I feel guilty that I’ve been giving orders over the phone to the guys while my place was here with Lily. But now, it’s time to step up. These are the moments I need to not only prove myself to the club, but to Lily and her chosen pack as well.
“Is it possible to get everyone out in one sweep?” I ask Mickey.
“Yeah, we have the one van and we can toss some of the Omegas who are in better shape on the back of bikes, but where the fuck do we go? We can’t go back to that fuckin’ trailer again,” he argues, and I get it. That’s a lot of people to fit into a small area, and who knows if someone we can’t trust knows about the location.
I look over at Axel, knowing that this place has meaning to him, but we’re fuckin’ desperate. He gives me a firm head nod, and I take it for what it is.
“I’ll send you the address. It’ll do for now.”
“I don’t like it, Tate. We’ve listened and stuck it out here like you said, but we’re ready to go home. Are you really ready to give us the whole fuckin’ truth or what?”
“Just get to the lake house and I’ll tell you everything. Don’t let my father see you on the road. Do you understand?”
“He’s the Prez, man,” Mickey refutes.
I know Mickey is feeling lost. Everyone in the club knew he had an on-again-off-again thing with Leon, but I can’t let him fuck this up. Everyone at the warehouse knew we had a rat atthe club, someone had to of let the Wraiths in to take Lily and Shelby. Maybe it’s the only reason they’ve done a good job of keeping their mouths shut, but they’re getting restless. I need to make sure that they don’t slip up and put themselves and those Omegas in danger.
“He’s also the same man who allowed Lily and Shelby to be taken from the compound. Get your asses out of the warehouse now. Do you understand?” I order Mickey, but the whole time I talk to him over the phone, I’m staring at Lily across the table.
I watch her eyes water as the bomb I just dropped lands on her.
“There’s no way,” Mickey tries to argue over the phone.
“Get to the lake house and I’ll explain everything. Don’t let them see you,” I tell him again before hanging up the phone.
Lily crosses her arms and stares at me, her mind reeling over the information, and I just wait for her to speak.
“Kurt… Kurt, let them into the compound?” she whispers.
“He’s the whole reason all those Omegas were held captive, why all the other Dead Palms chapters have failed, and why your brother was wearin’ a fuckin’ Wraiths cut,” I inform her, trying like hell to keep my voice even.
“But he loves the Dead Palms… he wouldn’t do this to me… to my mom,” she tries to reason.
I rub at my worn knuckles as I watch her rub the bond mark against her neck, clearly finding some comfort there. There’s a feeling of jealousy and regret that crashes into me as I watch her. My mark should be on her too, but I know I haven’t earned it.
“How do you know?” she questions me.
“Mostly Leon, but I’ve been piecing shit together,” I confess, knowing the only way to work through this with her is by being completely honest.
Lily swallows, and it’s almost like I can see the wheels turning as she looks around.
“Leon had been drinking a lot. He wouldn’t tell me much. Why would he tellyouanything?”
“He didn’t mean to, if I’m being honest. As soon as I came back to Tallahassee, somethin’ didn’t sit right. I knew that my dad wasn’t a good man. Hell, I guess none of us are, but I never expected it to go this deep.”
“I don’t understand…” Lily holds herself tightly, trying to make sense of the small pieces of information I’ve given her.
Cash looks over at me, giving me a look that says I need to spit it all… now. I groan, but she needs to know specifics, just as much as I know the club will need proof. Little do they know my proof is sitting inside that warehouse with them right now.
“Fuck, I really don’t know where to start,” I grumble.
Lily blinks at me and looks down at her nails. “Kurt didn’t rescue us from the Wraiths did he?” she asks, her voice sounding so timid it cracks my heart in two.
“No, they took you. I’m not sure how many Wraiths my dad and the old crew took out back then, but they took out their entire club structure, which included your mom’s pack. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure my father was the lesser of two evils in that situation, but it wasn’t a rescue. It was him takin’ what he wanted.”
Lily wipes a tear off her face and nods for me to continue.
“My mom had died a few years before that, and they really wanted another Omega. Your mom’s scent called to them, not to mention she looks a hell of a lot like my mother, and you and Leon… I think y’all represented startin’ over for my dad. I really can’t be sure, to be honest. But when they overthrew the Wraiths’ Prez and top dogs, they decided to take your mother and you two with them.”
