Chapter Seven
Marie heard shouting in the office, but couldn’t make out any actual words. When the sound of chairs scraping reached her ears, she moved back so they wouldn’t think she’d been eavesdropping.
“You ready?” asked Jimmy.
Gone was the lust from earlier. He looked ready to kill someone. “Yes, Jimmy. I’m ready.”
“Call him ‘Vassago’ in front of the others,” said Gorgon.
“Okay.” Gorgon looked like he needed take a shit. Or get laid. Or something. What an unpleasant person.
Digger cast her nasty looks. She might as well start with apologizing to him. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Digger. Did Ji—did Vassago tell you both what Vince said to me about wanting to get in good graces with Donny?”
“Yeah,” said Digger. “Apology accepted, Marie.”
“Thank you.” She turned her attention toward Jimmy. “What should I say to the others?”
“The truth. I’ll start with the fact that I lied to them at dinner. You tell what you heard Vince say about the real reason he wanted to marry you, how you helped Sofia get away from him and why, and that you tricked Digger into bringing you here.”
Did the entire club know what those two were planning for di Stefano? Donny certainly didn’t know, which made it a lie. How many times growing up had she heard inside the hallowed halls of Holy Angels Catholic Academy that a sin of omission was still a sin?
But she couldn’t raise the point now. Now with Gorgon glaring at her like she’d just been caught stealing from their profits. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Hang on,” said Jimmy. “Let’s bring people into the dining room instead. I don’t want any customers overhearing this.”
“Yeah,” said Gorgon. “Good idea. Digger and Marie, you wait in there. Vassago and I will bring people in.”
Once she and Digger were seated, Marie blinked back tears. She certainly had fucked up big time. Of all the scenarios that included seeing Jimmy again after all these years that she had played out in her mind, this hadn’t been close to any of them.
“He hates me, doesn’t he?” she asked. “Gorgon, I mean.”
“He’s only protecting his club. It’s no different from the way we grew up, is it?”
“No. Not really. Are you and Jimmy okay? You both looked really upset when you came out of there.”
“We had words about you.”
“I’m really sorry, Digger. You’re a good friend, and I used you, the same way Vince used me.”
“Yeah, you did. But your motivation was fear. Vince is just an asshole.”
“That doesn’t make it right. By not telling you the real reason I wanted to get away, I put the whole club in danger.”
“I’m sorry Vince was using you. I didn’t know or I’d have taken care of the asshole sooner.”
“You really gonna have him killed?”
“Yeah. I really am.”
“Who’s gonna do it?”
“Don’t you worry about that. It’ll be done right. No way will it get back to you or your family.”
“Are they going to be okay? My family, I mean?”
“Shouldn’t you have thought about that first?”
“Yeah. I really fucked up.”
“I’ll make sure they’re okay. When it’s all over, you can let them know you’re safe.”
“Not sure I can ever go back, Digger.”
He grinned. “Not sure you can, or not sure you want to?”
She never had a chance to answer him because five women walked in with Jimmy. “Marie, this is Chloe, Rai, Meghan, Kayla, and Liz. Chloe is Gorgon’s old lady, Rai is Tannin’s, Meghan is Phenex’s, Kayla is Mastema’s, and Liz is Rahab’s. You haven’t met all the officers yet. Tannin is our Sergeant-At-Arms, Mastema is our Secretary, and Rahab is our Vice President.”
He was starting with the big guns, but at least her first test was with women. “Nice to meet you all.”
They sat, but said nothing. Chloe was obviously pregnant, so Marie started there. “When are you due?”
“In May.”
“Your first?”
“Yes.”
“Get on with it, Marie,” said Jimmy. “I’ve already told them I made up the cover story. Now it’s your turn.”
“Can’t I congratulate a woman on having a baby?”
He gave her a droll look.
She turned her attention toward Chloe. “The congratulations still stand.” When Chloe returned her smile, Marie relaxed. “I’m sorry I brought this trouble here. I lied to Digger, and used him to get away from Brooklyn.”
She had rehearsed the story in her mind, using as few words as possible, and sticking only to the facts. It took no more than two minutes. Once it was over, the women gave each other astonished looks.
“Do you mean to tell me that bastard was only trying to get in good with Donny?” asked Rai. “And that’s why he asked you to marry him?”
“Yes.”
“So he never really loved you,” said Chloe.
“No.”
“You must be in so much pain,” said Kayla.
“I’m embarrassed and humiliated. I never should have helped Sofia get away, and then I wouldn’t have had to lie to Digger or run.”
“Yeah,” said Meghan, giving Jimmy a quick glance, “but then you wouldn’t have met him again after all these years.”
Liz laughed. “See? Things worked out.”
Heat rose up Marie’s face, and she couldn’t help smiling. “We’ll see.”
“And what about you?” asked Chloe, glancing toward Digger. “Have you forgiven Marie for the deception?”
“Yes,” said Digger.
“Are you staying, Marie?” asked Kayla.
“I hope so,” said Jimmy.
“What about Donny?” asked Liz. “Does he know any of this yet?”
“Liz is a paralegal at the firm that represents Donny,” said Jimmy.
“He doesn’t know yet,” said Marie. “But I’ll tell him, too.”
“We’ll worry about that another time,” said Jimmy.
Rai narrowed her eyes. “Is that because of the attempt on Donny’s life? The reason he isn’t being told?”
“He’s not being told because he’s not here right now. No other reason. We didn’t want to wait to come clean with everyone here.”
Rai nodded. “Okay. Marie, thanks for the confession. If you spend any time here at all, you’ll soon learn that we value honesty and loyalty. It’s important to the MC, and to the business. So, welcome.” She smiled.
“Thank you, Rai.”
The others voiced similar sentiments, and before the women left, each of them either shook her hand or gave her a quick hug. But when Jimmy brought in the next group, they were all men, among them the two prospects who had ogled her naked body. Marie swallowed hard and gave her speech. The men were less vocal or emotional about accepting hers and Jimmy’s apologies, but they did accept them.
“Don’t expect much from the male members,” said Digger, after the men left, and Jimmy followed to get the next group.
“I won’t.”
By the time every patched member, prospect, dancer, and sweetbutt had been brought into the room, Marie was emotionally drained, but glad she’d done this. No one gave her shit about the deception or the cover story Jimmy had told. Several people voiced the same comments that Rai had about loyalty and honesty.
What would Jimmy think about all this once it was over? He might still want to fuck her, but was that as far as it would go? She’d lied to Digger and used him. She’d brought all kinds of trouble here.
Sure, she had owned it and made an apology for everything, but why would Jimmy want to be with someone like her? The man of her dreams would stay that way forever. A fantasy only. Someone she would never truly have. She’d been the biggest fool in history to even entertain the idea it could one day be anything else.