Page 27 of Sinner's Storm
I was a dad.
“Don’t matter how long you stare at that paper, Storm, it won’t change the results.” Silver smirked as she passed me a scotch. “The way I look at it is that little girl hit the jackpot.”
“How so?”
“Cause her father is a bigger kid than she is.”
“Not funny,” I muttered, downing the shot, sighing when I felt the burn all the way down to my gut.
Turning the paper over, I rested my elbows on the bar and groaned. “Well, what in the hell am I going to do now?”
Pouring me another shot, Silver shook her head as Largo took a seat next to me. It was still odd seeing her back in the clubhouse, but I was happy she was back. She belonged here. She was one of us. Always had been, always would be.
“It’s not brain surgery, Storm. So, you’ve got a kid. Montana, Vicious, Mercy, and Fury all have kids. You don’t see them acting like it’s the end of the world.”
“They had time to prepare.”
“Really?” Silver snarked, then laughed. “Do you not remember Tessa and York? Boss man lost his shit when he learned the truth. At least your kid is out of diapers.”
I shivered at that.
She had a point.
“Look, right now, the only thing you need to worry about is Harlow getting better. Be there for her mother. From what I heard, Delany has had to do everything herself. Poor girl could use a damn break. So, give her one. Tess told me she never leaves the hospital.”
“And do what? I know nothing about her.”
“And that’s the problem,” Silver stated, leaning against the bar. “Look, Storm. Delany is the mother of your child. You two must have liked something about one another because you two did the mattress mambo. Most men know the mother of their children. They have some background, some kind of relationship. Yours is purely sexual. Try getting to know the mother of your child. Who knows, maybe you two have something in common besides Harlow.”
“You want me to get to know her?” I frowned. “Why?”
“Because she is the mother of your daughter,” Largo snarked, shaking her head, looking at Silver. “Is he even listening to us?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” Silver frowned. “I think he’s still in shock.”
“Well, Mercy will snap him out of it,” Shame stated, walking over, holding a file up in front of him. “VP wants to see you. Now.”
Getting to my feet, I followed Shame into Mercy’s office. I didn’t know why Mercy wanted to speak with me, but it wasn’t what I expected.
“I’m sorry, Storm. It’s the only way.”
“What if I don’t claim Harlow?”
“Look, man, you know the fucking rules. The club is clear. I’ve already talked to Montana about this. He’s pretty fucking pissed off and is not budging. Hell, Storm, you yourself have a piece of the tower displayed in your office in remembrance to your father and all who died that day. You really want to align yourself with an outcast, because that’s what she will be once this city learns who her father is. It’s only a matter of time.”
“She was barely five when 9/11 happened.”
“Doesn’t matter, Storm.” Shame sighed. “Look, brother, I hate this. Delany seems like a really nice piece, and she’s done an amazing job raising your kid. If I could change the past I would, but I can’t. The fact is, Delany’s father was under investigation for arson that got five of his firehouse brothers killed. The fire inspector had enough evidence to prosecute. They were waiting on the arrest warrant when Campbell up and left, taking his wife and kid with him.”
“Then how in the hell did he end up working for another firehouse in Arizona? I was training to be a firefighter. You both know that. No way in fucking hell would another house hire a firestarter.”
“Still looking into that, but it doesn’t look good. After 9/11, everything was in chaos. This city lost so many, I may never know the truth, but the paper trail doesn’t lie. David Campbell was responsible for killing five members of his own firehouse.”
Shit!
I hadn’t even given Delany any thought since I learned I fathered Harlow. All I cared about was saving my little girl.
I liked Delany. She seemed real and on the level. Just another hard-working single mom doing her best. That was something I could get behind. As for everything else, she was a complete stranger to me. Yeah, we shared a kid. Honestly, I didn’t know if anything would come of us co-parenting.