Page 9 of April’s Fool

As for April, though, we haven’t done as we should have. If we’d had eyes on her, we might have caught what was going on with her sooner. Maybe we’d have been able to talk her into sharing her troubles. Something she never does. Not even when she was a little girl, we all know this. She didn’t share when she still lived under the same roof as her cunt of a mother. Nor did she ever share the pain of her dad not being around for her.

All of us here at the club know her dad and didn’t have a problem with him as a person. But we sure as fuck do when it comes to him being a dad and constantly leaving his girl.

That’s why Horse and I took it upon ourselves to treat her like one of ours. She was always at either one of our houses, sleeping over with one of the girls or both, depending on where the sleepover was. More than once, Izzy mentioned taking her away from her home for good and giving her a good life, but April always said she was fine there, and I knew it was a lie.

Watching her now as she bumps into Fool, a plan begins to form in my head. The guy had only just patched into the Grave Prowlers MC, but I’ve known Cannon for a while. Same with Hazard. They were younger than me, but they were good guys. Solid. Thinking about April’s reaction to Fool and the way she becomes even shyer tells me one thing.

She’s got a thing for the guy.

I don’t like the idea of her crushing on anyone any more than I like the idea of Mercy doing it.

A moment passes between the two, and I look toward Horse to see him watching them as well. Horse shifts his gaze to me and shakes his head, but he knows me. Knows exactly what I’m gonna do.

If we can’t understand what’s happening with her, maybe we should try someone who can. Fool might be just what we need to help April open up and release the shadows consuming her. I’m tired of watching my daughters lose themselves little by little.

Chapter 6

FOOL

“You want me to do what again?” There’s no way I heard Twister’s request correctly. It has to be a mistake.

I look over at Cannon to see if he’s experiencing the same issue, and when he asks, “What school does she go to?” it seems he isn’t.

Twister looks between those at the table before his gaze lands on me once more. He leans forward, elbows on the table, and clasps his fingers together. “April attends Willow Creek University, thirty minutes from your clubhouse.”

I know the school he’s talking about, and it’s not an easy one to get into. It’s mostly about prestige. She’d have had to have the perfect GPA and all the other bullshit even to get accepted there. Not to mention the cost of the place. Were the guys paying for it? Did she get scholarships?

“But she’s here. Why do you need me to go watch over her? Isn’t she on spring break or something?” I ask.

“April left to head back to school just a bit ago,” Horse remarks. “Said she needed to get some schoolwork done.”

“You don’t believe her?” Cannon asks, glancing between the two men.

Twister shakes his head, eyes on my Prez. “April isn’t just my daughter’s best friend. She might not have my blood, but she’s one of mine, all the same. We’ve all pretty much raised her. We know her just like I know my Mercy. She’s hiding something. Doesn’t want to share it. Hasn’t shared it with anyone, not even Mercy or Kayla.”

Horse leans forward, mimicking Twister. “You want this alliance with our club? We want our girl protected. Do this for us, and the alliance will be permanent between our clubs. You won’t have any issues with us. Stoney will also back this play, seeing as she’s his family. Same goes for Blow, over at our Tennessee Charter.”

“And you want Fool to protect her?” Cannon asks for confirmation.

“Exactly.” Twister nods.

“Hold up, I just saw her.” She couldn’t have left already. Then again, that was before I met with Cannon and before Twister asked to meet with the two of us.

“She took off right after bumping into you and saying goodbye to Kayla and Mercy,” Horse grunts. “One thing about April, she’s quick to run away.”

“What else am I missing?” I ask, watching both men closely. “If I’m gonna do this, I want to know everything you’re not telling me. Leave nothing out.”

“Fool was a SEAL until recently, as you know from our phone conversations,” Cannon states. “He’ll do what it takes to make sure she’s safe, but given his training and skills, he needs to know everything to do what you’re asking. He doesn’t need to go in blind.”

“Respect that about you, Fool,” Twister says, nodding. Something in his eyes shifts in a way I don’t know how to read.

“We’ve got several brothers who were in the service,” Horse remarks. “They saw their share of shit. If you need someone to talk to, they’ll listen. Hell, any of us would. I might not have served, nor did Twister, but we’ll still listen.”

“Appreciate that. Twister offered the same thing yesterday,” I tell both of them. “It’s unnecessary. I’ve got my brothers if I need to talk.” I motion to Cannon. He’s the one I’ll talk to most because he also served in the military. “They’re there for me when I need them.” Cannon nods and slaps my shoulder as I continue. “If you’ll give me what I need to know, I’ll see to April.”

“You’ll have it, but I’m telling you now that if you hurt her, we’ll have problems.”

“A girl like April,” I trail off for a moment, holding Twister’s gaze to finish his statement. “Anyone who hurts her would deserve it.”