“What Allegra won’t tell you, hell, I don’t know if Allegra’s aware of this yet, but Lowell was a twin. His brother contracted diphtheria when he was five months old and died from it.”
I turned in shock. “There are inoculations for that now!”
“Yes, and Louisa, damn that woman’s black heart, listened to all the naysayers and bullshitters that vaccinations caused autism and refused to allow them to be vaccinated. When Jasper died, Elise took Lowell for immunisations. Louisa fought Elise on it, and Elise threatened to have Louisa arrested for neglect. Louisa got away with it because she was pregnant with Prescott. Yeah, I want to smack you for hurting Allegra. However, the demands of the many, in this case, come before the needs of the one.”
“Sorry to hear about Julia and Jasper.”
“Can’t bring them back, but even one baby’s life saved is worth it. Before you rip into Allegra, she only found out whenyou mentioned it the other day. She came home demanding to know what was happening. Rain, I’m not a forgiving man, but I understand what happened. Allegra doubled down because she needed the men she loved to put her first. In her eyes, you failed. Don’t do it again.” With that warning, Gramps turned and pointed me to the house where Allegra stood with the children.
I nodded before hurrying over. Without a word, we strapped the kids into my car and got in.
“Shouldn’t you have guards with you?” Allegra asked as we drove off.
“Probably, but my team needed them more. I wanted to check out the build, and need no security on Hellfire land. If I did, then the club’s fucked.”
Allegra laughed. “Tell me about them. My knowledge comes exclusively from family statements, and they’re biased.”
“Hellfire are rough, rude, abrupt, and don’t care what people think about them. Respect is earned, not given, and none like bullshit or drama, although both find them often. They’re loyal to each other, unthinkingly so, and they’ll each take a bullet to save a brother. They’ve built a family and are tight. Hellfire is worth knowing.
“If you’re lucky to be ‘in’ with them, you’re protected. The club will go hell to the leather to ensure you’re safe. The brothers live and party hard. If an ally, they’ll ride and back you up. If you push, they’ll shove back harder. The MC is clean from illegal activities, but I reckon they’ve given the grim reaper a hand or two over time, when it’s been deserved. And they’ll support a brother to the hilt, no doubt, no judgement—it’s simple, they’re brothers.”
“That’s why Shotgun stayed, isn’t it? Because his brothers were.”
“You thought Shotgun put the club before you. He didn’t, but you wouldn’t recognise that. Now we understand why youcouldn’t. But by staying and fighting, Shotgun was making it safe for you. If Fury had won, you wouldn’t have been able to return. Venomous Fangs would have absorbed everything. They’d have taken businesses one way or another, raped women, children and even men. Anyone standing in their way would have died.
“ENS? They’d have invaded that and enslaved the staff to work for them. That was the level of evil we were facing. Shotgun needed the state to be safe for you; that’s why he fought. He couldn’t risk your life,” Rain explained.
“You said you understood my motives?”
“Yes. Your parents constantly pushed you away, never prioritising you. Allegra, you wanted Shotgun to do that, but when you believed Shotgun was putting Hellfire first, that hurt you badly. What you need to understand is that the club is Shotgun’s lifeline and safe space, they’re his brothers. There will be things Shotgun can’t tell either of us, because that’s club business. Shotgun may end up in danger, but you have to trust he’ll come back to us. The brothers shift heaven and earth to ensure he does.
“Shotgun will give us everything. Every ounce of love and respect he can squeeze out will be ours. But in return, he needs us to accept his lifestyle and choices. When we got together, we thought it was the stress of a triad that might split us up, not the MC.”
“I sound like an awful person,” I muttered.
“No. You were a woman who’d been devastated by parental rejection. You went into dangerous places for your job, and Shotgun never stopped you or challenged you. But when it was time for the roles to swap, you couldn’t face the possibility of loss. That terrified you because loss is something you’ve known since you were born. The loss of a loving home, of good parents, of a steady, stable upbringing. You reacted like a normal person, and that’s that.”
I pulled up outside the gate and watched as Harlequin opened it.
“Thanks,” Allegra muttered.
I glanced across, not quite sure what she was thanking me for, but I did notice she seemed easier. Almost lighter. My words had meant something.
Allegra
Damn, when Rain laid it down, he didn’t use a sledgehammer, but a wrapped club. His remarks, while gentle, had struck home. Rain didn’t blame either of us, although I did sense he sided more with Shotgun despite his statement. He’d given me a lot to think about.
“Swim!” Darcy yelled, seeing Shotgun’s place come into view.
“Um, can we stay inside the truck?” I asked Rain, who winced at the sight of a nail gun. There were men everywhere, putting up walls and carrying wiring back and forth. It was certainly busy.
“This wasn’t my best idea with the twins. Let’s get a drink,” Rain decided.
“Where?”
“Shotgun’s at the clubhouse, fancy going to meet him?” Rain asked slyly.
I began laughing. “In other words, you wanna piss people off!”
