“Come on, Dad. Answer.” I hated being the one to alert him about Steve when I had no idea what he’d gotten mixed up in.
“I was just about to call you,” he said, and my heart plummeted. If he knew about Steve, it would have to be bad. My brother would never call our dad unless he needed help, which wasn’t often.
“Really? Why?”
“Seems your brother got himself in some trouble and needs his bail paid. I’ve got it covered, but I wanted to let you know I would be in town.”
“Why was he arrested?”
“Shoplifting, apparently. I don’t know what to do about him. He’s wandering around aimless and now stealing.”
I exhaled a sigh of relief. “He needs a mentor.” Shoplifting didn’t seem right. Why would Slay and Jefe need to discuss Steve if he’d only shoplifted?
“Yeah, I haven’t been the best dad, have I?”
“Stop that. You’re a terrific dad. Steve is justdifferent.” I sometimes wondered how we had the same father because Steve was so different from my sister Makayla and me. But then, we had different mothers, which probably made the difference.
“I just can’t get through to him, sweet pea.” He sounded defeated and it made my heart hurt. “It’s got to be that damn biker club. He spends a lot of time with them.”
“Not that much time. Slay promised me a long time ago that he wouldn’t allow Steve into the club.”
“Who’s Slay?”
“Sorry. I mean, Chris. Slay is a road name,” I told him.
“Claiborne?”
“Yes, Chris Claiborne.” My dad hadn’t kept up on Chris after Josh’s death. Losing my brother had destroyed us all. So much so that my dad up and moved his new family out of the area. It hurt him to drive passed the road my brother had died on.
Guess I was a glutton for punishment because I’d stayed and built a life and business in San Diablo.
“He’s still around? Thought he would have left town after Josh’s accident.” His voice changed, growing thick with emotion.
“Nope, he’s still here. And a prominent member of the Kings of Anarchy MC.” I searched the corner of my mind trying to think of something to change the subject, but nothing came to me.
“Well, damn. That’s a shame. How do you know all this?”
“Dad, I live here. Remember?”
“Oh, sure.” He paused. “Well, your brother’s arrest makes more sense now. If he’s hanging out with that gang, it’s no wonder he’s in jail.”
“It’s not a gang, Dad. It’s a motorcycle club, a MC.” I smiled, shaking my head. He was so behind the times.
In my rearview mirror, I saw motorcycle approaching fast. Something told me it was Slay coming after me. Why he felt the need was beyond me. He wasn’t responsible for Steve, and he owed me nothing.
“I don’t care. It’s all the same to me. I should be there in a couple of hours. Will you meet me? Maybe we could grab a coffee or something.”
“Are you bringing your wife?” I had to ask so I didn’t assume anything.
“No, she’s working late tonight.”
“Okay, sure. You haven’t been to my café in a long time. We could go there.”
“That sounds great. See you soon, sweet pea.”
“Okay. Bye, Dad.” I ended the call with warmth in my heart.
My dad had called my sister and me sweet pea since we were little girls. He’d told us we were the sweetest girls and as pretty as the flowers. Now that we were adults, he rarely called u s sweet pea, but it was sure nice to hear once and a while.
