Page 43 of Rage's Solace
Rubbing my chin, I think about what that time must have been like for Priscilla. “I feel sorry for her being put in that position. She probably felt terrible. I’m sure Conrad was a real ass about it too.”
Venom says, “That asshole got what he deserved in the end. The only thing I regret is that we can’t kill him twice.”
I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, but I keep it to myself. “So the letter was legit. Her trying to acknowledge that I was deceased on the birth certificate seems like she really believed that it was true, and she was trying to do the right thing.”
“It’s shit like this that triggers postpartum depression in women,” Rigs grumbles. “Imagine having to deal with toxic assholes like Conrad and his family right after you give birth to your dead boyfriend’s child.”
Guilt over doubting her is now eating me up at this point but I press on. “So, the next order of business is verifying that Mia is actually my daughter. I’m pretty damn sure she is.”
Venom mumbles, “Anyone who’s seen the two of you together is pretty damn sure she’s yours.”
My head slowly turns to stare at him. What he’s saying is that I’m the last to realize what everyone already knows. That’s just fucking great.
“You already got the ball rolling on the paternity issue. You’re just gonna have to wait until the lab calls you with the results.”
I stubbornly want to do something, anything to get some closure on this situation with Priscilla and Mia. “What about tracking Conrad’s father. We verified that he’s cleared out of his mini mansion. Did Zen or Smoke get a lead on a new location for him? Does the fucker have a yacht, a summer place, or a country cabin? Anything at all?”
Siege’s voice drifts from behind us as he enters Rigs’ office. “Yeah. As a matter of fact, Zen tracked down a secondary location. It’s a ski lodge in the mountains. It’s the only other place he owns in this state.”
Dark glee fills every corner of my soul. “I say, we go head and pay him visit.”
Rigs jumps to his feet. “Great. Let’s get this asshole before something more depraved than the bunny box pops off.”
I ask, “Who do we want on our team and when do we want this to go down?”
Siege grabs a seat, and we get down to planning out how to overwhelm the security at the old man’s fucking ski lodge.
Chapter 16
Priscilla
It seems like Mia and I have been sitting on Rage’s sofa for ages. I think she’s still taking in what I told her about Rage possibly being her father. I worry that I told her too soon, that we need to do a paternity test first, but with all the other secrets in my life, I don’t want to keep that possibility from my daughter, and I think she’s old enough to understand.
I hear a horn blaring from outside and nearly jump out of my skin. In a panic, I gently grab Mia’s arm, “Your grandparents are here. There’s one more thing you need to know.”
“They’re here?” my daughter says as she hugs her toy cat, looking years younger.
“Yes. And they have never liked Rage. They’re probably going to say bad things about him but it’s because they don’t know him like we do. Sometimes, older people can be a little stubborn and set in their ways. Let’s just ignore them and try to change the subject if they say things we don’t like, okay?”
“You’re asking me not to stand up for him after everything he did for us?”
“I know, it sounds awful when you phrase it like that. Trust me, arguing with them will just make things worse right now. I just need to see what they wanted to talk to me about, and then we can come home.”
Home… I hope after today this will remain my home. As soon as we get back, I want to talk to Rage and tell him everything. I just hope that he understands and forgives me.
The horn blares again and I jump to my feet. My anxiety is through the roof. I’m only just now realizing how nervous my parents make me. I guess over the last few years of not seeing them, I’ve forgotten how demanding they can be. I grab my purse and tell Mia, “It’s time to go. Your grandparents don’t like to wait.”
Mia comes to her feet with a determined expression on her face and her stuffed cat tucked firmly under one arm. “Alright, I’ll try not to argue but I’m not making any promises.”
My sweet child has no idea what she’s getting herself into by arguing about Rage with my parents, my mother in particular. I’ll just have to run interference as best I can. I’m not going to let anyone, even my own mother, disrespect my child. Pain lances through my chest when I shut the door and activate the security system using the fingerprint scanner. The moment my hand lets go of the doorknob, I feel like my bond with Rage has been metaphorically severed. I know we have to talk, but the way he was earlier, I’m worried that he won’t understand. The disconnect feels profound and painful. It’s my own fault of course but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
When we step out the front door, I see my mother waving from the passenger side window. She has a dozen or so gold bangles on her wrist and looks like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine, the years have been kind to her and from her wrinkle-free complexion it looks like she had some work done. I’m not looking good by comparison, in my dress pants and sweater twinset. My mother frowns when she sees Mia iswearing jeans, a pink t-shirt, and a light jacket. I was never allowed to wear pants as a child, I always had to wear skirts or dresses.
I plaster a smile on my face as we walk up. I feel like I’m ten and have disappointed them somehow.
Chapter 17
Rage