Shooter scowled. “Gauge, she’sakid. She’smotherfucking seventeen. All jokes aside, but that ain’tright.”
Iturned away from him, my head in my hands. “You think Idon’tknow that? You think Idon’tknow how fucked up this all is? Ididn’tknow when Ifucked her. Ihad no idea, Iswear, but now that Ihave, Ijust can’tlet her go. Ineed to see how this goes.” Iturned around to look at him, my gaze pleading. “She’sgood for me, Shooter, you gotta see that.”
“Ido, brother. Isee it, but that don’tmake it right,” he said, his tone apologetic.
“He’sgood for me too,” Jolie said as she pushed past Dom. He reached to grab her but she jerked away from him. “Youdon’tget to tell me what to do, Dom. You lost that job when you abandoned us. When you picked these people over your blood.”
Dom shook his head. “It wasn’tlike that. You don’tunderstand. There were other things happening. Things you don’tknow about.”
Jolie scoffed. “Of course Iunderstand. Do you really think you hid it that well? Did you really think we were all stupid?”
Silence dropped between the four of us like adead weight. Dom looked taken aback, amixture of horror and relief on his face. Shooter, Casa, and Iwaited for Dom to say something in reply. It wasn’tour place to confirm or deny shit, but he seemed frozen to the spot, unable to say anything either way.
“Do you think we didn’tsee how close you and Butch were?” she said.
“You don’tknow what you’re saying,” Dom replied, his voice quiet, and she scoffed again.
“Stop lying to me! Idon’tcare, Dom. None of us ever cared. We loved you regardless. But you left us. You didn’tgive us achance to accept you or reject you. You just decided how we would be and then left us. Ilost my whole family that day because you left such acrater in our home. Ilost all of my brothers, not just you, because you, Dominique Durrand, were the glue that held us together after Dad died.” Jolie held Dom’sgaze as she walked back to me, until she was close enough that Icould touch her and pull her to my chest.
She stood defiant, chin raised, eyes on fire as she stared Dom down until he eventually looked away, shame written all over his face.
“I’msorry,” he said, his cheeks flushed.
“So am I. But the past can’tbe changed. We can only move forward now. And Iwant to move forward with Gauge, not with you.”
“You think it’ll last?” Dom laughed bitterly. “You think this thing between you two has legs? Nah, Jolie, Iknow him and Iknow you and this thing you two think you have is bullshit. It won’tlast, and all you’re gonna do is hurt alot of people in the process. That’sif you don’tkill each other first.”
“Ienrolled back in school,” Jolie replied, like she wasn’tlistening to him. “I’mgoing back to school and I’mgoing to do something with my life. I’ve signed up for dance school over the summer too, and Mom knows about Gauge. She accepts him, and us.”
Ilooked down at her, ahuge shit-eating smile on my face. She looked up and smiled back almost shyly.
“Idecided Iwanted to be more than an exotic dancer with no qualifications.”
Iput arough palm against her cheek. “You were more than that anyway, but Iget it, Ifeel you, babe.”
“When are you eighteen, Jolie?” Shooter asked, interrupting us.
She turned to him. “Not for another six months or so.”
He dragged ahand down his beard and looked thoughtful before glancing to Dom. “Can Ihave aword?”
Dom scowled. “You serious, Prez? You okay with this old man sleeping with my teenage sister?”
“Like Isaid, can Ihave aword? In private.” Shooter reached out and put his hand on Dom’sshoulder but Dom shrugged it off and stepped forward, going toe to toe with Shooter. He glared down at our president and Shooter raised an eyebrow at him. “You serious, Dom? This really how you wanna deal with this mess?”
Ipushed Jolie to one side and stormed forward. “Listen, motherfucker, you got aproblem, then your problem is with me. Don’tgo disrespecting our prez like that shit is—”
Ididn’tget to finish what Iwas saying. Dom’sfist landed on my jaw and my head snapped backwards. Istaggered and then righted myself before launching myself at him. Shooter tried to get in between us, but we were beyond rational thinking. Our bodies collided in aflurry of fists, and we crashed to the ground in aheap.
It was hard to say who won as we rolled around, smashing the hell out of each other’sfaces and bodies. Fists flying, blood spraying. We hit and kicked and no one dared get in between us. It was only when we were both bloody and exhausted that we finally came to astop.
“You’re afucking asshole,” Ipanted.
“Fuck you,” he panted back, spitting out amouth full of blood. He shoved me in the shoulder and Ishoved him back. It was apitiful sight, no doubt.
Panting and breathless, we sat at the curb while Shooter berated us both, despite neither of us listening to him.
“You know what? Idon’twanna see or hear from either of you until you’ve sorted this shit out. There’stoo much going on with the club to be dealing with this bullshit. Come and see me when you’re both good.” He stormed away, Casa following.
