Page 51 of Mace
I feel for her, I truly do, and maybe Chloe is someone we can save in this whole shitty situation, but I doubt it. She doesn’t think she needs saving.
“She ain’t gonna leave him.”
Sandy tears her hand through her hair, wincing as she touches the spot where Crank hit her. Her fingers are tinged with blood when she pulls them away.
“Fuck. He’s an animal, Mace. What’s he doing to my child?”
I get her anguish. None of us like it. “It ain’t smart for you to keep coming here,” I say.
“What do you expect me to do? Leave Chlo in the hands of that man? I can’t do it. I won’t do it.”
I understand that. I wouldn’t leave my kid either. “You got any idea who her daddy is?”
If we can figure that out, Chloe might have more protection.
She blows out a breath. “I’ve already been through this a hundred times. It was nonstop partying back then. The brothers would move from girl to girl without a single care. I’m not proud of my behaviour, but it was a different time, and I was a different person. I’ve slept with all the brothers who were here during that period, multiple times. It could be any of them, and I don’t see a single one consenting to a DNA test, do you?”
She ain’t wrong about that. No brother is ever going to willingly put their DNA on file. It’s too risky. It could link them back to crimes they committed years ago.
Which means there are several people it could be—Grub, King, Diesel, and probably most of the original London members who set up this chapter, including Nicky’s dad.
Even Hawk.
He may have gone to the Manchester chapter, but before that, he was a member of Birmingham. He’d been young when Chlo was born, but around the right age.
“Besides, do you think any one of her potential fathers is going to step up and defend her against Crank?” she questions. “They don’t even want to know if she’s theirs.”
She’s right. Everyone knows Chloe exists and that they could be her parent, and not one of those brothers has decided to do shit about it. I’d want to know if she was mine. There is no way in fuck I would be able to sit by andlet my kid make these kinds of fucking monumental errors.
But that ain’t the situation we’re in.
“Chloe’s just lost, Sandy. She’s searching for a sense of belonging. She ain’t ever gonna give that up, and she feels powerful bein’ in Crank’s bed. Maybe it’s time you stopped coming here. Let us handle this.”
She scoffs. “Am I supposed to trust you with my daughter’s life? Because no offence, Mace, but I don’t. I don’t trust this club at all.”
I can’t blame her for that, and she doesn’t even know about the movements behind the scenes. Crank’s days are numbered in this club, and as soon as he falls, Chloe will come back to her.
“I know I’m asking a lot, but I need you to be patient. I’ll get her back to you, trust me on that.”
Her throat bobs as her gaze cuts away from me before pinning me. “I know I’m not exactly winning prizes for mother of the year, but I love my kid. I raised her alone and gave her every piece of me. I’m not going to watch her destroy herself for that fucking bastard. I don’t want to step off, and I don’t want to trust you, but I’m running out of options here, so I’m holding you to that promise, Mace. You get me my daughter back, do you hear me?”
I wish I could tell her that Crank won’t be here forever, but I have to play the game. I have to give loyalty to a man who does not deserve it until Ravage and the other presidents are ready to make their move.
That is becoming increasingly difficult to do. It’s hard to stand in front of a man I can’t stomach and give him my loyalty… or at least pretend to.
Nicky walks out, joining us in the parking area with aprospect. “Reg’ll take you home,” he says to her, and Sandy nods before giving me a pointed look and following the prospect to one of the pool cars.
We watch until they pull out of the compound.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Crank’s lucky Sandy hasn’t put a fucking bullet in his brain. She’s getting desperate, Nicky, and I can’t say I blame her. It ain’t easy to watch that fucker paw all over your only kid.”
“We got bigger fucking problems than Chloe and Crank.” My ears prick up at that even as my stomach becomes heavy. “Smaller gangs are moving into the city, plugging those holes left behind by Richardson’s crew. They see the club as a soft touch. Crank needs to get a grip of our territory and the Pioneer assets we seized before shit gets ropey.”
Fuck.We only just got out of one war without starting another. I’m done fucking fighting, and the longer we are taking on external forces, the less chance we have of unseating Crank.
“Does he know?”
“What do you think?”