Page 6 of Rebel's Fairytale
With a deep sigh, he took a right and headed for his house. His cousins were waiting for him, and he could wait half of a day to see her again.
Reginald
Being on the town council, Reginald Smith and his wife, Gladys, wanted what was best for Warden’s Pass. In his opinion, the Howlers never should have been allowed to run businesses in their town. If the business licenses weren’t approved, the trash would have had to find somewhere else to operate. Unfortunately, Joker Weber had connections and fast-tracked every document he ever had to file for. At the time, Reginald didn’t have enough power to do anything about it.
“We need to do something,” Jeffrey White huffed as he took his seat in the back room of the hardware store owned by Charles and Daniel Williams.
Jeffrey and Sharon White were farmers who owned a large section of land on the edge of the town line. They were in their seventies, and rumor had it that Sharon once messed around with Joker before he had his boys.
Sharon’s sister, Dorothy Jones, a seamstress, had followed those men around with her sister for years, trying her best to nab one. When it was clear it was never going to happen, she stopped helping them with their patches and started acting like they were the scum of the earth.
Reginald didn’t much care what her motivations were for being at the meeting, as long as she was on their side. They needed numbers, not quality members.
Elsie and Elfie Kirsh were there for reasons well known to the rest of the members. It was rumors or whispered gossip. Their son, Ernie, was beating his wife, and the Howlers helped get her to a safe place. In the process, Ernie ended up with a broken arm, three broken fingers, and a face that was more black and blue than it was not. Reginald couldn’t say he cared that they helped the wife, but Ernie’s condition when they found him was more than Reginald thought he deserved.
“I agree,” Charles said. It wasn’t a secret that Charles had been dating Minx from the Tiger’s Claw MC. They had been seen around town together for a few months. Charles was spotted at the jewelry store, scoping out wedding rings, but Minx ended things the next day.
His brother, Daniel, had a thing for Nova, also a member of the Tiger’s Claw MC, but Nova had never let him have a shot.
Daniel shook his head and sighed. “They are good customers, Chuck.”
“So it’s okay that they are monsters?”
“I won’t sit here and pretend to know anything about that animal stuff, but I don’t feel right calling them monsters when they’ve never done anything to warrant that,” Daniel insisted.
“They tortured my son,” Elfie shouted, his face beet red with anger.
Daniel looked over at the man and replied, “Your sontorturedhis wife and got what he deserved.”
When Elfie opened his mouth to argue, Reginald stepped forward into the middle of the circle of chairs and said, “The fact of the matter is they are criminals. We now find out that they cansomehowturn into animals, capable of killing anyone they choose. How are we supposed to feel safe?”
Sharon added, “And the children! I heard parents talking about how the librarian was holding hands with one of them! The library isn’t even safe for our babies anymore!”
“We need to band together and make it uncomfortable for them to be here. Make them move on to another place, somewhere far away from Warden’s Pass.”
The owner of the auto parts store, Nicholas Brown, shook his head. “You’re asking me to put my business at risk, for apossibility.”
“Do you not care about the children?” Sharon looked at him like he grew a second head.
Reginald couldn’t stand the sound of the woman’s voice, but she was helping his cause, so he would let her rant and rave in that ear-splitting tone.
Nicholas sighed. “The only thing I’ve ever seen when it comes to children and the Howlers is the Howlersand the Tiger’s Claw MCsmaking sure the children of Warden’s Pass aren’t mistreated.”
“You either keep the Howlers business, or you keep the business of the citizens of Warden’s Pass,” Reginald stated. “You choose.”
Rock
After the memorial, Rock drove Mia and Logan over to Brute’s parents’ house. Since he was a kid, they were the only parental figures he could count on. As far as his kids were concerned, they were the only grandparents they had.
Mama Nia was the woman who saw the anger and distrust inside of Rock as a teenager and did what was needed to get him on a better track. She made sure he had food, shelter, and a safe place to exist, and never asked him to be anything other than himself.
Pops, Brute’s dad, was the one who taught Rock about engines and also how to treat women. He talked about the importance of protecting the people who weren’t in a position to protect themselves, but he made sure to make it clear that women were stronger in every way that mattered. Pops was basically the reason for Rock’s drive to help the weakened find their strength again and the mistreated to find their justice.
Mama Nia and Pops loved Mia and Logan just like they did the rest of their grandkids. Rock and his children were in all the family photos and invited to the family reunions. It didn’t matter one lick to them that he and his children were white, just like it didn’t make a bit of difference to Rock that they were black. Family was family, especially when you chose them.
“Wes,” Mama Nia said as she opened her front door. The warm smile she gave him right before she wrapped her arms around him dulled the ache in his heart. She was what he needed at that moment. Her guidance and unconditional love would help him navigate the heart-wrenching situation he found himself in. “Let me greet my babies, then you and I are going to talk about that look of despair I see in your eyes.”
She pulled away from him and gave his kids attention, while Rock moved on to give Pops a handshake and a hug.