Tank held back after Tuck called an end to Church.  He needed to talk with him and Link about his plans.  He might be confronting his Dad on his own, but he wouldn’t do it without the support of his President and VP. The last brother left the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Something on your mind, Tank?” Tuck asked

“Yeah, I’m going to see my Dad, and I just wanted to let you both know before I left.”

“Alone?” Link asked.

“Yes, this is my problem, and I need to finish this today. My mom and sister are due back in two days. I can’t put it off any longer, and I can’t wait for Tal to dot all his ‘i’s and cross all his ‘t’s.”

“What do you have planned?” Tuck questioned.

“I’m going to give him a choice, either turn himself in and save the family some heartbreak or do something a little more proactive.” 

“Ah, let's ride then.”

“Wait, what?  I said that I needed to do this on my own.”

“Yeah, and you can with us standing right by your side, brother. Now let’s get moving.”

“Shit, Tuck, there are things you don’t know about, he has another family.  There’s just…”

“There is nothing. Your old man is a piece of shit, but we don’t do things alone. That’s something you haven’t been able to get through that thick skull of yours, and it’s about time that changed.”

Yeah, Tank thought, he was starting to understand that, thanks to Reagan. 

“Let’s ride then.” He shook each of their hands, pulling them close, and slapping them on the back.  Damn, it felt good to have some backup.  The shit he was about to do wouldn’t be easy.

Pulling up to his childhood home brought none of the nostalgic feelings it used to; this was a place built on the backs of others, to cement his father’s standing in the community.  Hell, looking back, his life was a joke before the accident, always striving to achieve something he never wanted, status and reputation. Always pushing to be the best and never stopping. Football was the only thing he had of his own back then, and no matter how much success he earned, it didn’t matter. His father always had other plans for him, fuck, he still did. At least after today, there wouldn’t be any doubt that he wasn’t his father’s son, anymore, he was his own man. 

“You ready to do this?” Tuck asked, walking over to where Tank was sitting on his bike, lost in thought.

“Yeah, let’s get it done.” Tank walked up the stone stairs and opened the door. He hadn’t taken two steps before the housekeeper Rosalee stepped into his path.

“Master Brayden, I didn’t know you were coming today. Your mother and sister are away, and your Father is in meetings all afternoon.” 

“Rosalee, I asked you not to call me Master Brayden, anymore please call me Tank.” He watched her fidget around; yeah, meetings his ass, he thought.

“Mas... Tank, whatever you wish. Shall I tell your father that you are here, or maybe I could make you and your friends something for lunch?”

Tank looked at Rosalee. She was young, maybe twenty-two or three, but she had been working for his family for about four years, meaning she would have started in her teens.  When she began, Tank hadn’t thought much of it. He didn’t live in the house, so it wasn’t like it matter to him, but now looking at her and knowing what his father was capable of, he wondered exactly why she had been hired.  She didn’t fit the mold of a housekeeper, and he could remember his mother not being too happy about his dad hiring her. His sister, Everly, had even said a few things about it.  Now it was all making sense.  Fuck, he even brought his sickness into their home with Tanks mom and sister. 

“Rosalee, when is the last time you had a day off.” 

“Oh, Ma… Tank, I don’t know, it’s been a while.” 

“Well, today is your lucky day. I need to discuss some things with my Dad, and since my mom and sister are gone, it seems you have the day to yourself.” 

“Oh, I couldn’t do that, I have…”

Tuck stepped forward, moving Rosalee aside. Tank didn’t wait, he moved towards his dad’s office.  He knew Tuck would get Rosalee out of the house.  Walking down the overly decorated hallway, Tank wanted to puke; this place was ridiculous, everything was overdone and expensive.  Who needed all this shit to be happy?

Not bothering to knock, he went into his father’s inner domain and the words he heard confirmed everything he had thought before.

“Rosalee, have you decided to come for your punishment early?”  When his Dad looked up and seen Tank standing there instead of Rosalee, he at least looked shocked. 

“No, I think I’ll pass on the punishment, if it’s alright with you dad.”

“Brayden, I, what I said wasn’t what you think.”

“No, I think it’s exactly what I figured it was. How long have you been fucking the staff Dad? She was what, the ripe old age of seventeen or eighteen when she started? Heard that was kind of old for your tastes. I wonder, how does mom feel about you doing the staff right under her nose?”

“I see the filth you choose to hang around with hasn’t helped improve your vocabulary, or your obligations and loyalty to your real family. Really, Brayden, such crass words.”

“Filth? You mean men who have served this country with loyalty and honor? Trust me, Jeremy, I would much rather spend time with my brothers than with a messed-up fucker like you. As for my obligation and loyalty to this family, I’m doing that right now for my mother and sister. Hell, maybe my, hmmm what should I call Barbara Stanton, my step mother?” Tank watched his father pale and lost some of his cockiness. 

“Yeah, that’s right I know all about your other family, Jeremy.  The one with two kids, let me think, what were their names again, Bailey and Brandon, wasn’t it?  I’m looking forward to taking Everly so we can introduce ourselves, maybe we can be one big happy family.  What do you think?”

“You can’t do that your Mom...”

“Yeah, Mom is going to be pissed about the whole other family thing, she might even be pissed about Rosalee, but how do you think she is going to feel about what you had planned for Alexis Lee?” 

“You don’t know what you’re a talking about, Brayden. I heard you were running around with that trailer trash girl, Reagan. Didn’t you learn your lesson back in high school? The Taylor’s are upper-class, son, we don’t mingle with the lower classes. It’s time you grew up and took your rightful place in this family. I’ve allowed you to sow your oats for long enough.  There are things…”

“Just shut the fuck up. Listen, I don’t even want to talk to you anymore, so this is what is going to happen. I have everything.  I have all the banking documents proving your extra family. I have their names and addresses.  Hell, I even have all your dirty little videos, you know the ones your and buddies film out at the cabin.” Tank held up a thumb drive; it was blank, but his father didn’t know that. “I even have all the evidence that you set me up back in high school.”

His dad stood up planting his hands on his desk much as he used to when Tank was a child.  Tank stood up and laughed at him.

“You think you intimidate me?  Fuck, Jeremy, you don’t even register in my brain as a threat, more like a gnat that needs to be swatted. Here’s what is going to happen, I’m going to turn this over to the authorities, all of it, every bit of evidence. The only reason I’m even here is because of mom and Everly. For them, I’m giving you a choice; either turn yourself in and plead guilty or humiliate them when this shit hit every media outlet from here to New York, and the cops come and drag your ass out.  Either way works for me because I will make sure I am front and center when they cuff your ass.” 

“You can’t do this, you have…”

“I have nothing, and I am doing this, you are done. You will pay for every person you have ever hurt or wronged. You will pay for those girls, and the misery you are going to put my family through. You will pay for going after the woman I love and her sister, and I’m going to be the one that does that to you, Dad,” Tank sneered. “That is my legacy, not the fucked up one you had planned for me.”

Tank got up and left the room, leaving behind a man he didn’t even know; that person behind that desk wasn’t any father of his, he was a monster. Good thing Tank knew exactly how to deal with monsters. The shot rang out before he even made it down the hallway. Yeah, he knew how to deal with monsters. 

Getting through the door and onto the porch, Tank watched both Link and Tuck straighten from the door they had been guarding. 

“Where is Rosalee?”  

“In her room, I’m sure she’s either called the cops or is going to check on you dad.”

“Yeah, figured as much. At least we don’t have to call it in. Less mess for the RBMC.” 

“Yeah, but hey we live to clean up messes.”

“Yeah, right,” Tank laughed. “You two head out. I’m going to wait here for the cops to come, they're going to have questions.” 

“Don’t think so, brother, we’re in this together, and I might have called in a few favors. Tanner’s going to be handling your Dad’s case. Talon will forward him the video surveillance in about a half hour or so. They’re going to want to know what you two were talking about though. What are you going to tell them?”

“The truth, I found out about his other family, and I was pissed, so I confronted his ass.  Nothing else needs to be said; I didn’t do anything but talk to the man.” 

“You want me to call and talk with your mom and sister,” Tuck asked. 

“No, let them enjoy a few more hours of peace before I have to blow it all to hell, they deserve that much. But can you have Talon get Barbara Stanton’s information? Someone is going to have to call her, and it might as well be me.”

“You’re pretty calm about all this. I don’t know if I would be the same way with all the shit you’ve found out about in that last couple of weeks.”

“You know what? I don’t give a shit. I have my woman and my club. What else could I possibly need? This shit,” Tank said indicating the house, “is all and illusion, something created out of greed and arrogance. The shit that happened in there was easy; living with all the bullshit and guilt all these years instead of putting it where it belongs, that was the hard shit, man. I never wanted what he had planned for me, and right now, I can only think about one thing, getting back to my Old Lady.”

“So, you’re finally going to do it, claim her in the right way?”

“Damn right, I am. I’m never letting her go again. I fucked up once, hell more than once; I won’t do it again.”

“It looks like the RBMC will be throwing one hell of a party here pretty soon Congratulations, brother,” Links said, slapping him on the back. 

“Thanks, man, feels good to finally have my head out of my ass. Just don’t tell Whiskey I said that shit because I will deny it.”

“It’s about time, fucker.” Tuck and Link both laughed.