddens me that I’ve never been your precious daughter, but that’s okay. You are who you are, and no one can change that, but you aren’t able to change who I am either. I will never be devout to you. I will not take a seat in one of your pews again. Those days of forced worship are over.”
“You will not denounce me or your future.” He shakes his head. “Never will I allow that. Not while there is breath in my body.”
“It’s not up to you,” I say.
“But it is. You are my child.”
Tylan takes my hand. “And soon she’s going to be my wife.” Tearing my eyes from my father, I’m met with a smile on Tylan’s face. I swallow down my emotions, tears spring to my eyes. “I’d be a damn fool not to make her my wife so I can spend the rest of my days worshiping her and her body.” He gives me a wink, making me smile.
“Sir…”
Micah’s voice has me turning my head. My father is red-faced, his eyes narrowed at me, and his lips in a thin line.
“Is what he says true?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I say with confidence. “Tylan is going to become my husband. I love him, and I love my life here.”
He shakes his head. “You’re such a disappointment.”
“Daniel,” Micah breaks in. “It’s time to go. We’re not wanted here.”
“Fuck yeah you’re not,” Hawk yells from behind him. Then I hear the others telling my father to leave, to get outta of here, to move tail.
I continue to stare at my father, realizing he’s nothing more than a stranger to me. It’s such a loss, on both our parts, but nothing either of us can do will change the fact that we will never be a true father and daughter. Genetics doesn’t make family.
Feeling his arms wrap around my waist, Tylan pulls me into his body. “You good?” His voice is soft.
“Yeah,” I say, wiping the fresh tears from my eyes. I look into his eyes, I hear the slam of the metal door over the murmur of the voices around and I know that my father’s gone. “Are we really gonna do this?” I ask.
“Fuck yeah we are, Sugar Tits.” He bends down, placing a kiss upon my lips, “Fuck yeah we are.”