I dialed Juices number as fast as I could when I heard the front door slam shut. I didn't even let him say anything when it was connected. "Roosevelt is going to trash your clubhouse in like, fifteen minutes. Thought you guys needed a heads up." I waited for a thank you or a question of how I know. I knew it was going to be the latter.
"How. How do you know?"
I sighed and thought about what we did the other night on the cliff knowing that it would be the first and last time that I would be able to have sex with him. I felt the tears build up. "He's my dad," I whispered to him. I heard a sharp intake of breath.
"Thanks." It was short and clipped followed by the click of the phone call ending. We may have only spent one night together, but there were countless texts and late night calls mixed in there.
I wiped away a tear and picked my paint brush up again. My mom and dad forgave me after my little word slip. I started to paint the lion as I thought about what my dad had been talking to someone on the phone last night. I had spent the night here because I was working on the nursery late last night.
"It is all set up with the fire company tomorrow, right?" Pause. "Good. We will trash the clubhouse send a message. Lincoln Potter is handling it."
I snapped out the memory of the overheard phone conversation. Mom wouldn't believe me either. She's all for my dad ending the Sons even though her and Gemma Morrow have been getting along well together. My hand was shaky as I finished up the lion. I couldn't do anymore right now. I just couldn't.
I packed all my stuff up and decided to go home. I walked today seeing as Charming was a small town. The only catch was that I had to walk past Teller-Morrow and the Sons clubhouse to get to my apartment. As I neared the clubhouse I could see that my father has finished his little temper tantrum and now is giving the boys a list of things that he "found" wrong with the club. I locked gazes with Juice. His jaw was set and it didn't look like it was a good thing for me.
Deciding that I needed to talk to my father more than I needed to go home, I stopped right in front of Teller-Morrow and leaned on the building. With a satisfied smirk on my father's face, he turned around and looked shocked when he saw me. He said something to Clay has he handed him the paper he was holding before walking over to me.
"What are you doing here?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes. Of course, there isn't a 'hey how are you?' or a 'how is your day doing?' nope. He just goes straight to the point.
"You're going to kill one of them. Whatever you are doing. I have a bad feeling," I honestly informed my father. He just laughed it off. Typically dad. He won't realize that I am right until something bad happens. Like someone trying to kill themselves.
He just gave me a grin. I was well aware of all the Sons eyes on me and I could feel the heat of a glare coming from the famous Gemma Teller-Morrow. She didn't like new people, I knew that. I could expect a visit soon from her. "Dad, you know I am right. Whenever I tell you I have a bad feeling you don't listen and then something bad happens. Then you make me and mom pack up and leave," I huffed getting a little angry. "I am not leaving. Not this time. You fuck up you and mom are on your own," I snapped at him.
He seemed a little shocked that I had the guts to say that to him, but deep down he knows that I am right. For the past two towns we have lived in and he has been a sheriff in we had to move because he messed up. It wasn't dirty, but whatever he is doing here is dirty. "What are you saying?" he asked me going into cop mode as he crossed his arms across his chest.
I cocked my jaw. "I am saying that if you start playing dirty trying to take the sons down, you can consider yourself daughter-less," I calmly stated before walking away from him. It has been already done. Ever since they had found out about the baby I have been put to the back burner. They are going to have a child that is both their blood and their skin color. I don't belong with them.
I finished the walk to my apartment stopping to check the mail before going in. it felt cold and lifeless. I am twenty-four. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I graduated early from high school and college. Only so my parents could have something to brag about. It wasn't easy growing up in an all-black family, but I tried and now I have nothing to show for it.
I sighed before grabbing the scrubs that I am going to need for tomorrow. I am a surgeon at the hospital. I dabble in every type of surgery and it makes St. Thomas very happy. I also do painting on the side hence why I was volunteered for the task of the nursery. The ringing of my phone broke me from my thoughts. I answered it as I got all the paperwork that I brought home with me ready. "Hello?" the other side was silent for a while. I thought that the person on the other end hung up.
"Clay wants you at the clubhouse. Now," Juice ordered from the other side of the phone before hanging up. With a shaky breath, I locked up my apartment and made my way back to the clubhouse. I didn't take my time, but I didn't exactly rush there. Checking to make sure there weren't any cops when I walked up to the clubhouse I finally made it.
When I walked in everyone stopped what they were doing to watch me. I could tell the croweaters were trying to figure out if I was good enough for one of their men. "They are in church. Just knock," Gemma informed me. I gave her a fleeting smile before going over to the makeshift doors. My dad really did a number on the clubhouse.
I raised my hand, only pausing to take a deep breath, before knocking. Whatever conversation there was going stopped before some shifting was to be heard. The door swung open and eleven pairs of eyes shifted towards me. Clay smirked. "Echo Roosevelt. Please. Come in," he gestured to me. I walked in and Bobby shut the door before sitting down. All eyes were on me. All eyes except for Juice. "You obviously know who we are," he inquired with a raise of his eyebrow.
I nodded. "Clay, Jax, Chibs, Tig, Juice, Happy, Bobby, Opie, Piney, Kozak, and Miles," I rattled off their names getting shocked looks from the boys. They don't know who I really am then. "Seems you know who I am as well. May I ask? Why am I here?" I asked him trying to keep my sass to a minimum. I honestly don't think that sassing the prez of the club is a good thing.
He nodded. "Seems that you are Roosevelts little spy," he said gesturing to Juice. I wanted to laugh. This is what this whole thing is about. Because I gave Juice a heads up about the raid? I ran my hands over my face as he kept talking. "A white girl in a black family. Seems a little odd for an undercover sting isn't it?" he taunted.
I laughed surprising the boys sitting at the table. I shook my head before glaring at Clay. "If you actually knew who I was then you would know that Eli and Rita Roosevelt adopted me when I was younger. That I was kidnapped from my real parents and they found me. So no this isn't no damn undercover operation," I snapped losing my cool. The others looked shocked at the information, but Clay didn't.
"What if I told you that I could help you find your real parents?" he offered making me laugh once more shielding my face with my hair.
"I already tried that. No one knows where I came from," I whispered not making eye contact with any of them. I heard some of them mutter stuff underneath their breath. As they started whispering to themselves. I could feel the one gaze that I wanted on me when I walked in on me now, the exact moment that I didn't want it on me.
Someone cleared their throat making me turn back to the table. Only, this time, it was Jax who I was staring down with. I knew what I was going to give to them, but I wasn't sure they were going to actually give me what they said. "We will help you find your family. Your real family," Jax started. "You just have to get your dad to back up. We need to be two steps ahead of him at all times," he informed me. For some reason, I believed him more than Clay. He gestured to an empty chair in between Piney and Happy. "Please take a seat and explain."
"For the past two towns we have lived in for a couple of years my father has messed up as sheriff. Nothing bad to hurt his career, just something bad enough to make us leave. I told him this morning after your raid that I wasn't going to leave Charming. That I was done moving. I will help you guys, but my dad and my mom will not get hurt," I stressed the whole my family was not getting hurt.
The president and vice president both nodded. "Of course," Jax informed me. "They will not get hurt. I promise," he said to me. I nodded taking the promise to heart.
I cleared my throat to begin on turning my back on my father. "Whoever he is working with will go for someone that has something against the rules of the club. He will use that to knock you guys down. If someone has something it needs to come out. Now," I informed them stressing the importance of it.
They all looked at each other. "Aight. Who is it?" Tig asked his brothers. They all were silent still. The tension in the room was horrible. I looked at Juice who was trying to hold tears back and that is when I knew.
"It's me," Juice said piping up, his voice cracking a little bit. "My father is black," he informed them. The room when silent. I knew that the club had this rule. It was a stupid rule and I know he might get voted out.
Clay sighed. "Jesus Christ."
Chibs glared at Clay before looking back a Juice. I watched with wide eyes as some deep conversations happened with him and Juice. These boys care for each other and no one can see that. "What does your paperwork say?" his Scottish accent boasted out. He leaned forward, closer to Juice, "Your birth certificate. Under race, which box is checked?"
Juice gulped. "It's Hispanic," He mumbled out.
Chibs nodded before leaning back. "Hispanic. Then that's what you are. Half of us don't know who the hell our fathers are. The paperwork is the only thing that counts," he informed Juice as the others made noises in agreement.
I cleared my throat to finish off this conversation. "He will be going with that. When he picks you up tell us," I informed him. I got up and wrote my name and address down. "Here this is where I live and how you can reach me," I told them before leaving. I heard the pound of a gavel, but I couldn't focus on it. I wanted to get out of here. I felt suffocated.
I ran into someone making them drop a baby bottle. "Sorry!" we both yelled as I bent down to grab it. I handed it to the women as the boys were filling out of the room they use for church. "Echo?" Tara's voice called out. The women I had ran into was, in fact, a colleague of mine. One that I haven't seen in a while.
"Tara?" I said hugging her. "What are you doing here?" I asked when I pulled back. Gemma handed her a baby who seemed that he was about six months maybe more.
She started to feed the baby before she answered me. She was a good mom. "Vp is my old man," she informed me gesturing to the guy who was probably staring at Tara and I like the rest of the club. My eyes winded in surprise. "This is Thomas," she informed me as she looked down at the baby with loving eyes. I smiled at the sight.
"He is beautiful. I have to go. I work a twelve hour shift tomorrow and probably shouldn't be yawning during a surgery," I joked with her. She rolled her eyes at me, but, either way, said goodbye before I walked out. Once I was outside I took a deep breath before the reality of what I just did hit me.
What did I just do?
