Page 37 of Rascal

“The fuck I will!” I exclaimed, and King began laughing.

“We’ll figure shit out,” King promised.

“We’re gonna have to, King; I’ve got a bad feeling this isn’t over.”

“I agree, Jane’s just ramping up. She’s going to keep coming for you until she can claim your identity.”

“And that terrifies me,” I admitted. And for good reason. This bitch had already taken five years of my life. I refused to let her steal anything else.

Chapter Eight.

Rascal

Returning to the clubhouse, I headed straight for my bunk. I couldn’t handle being around anyone right now, and I was a damn mess. Hallie had been innocent. The word kept rattling inside my brain. How the hell could I ever give Hallie back what she’d lost? I couldn’t. Five years and our child. Both were irreplaceable. And that was down to me.

My door opened, and the one member nobody could kick out walked in. Founder and Chaplain, Big Al commanded instant respect.

He sat on my chair and kicked his boots off before putting his feet up on my bed. Damnit. Big Al was settling in. I glowered and hoped Big Al would get the message, but instead he pulled out his phone. Fuck me if he didn’t start playing a game.

Someone knocked on my door, and Big Al called out for them to enter. Dollar entered with two mugs of coffee, a bottle of whiskey and one of tequila. Party at my bunk then. Dollar checked me over, nodded, and left.

Big Al slid a mug over, and I took it. Even in this state, I knew the consequences of refusing a founder. We sat in silence as I dived back into my thoughts.

“Hallie will never forgive me,” I said.

“Maybe.”

“I wouldn’t. Christ, I betrayed her. Sat there smug, pompous, and so damn righteous, so certain I was right. I’d seen her. But it hadn’t been Hallie. Someone stole her face, the same as they snatched our future and child.”

“Yup.”

I reached out and grabbed the tequila. “Brother, I screwed up massively. Ain’t no way I can give Hallie back what she lost.”

“Nope.”

“One-word answers, Big Al? Is that it?” I whined.

“When I’ve got something to say, prospect, I’ll say it.” Big Al unscrewed the bottle of whiskey and took a swallow.

“If I were you lot, I’d kick me now. Six brothers were arrested because of my quest for vengeance. Don’t think anyone else has fucked up on that scale.”

“Nope.”

I wanted to throw the tequila at him, but uncapped it and swallowed. The burn caught in my throat.

Big Al pointed his bottle at me. “You lost your daughter.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I didn’t deserve her.”

“That’s not what’s biting you.”

“Damn it! I killed my own kid! Big Al, I might not have ordered Hallie to get a beatdown, but I was the reason she was in prison. If those other statements hadn’t been falsified and others had done their jobs, Hallie stood a chance of getting off.”

“Yup. But people chose to lie and hide shit; that ain’t on you.”

“But it is. They did it because they trusted my account and wanted to make sure Hallie went down for her crimes,” I replied.

“Which weren’t hers.”