“And I’ll be confiscating your computer equipment.”
“Dad!” His face fills with horror.
“I know you, Ace. I don’t want you making arrangements until I know the reason she’s here.”
“She’s here because I’m her nephew, her only living relative.” He all but snarls, “You can’t stop me from meeting her.”
His hands form fists, and he starts banging them against his legs rhythmically.Oh fuck no.I pull the SUV over to the kerb and turn to him. “Ace, you know better than this. Son, I’m not saying I’m not going to let you meet her. I’m just saying not yet. We know fuck all about her except she’s got some of the same genetic markers as you.” Of course, she could be a fraternal twin, but having seen her, I don’t hold much doubt that Josie and Antoinette came from the same egg, and that’s the part that worries me. His mom tried to kill him. Would his aunt end up doing the same? I can’t take that risk, however minuscule it might be.
His hands are still on the move, hitting his legs so hard I fear there’ll be bruises. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him like this. When he was younger, he’d retreat into himself when shit was outside his control. I’d thought he’d grown out of the meltdowns that used to plague him, but he’s certainly heading for one now. I’ve got to do something to try to stop it from developing.
Feeling like the shittiest dad in the world, I turn off the engine, glad to be parked on a quiet road. It’s my fault he’s lost in his own world of pain. But how the hell could I let him meet a stranger, when I don’t know why the fuck she wants anything to do with him? If I wasn’t such a suspicious man, I might take things at face value. But the life I lead, the role I play now, and the one that I had in the past, means I’m a suspicious fucker. I question everything. It’s the difference between staying alive, being caught blindsided, and dying.
But by being as I am, I’ve fucked up Ace’s – to him – perfect plan.
Ace had tried to find details about his mother, and that’s on me. I’ve never told him, never thought there was a good time to let him in on the nightmare that still haunts me, deciding to carry that burden for him as long as I can. But Ace has a questioning mind, and the skills to find out anything he puts his intelligence to, without asking whether it’s right or wrong.
To him, it would have been simple. Use his DNA to see if he’s got relatives out in the world, then make contact with them. He hit the motherlode with Antoinette. And now, I’ve come between them.
“Ace, believe me, I promise I’ll find a way to make this right.” Reaching over to the back seat, I grab hold of my cut, the hard-earned leather that’s part of me, and which I always treat with respect. Placing it on his lap, I make a vow. “Ace, I swear on my patch, if everything checks out, you’ll be meeting Antoinette sooner rather than later. But indulge me, yeah? Just let me make sure everything’s on the up and up.”
Gradually, Ace’s fingers unclench, and he starts running his hands over my leather vest, tracing the shape of the patches on the front, then repeating the action, touching them in the same order, then replicating the sequence again and again.
Normally, I let no one touch my cut, not even my son. Today, Ace’s needs are greater than even my loyalty to the patch. He can do anything he wants with it, if that’s what it takes to stop him from having an actual meltdown.
I stay quiet, giving him time to process my words.
I can’t say how much time has passed before I hear the best sound in the world.
Ace tremulously questions, “Dad?”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, watching his face that’s gone pale. “You’re okay.” I raise a brow, turning my statement into a question. His slow nod is the sign that I need to start the engine, put the car in gear, and continue the journey to the clubhouse.
“Not that I’m complaining, but why aren’t I going back to Nana’s?”
“She’s got something on today. I agreed that you can come with me.” That’s a lie, but Ma and I were both of the same mind. If Antoinette came looking for him, it would be better for him to be at the clubhouse. Not only for the protection my brothers and I could provide, but also to lessen the risk of Ma taking matters into her own hands and permanently getting rid of the problem. Her guns aren’t for show, and she’s not scared to use them.
Sometimes I think Ma is better suited to being the club’s enforcer than I am.
Which makes me realise I can’t treat Ace like one of the prospects who’s done something stupid. He’s got a good brain. I’ve just got to use mine. When we get to the compound, I’ll lay out my thoughts and reasoning as best I can. He might only be fifteen, but I can’t simply lay down the law. That’s not the way to treat him, not with his questioning brain. What might win him round is critical thinking. Let him analyse the situation as if it were a program he was decoding.
He’s quiet for the rest of the journey, which luckily is only a few minutes. When I drive through the gates, I return the SUV to its parking place. We both get out. I reclaim my cut and slide it on, then we walk forward side by side. On entering the clubhouse, I’m fucking relieved when I see Pippa and Saint, plus baby Jade, holding court by the bar.
And even better, when she sees me, she disentangles herself from Saint, places Jade in his arms, and comes straight over. “Tempest said you were looking for me?”
After a brief moment of worry about whether I’m doing the right thing, then realising Ace idolises Pippa for her mad computer skills, I throw caution to the wind. “Yeah, got something for you to look at. Can we go to the tech room?”
Ace, who’d been looking downcast, brightens as I mention his happy place. While he’s so much better at social interactions than he used to be, he’s still got more affinity for machines. And being surrounded by monitors and computing equipment puts him at ease.
Pippa raises her chin, one of those masculine gestures I’ve become used to seeing from her, then leads the way into what is her, Genie’s, and often my son’s domain.
Guessing there’s a good reason why I wanted to have our conversation here, she boots up the computer she most often uses as soon as she walks in. Seating herself, she leans forward. “What can I do for you, Freak?”
Taking a deep breath, hoping I’m doing the right thing, I extract Antoinette’s birth certificate from my cut and hand it to her. “Can you check whether this is genuine?”
Ace intercepts me and sucks in air when he reads the document. “Dad, this is genuine. Her DNA wouldn’t have matched if she weren’t my relative.”
“And computers can’t be hacked?” I raise my brow.
