Chapter Twenty-Two
Van
Leading Taz into the living room, I can feel my anger about to boil over. I can’t believe the shit that was coming out of my mother’s mouth. Fuck, I always thought she was just mean as hell. Now, I’m starting to wonder if she isn’t fucking crazy, too. I wait until I hear the sound of Cline’s door shutting, knowing that she and Ronni won’t be able to hear anything that is said. They’ve heard enough screaming for one day.
Putting my finger in Taz’s face, I shout, “Why the fuck didn’t you put that bitch out as soon as she stepped into the house?”
If he can’t even protect Ronni from my mother, how the fuck am I supposed to trust him to have her back when real danger comes calling. I truly think the shit with her stepbrother is behind her, but we won’t know that until she turns twenty-five and gives the money away. Until then, I need to know she is protected at all times.
“How the hell was I supposed to do that?” he asks, not backing down a bit. “Did you want me to toss her over my shoulder and throw her out the fucking door?”
“That would have been a hell of a lot better than you letting her pull her bitch act in front of Cline and Ronni,” I reply, my body still vibrating with anger.
“That woman is my President’s old lady. She’s also my VP’s mother. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t lay her ass out,” he says, letting me hear his anger. “The only thing I could do is make sure she didn’t get her hands on Cline and Ronni. Even then, I was walking a fine line. One wrong move and I’d not only lose my cut but my life, too.”
As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. Well, at least, he thinks he is. As an old lady and a mother of a member, Mom has the club’s protection. Being connected to Tito and me, that protection goes to a whole new level.
“Tito is done with her. He is gonna eighty-six her as soon as he gets out,” I explain, even though it’s not my place to share the shit. “I cut the woman out of my life a long fucking time ago, so she’s not protected anymore.”
Taz just shrugs and says, “She’s still protected until he cuts her loose. She’s still wearing his patch, so his intentions don’t mean shit. Unless she does something to actually hurt Veronica or Cline, I can’t lay a fucking finger on her.”
Fuck, he’s right. Tito may be ready to turn his back on her, but as long as she is wearing his patch, she is still considered the President’s old lady. Walking over to the couch, I plop down and try to think of a way to fix this shit, and only one thing comes to mind.
Leaning back against the couch, I let out a frustrated groan and say, “I’m gonna have to go talk to Tito tomorrow about bringing Ronni’s friend down to show Ram how to do her little phone trick. While I’m there, I’ll get his okay to eighty-six her myself.”
He shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. “Are you actually gonna kick your own mom to the curb?”
“I already did a long fucking time ago,” I tell him, not feeling a bit guilty. “She brought this shit on herself, so I’m not gonna feel an ounce of pain taking her old lady cut.”
Even as the words leave my mouth, I realize how true they are. I feel nothing, not a fucking thing, for what my mother is going to lose. It won’t just be her old man; it’ll be her entire way of life, but I don’t give a shit. To me, she’s just another bitch that I would happy to never see again. Hell, I’d be happy if I could forget that she even exists.
Taz shoots me a sarcastic smile before changing the subject.” Are you gonna tell him you’re keeping his daughter in your bed?”
“Fuck no,” I mumble with a shake of my head.
Sooner or later, Tito is gonna find out. I just don’t want him finding out while he is doing time. I don’t want him with nothing but time on his hands to think about ways to make me pay. The brother is creative enough on the fly; he doesn’t need time to dwell on it.
“You may be getting pussy here, but I’m not, so I’m heading to the clubhouse to get me some,” he says and walks away.
Before he steps out of the room, I issue an order. “Before you find you a piece of ass, rip off Jerimiah’s cut and teach him a lesson. Make sure he knows to never step foot on Riot property ever again.”
“I can handle that. Kick ass then get a piece of ass.” He nods. “I’ll be beating some pussy, either way you look at it.”
Ronni walks into the room as soon as Taz walks out. She smirks at him, letting him know she heard what he said. My brother smiles, shooting her a wink. She waits until he hits the front door to turn my way. I can tell by the look on her face that something is wrong. I’m guessing she is still pissed about Mom. I can’t say I blame her, but there is no way I’m going to apologize. It’s not my fault my mother is such a fucking cunt.
“Where’s Cline?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“Up in her room, cuddling with Denver and watching cartoons.” She looks uncomfortable. “We need to talk, and I didn’t want her to hear what I have to say.”
Lifting my chin to her, I reply, “Say what you’ve gotta say.”
“I think something is going on with Cline, and whatever that something is, it’s not good.” She comes over to sit down beside me. “I know she’s your daughter, so it’s not really my business, but I’m worried about her.”
I don’t know what I was expecting her to say, but it sure in the hell wasn’t that. Just the thought that something is happening with Cline, and I didn’t know about it, has my heart thumping against my ribcage. I want to shout, ask her what the fuck she is talking about. Instead, I pull in a deep breath and try to keep my shit together.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, sounding much calmer than I actually am.
“You saw how upset she got when she broke the jar of olives before,” she explains, looking me in the eye. “Her reaction was over the top, way too extreme for just an accident, especially when you consider that neither one of us was upset with her.”
“Yeah, she got really upset,” I reply, not quite knowing what she wants me to say. “What’s your point?”
She shakes her head, frustration filling her eyes. “The other day, she cried when Denver knocked over one of the kitchen chairs. When I went to push Denver out of the way so I could pick up the chair, she started begging me not to hit him.”
I let out a relieved breath, realizing she doesn’t know my daughter as well as she thinks. “She does that, gets upset like that. She’s always afraid she is going to get in trouble, even though she hardly ever does. She’s been like that, freaking out over little shit, ever since she started talking in complete sentences. I think it’s just part of her personality.”
Ronni shakes her head before reaching over and grabbing my hand. “Haven’t you ever wondered why it’s part of her personality?”
I think back over the years, remembering endless nights of worry. Every time she freaked out, I would go into protective mode, trying to make everything better. Even when she calmed down, I’d stay on edge for days, wondering why the fuck she reacted in such a way.
I stare at her for a second before nodding my head. “It used to drive me fucking nuts. I tried telling her not to get so upset all the time, told her that nothing she could do would make me not love her, but that just seemed to make it worse.”
She looks at me for a few seconds before letting go of my hand and standing up. Walking over to the window, she stares out, not saying a word. The room is completely silent a few long moments before she turns around and stares in my direction.
“I used to be like that, apologizing anytime I so much as coughed. I was always afraid of getting screamed at or even hit,” she says, her voice filled with pain. “I was like that after spending too much time with my mom and stepdad. I was even worse when I spent time with your mom.”
I get where she is going with this, and I’m not liking it one bit. “Cline has never been around my mom. The bitch doesn’t even ask about her, much less see her, so you don’t need to worry about that. I would never let that bitch put a finger on Cline.”
Walking over to me, she sits down and cuddles into my side. “Van, your mother isn’t the only bitch in the world.”
I feel a wave of trepidation make its way through me. “What are you trying to say?”
She grabs my hand, weaving her fingers through mine. “She may not be around your mom, but she spends a lot of time with her own mother.”
Understanding what she is saying, my whole body goes taut with tension. So many emotions are running through me that my head is spinning. Anger unlike anything I have ever felt fills me. Shame is also there, shame that I didn’t even realize what was happening to my little girl. There is also a hint of fear in there, fear that I won’t be able to fix this.
“Fuck,” I growl, jumping up from the couch and running a hand through my hair. “Are you saying that you think Regina is hurting her?”
“I don’t know, but I think that is something you need to find out,” she says, her brown eyes swimming with tears.
Not willing to wait another second, I run up the stairs. I need to see my girl, see that she is okay. Flinging the door open, I see her sitting on her bed watching Paw Patrol. I walk over, trying not to scare her. I sit down beside her and pull her into my lap. She looks up at me, not saying a word. I look into her eyes, really look. For the first time, I see a darkness there. It’s the same darkness that I saw in Ronni’s all those years ago.
“Daddy loves you, darlin’.” I squeeze her tight, promising myself that I will fix this shit, no matter what I have to do.