The road up to the mansion was made of cobblestone, and as Ash drove up toward the house he found himself wondering how long it would be before Allison had it replaced with gold. Hopefully his father had left people in charge of the business that would be able to keep it going without much, if any, support. He was sure that Allison would be much more interested in spending the money he left than she was in sustaining the family’s legacy. But of course, he was one to talk in that respect. The fact alone that he didn’t want to work for the family business had been heartbreaking to his father. Ash hadn’t wanted to hurt him but working in that old textile company had never appealed to him. Working on Wall Street hadn’t exactly been his dream either, but by the time he finished college, he and Mack were engaged and they both had big dreams for the future. Ash had never wanted to rely on his family’s money, so he’d taken the job on Wall Street right after graduation while Mack finished her degree, and then they were going to move to the West Coast and make their own life.

He pulled the bike around the circular drive in front of the obscenely large house and almost laughed at the thought of how many hours the two of them had spent lying on a blanket in the stables, dreaming out loud. Sometimes he wondered if Mack had ever really been sincere about any of it. Parking the bike, he made himself put those memories away. They would never be able to go back to those times, and truth be told, he wouldn’t want to, knowing what he did now. He got off his Harley, hung the helmet on the handlebars, and tried to prepare himself for the memories that walking into the big house were about to stir up in him. Before they lived here, this was his grandparents’ home. He’d adored both of his grandparents and in the days he now referred to as “pre-Allison,” the family had made a treasure trove of good memories there. He pressed the doorbell and listened to beautiful chimes and smiled. He remembered loving that sound as a kid...it meant he was about to be whisked inside on a cloud of his grandmother’s perfume and spoiled rotten. The beautiful thing about it was that his grandparents, his grandmother especially, went out of their way to find ways to spoil him that had nothing to do with being the richest people in the state. Grandma taught him how to bake cookies from scratch. They would paint together, and she taught him how to dance. He was probably the only guy in the MC that knew how to tango...not that he’d ever admit that to any of them.

The door was finally pulled open and Ash got a harsh reminder that the warm, happy days in the big house were gone forever. “Well, well, look who snuck in the back door.”

Allison narrowed her eyes at him. She was dressed in a sharp-looking black pantsuit and heels, and her hair and makeup were as perfect as they had been at the funeral the day before. He found himself hoping that one day when he was gone, his widow would spend at least one day in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, not bothering to put on makeup because she was busy crying her eyes out anyway. He wondered if Allison missed him at all...sadly, he doubted it. “The staff is just being protective of me. They know this is a terrible time. What can I do for you, Asher?” She was still standing in the doorway with the housekeeper standing a few feet behind her. Ash could see that the foyer had been redecorated and a new marble floor put in. The spiral staircase that led up to the second and third floors had a new banister and there was new artwork on the walls. Allison hadn’t worked since his father married her, but she kept busy spending his money and had completely redecorated the house at least three times that Ash knew of...and she spared no expense doing it.

“I want to see Charlie.”

“She doesn’t care for that old nickname. She prefers Charlotte now, and she asked me to come and tell you that she’s not in the mood for company today.”

“I heard that over the speaker,” he said. “I’m leaving for California this afternoon and I want to see her before I go.”

“I won’t force her to see you, Asher.”

“Of course not. You would encourage her not to. But, I’m not leaving here until I see my sister.”

“Asher please don’t make a scene. Go back to your little motorcycle club and your little life and leave us be.”

“Get out of my way, Allison.”

“Asher, don’t make me call security on you.”

He didn’t want to put his hands on her, but he wasn’t leaving without seeing Charlie. He simply reached out and put his hand on her waist and pushed her aside. She gasped as he barged past her and the maid. He was already on the stairs when he heard her telling the other woman to call security. “Charlie!” he yelled as he ascended the steps. His sister didn’t answer but he kept yelling for her as he went up. “Charlie!” When he got to the second-floor landing, he yelled louder. He heard a door crack at the end of the hall and Charlie’s blonde head appeared in the doorway. She was at least wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt. They were designer brand of course, but she didn’t have any makeup on and her hair was in a ponytail. He wasn’t sure why that was so important to him...but it was, and it did his heart good to see that someone in the house cared enough about his father to give the beauty routine a rest for a day.

“Stop yelling! Jeez, I heard you, everybody heard you!”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, why do you give a shit all of a sudden?” Before he could answer, she turned and went back into her room. She left the door open, so he followed her. He had to stop for a second and take it all in. He’d definitely been an indulged child, but “indulged” was not even close to a strong enough word for what was going on in Charlie’s room. First off, it wasn’t a room, it was a suite. They were standing in what looked like a large, comfortable living room. The furniture was white with big, fluffy pink pillows. There was a white marble fireplace that took up one wall and a seventy-inch flat screen on the other. Electronics like laptops and iPads dotted the landscape. There was an archway, and through that he could see a California king-sized bed, a huge dresser, and what looked like an entry into another room, but he was sure it was probably her closet. How in hell could a kid not be a spoiled, sullen brat with all of this?

“Charlie...”

“Charlotte!” she snapped.

“Sorry. Charlotte. I’ve always cared. Honey, I tried to reach you, but you wouldn’t answer me. I wanted Dad to bring you out for a visit, but Allison always said no.”

“Guess you were too busy to get on a plane yourself?”

“I came out once about a year after I left...did you know that?”

She went through the archway and sat on her bed and picked up a stuffed animal. Staring at it instead of looking at him she said, “Looking for Mack?”

He followed her into the bedroom. It was a typical teenage girl room with clothes strewn everywhere and posters of athletes and musicians on the walls. If he ignored the designer furniture and the closet to the right of him that was bigger than his room at the clubhouse, that is. “No, Charlie...Charlotte. I wanted to see you, and Dad. I ended up spending the night in jail instead. I didn’t know where you were, and I never told Dad because I didn’t want to cause problems for him and your mom...she called the cops on me and had me arrested for trespassing.”

Charlie’s lips twitched. “Probably going to do the same today.”

“Probably, but at least this time I didn’t have to climb the gates and I got to see you.”

She looked up at him then. “You climbed the gate?” The wrought iron gate that surrounded the estate was six feet tall and had spikes on top that were two feet tall.

“I did.” He laughed and said. “Ripped a hole right in the ass of my jeans. I was walking around with my butt hanging out when the cops got here. I don’t suppose it looked too good.”

She was actually smiling. Maybe he was getting somewhere. “You had underwear on...right?”

“Well...”

“Ew!!” She giggled and threw her stuffed animal at him. “You’re gross.”

Ash wanted to hug her so badly, but he held back. She was talking to him and smiling. He didn’t want to scare her away. He sat on the far edge of the bed and said, “I hate that he’s gone.”

What was left of her smile disappeared and she said, “You broke his heart when you left. How could you do that, Asher? How could you just leave your family?”

“Oh, honey, it wasn’t about leaving my family. It was about finding myself. I never planned on it being five years before I saw you again, or never getting to see my father again.” Ash heard footsteps on the stairs in the hallway...boots. Security was coming for him. He wasn’t looking forward to a night in jail, but he wasn’t leaving until he finished what he came to say. “Adults move out, they go their own way...but most times families are able to get together for things like holidays or vacations. I just assumed that’s how it would be with us, with Dad...” He stopped there, unsure how to tell her the entire thing was her mother’s fault. Allison was a bitch and he didn’t doubt Charlie was smart enough to have that figured out by now. But, she was still her mother. “Unfortunately,” he said, as two men dressed in black polo shirts and dark jeans entered her room.

“What are you doing in my room?” she said to them, suddenly channeling her mother again. “How dare you just waltz into my room?”

Allison pushed her way in between them. “I sent them in here to get him. He was the one that barged in, Charlotte.”

“He’s my brother, Mother! Guess what? Whether you fucking like it or not, my brother is in a motorcycle gang.”

“Charlie...”

“Watch your mouth, young lady!”

“Or what, Mother? What will you do? You gonna take away my allowance? Oh, that’s right,” Charlie said with an evil little smile. “You can’t. Daddy knew you too well, didn’t he?”

A sudden change came over Allison...something darker than usual...and she charged toward her daughter. Ash stepped in between the two and Allison clawed at his face. He took her arms in his hands to hold her back and suddenly he had two guns pointed at him and Charlie was screaming.

“Let her go!” Ash looked down at Allison.

“You’re not going to lay a hand on my sister.”

“Let her go or I’ll shoot you!” Ash had glanced over already, and he knew they were holding stun guns on him. He’d been tasered before; he could do it again if he had to.

“Fuck you!” Allison snarled.

“Nice. I see where Charlie gets her language. Now. I’m going to let go of you, but you are not going to put your hands on her, do you understand me?”

Allison didn’t answer him, but he let go of her anyway. She looked first at the security men and said, “Worthless fucks! Get out! You’re fired, both of you!” They didn’t waste any time leaving the room. Once they were gone Allison looked at Charlie, who had stepped out from behind Ash, and said, “You and I will talk about this later when he’s gone and we’ve both cooled off.”

Charlie laughed, which seemed to piss Allison off more. “What do you want to talk about, Mother? My money? Need a loan?”

Allison had her fists doubled up at her side and the vein in her forehead was throbbing, but she looked at Ash and must have decided it better to wait until he was gone. She turned around on her six-inch designer heels and stormed out of the room. Once she was gone Ash looked at Charlie and asked:

“What was that about?”

The girl sighed and went over to her nightstand. She picked up two envelopes off the top and opened one. She smoothed out the paper that was in there and held it out to him. He took it and began to read it to himself. It was a letter, from their father.

“My dearest Charlie. Words would never in a million years be able to describe how much joy you have brought to my life. The one thing I have wanted to do more than anything since the day you were born was protect you. But I realize that I was older when you came along and just in case I have to go before you become an adult, I have made some provisions for you. If you’re reading this, it’s because I’m gone. Please know that I went scratching and clawing, trying to hang onto my children as I was taken away. I’m sorry to leave you, but I know in my heart that I’m not leaving you unprotected. I know it’s been hard for you since your brother left, and I’ve tried to respect your feelings and hope you’d find your way back to him. But I’m afraid that your mother’s feelings will continue to cloud your own, so I ask this of you...if you haven’t reconciled with Asher by the time I’m gone, please do it for me as my last wish. I know he loves you as much as I do, and I know he’ll take care of you. The other provision I’ve left in place for you has to do with finances. Asher never wanted any part of the business and I have always respected that. Some men need little by way of material things to make them happy, and your brother is one of them. So, I will leave him enough money to make himself comfortable and do as he wishes with his life. And you, my love...I will leave my treasured company.” Ash looked up at Charlie. She was smiling. He wondered if his father knew how much power he was giving her...to ruin her own life. Reading on, “It will be entrusted to my valued executives and employees until you’ve finished your education and at that time you are free to do with it as you like. The only stipulation I’ve made is that you do finish college before you are able to make any decisions in that regard. Your mother was left with a handsome monthly income as well as the right to live on the estate until she dies. But the house, the furnishings, and any of my assets not liquidated will be yours, Charlie. Please use them to build a happy, productive life. All my love eternally, Dad.”

“Wow,” Ash said, looking at his sister again.

“Are you mad...that he left it all to me?”

“No,” Ash said, honestly. He’d probably give what was left to him to charity. He had everything he needed. Money didn’t mean anything to him unless he worked for it.

She smiled, again wickedly, like she was up to something, and then she said, “Allison is pissed. Her head spun around in a circle when she read this and the first thing she did was call the lawyers. The reading of the will is next week, but they basically confirmed what he said. My money is in a trust and he named someone to be the executor. The attorney wouldn’t tell her who that was, just that it wasn’t her. She spent all day yesterday acting like the grieving widow, but as soon as they all left, she acted like she wanted to scratch my eyes out.”

“Has she ever hit you, Charlie? Should I be worried about leaving you alone with her?”

Charlie snorted. “No...she’s not going to hit me. The thing is, I know my mother, and as soon as the will is read, and she knows for sure that I’m the rich one here...suddenly it will be my ass that she wants to kiss. Remember how Dad used to say there was a ‘life lesson’ in everything, and we’d have to tell him what lesson we learned after everything we did?” Ash nodded and smiled. It was another thing he loved about his father. “Well, I’ll bet if my dear mother had to find a life lesson in all of this, hers would be, ‘If you’re going to be a bitch, you’d better be ready to bend over and take it when life fucks you in the ass.’” Charlie laughed almost maniacally at her own joke, and Ash was more worried about her than ever.