Sins (Havoc of Sins #3)

Chapter 20

Simon

“Nice place you got here. Hope you don’t mind me droppin’ in.” Kurt moved around my living room and stopped at my bookshelf. “I see you have your beloved books.” He hooked the top of the spine of a book with his finger then tilted the books forward one at a time. “I don’t get why people keep books.” I slid the chicken casserole into the oven with an eyeroll. “You’ve read ’em all, so why keep them?”

I swallowed back my surprise at his unexpected visit and decided to make an effort. “You love the movie Shawshank , right?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “it’s a classic.”

“How many times have you seen it?”

“At least thirty.”

“What’s the difference with books?” I made my point. “I re-read them all the time. They’re classics to me like your movies.”

“I guess.” His lips tugged upward, but I could tell he didn’t get it at all. He had no understanding of the love for literature. He let the book he fingered go, and it fell back into place, then he plucked up the one and only photo I kept of my family. “Is this the notorious bastard?” I gave him a hard look to be careful on that subject, and he made a face. “I’m just shocked you have one, let alone on display.”

I set the timer and tossed the oven mitt on the table. “It’s the only one of my mother and me, and I can’t help it if he’s in it. At least he’s not wearing that stupid leather vest.” I pulled the photo from his hand and slammed it into a desk drawer.

“Shit, he really did a number on you, didn’t he?”

I sank into the chair while he moved to the couch across from me. “My skull still has the scars from his temper,” I answered rather dramatically with my hands to my head. “My father was a man who didn’t take no for an answer. He beat me whenever he felt like it, and the older I got, the worse it got.”

“And when it got to be too much, a Stripe Back did the deed.” He smiled because he thought he knew the truth, but he didn’t.

“Not entirely.” I inched my glasses up my nose. “The Stripe Back was already dead, actually,” I grinned and enjoyed how delicious it felt to risk the truth for once. “He just took the blame.”

“Hold up.” He threw up his hands and pulled in his chin. I could see he got a sick thrill from my confession. “You dog! How’d you kill him? Gunshot? Stabbing?”

I lifted my eyebrows at him. I ignored his question “I remember his words exactly. The ones that pushed me over the edge. ‘You’re such a waste.’ That’s when I drove an axe into his chest.”

“Damn, Simon!” He looked impressed and cheered. “You are a sick son of a bitch. That’s cold. Your own father, damn!” He smacked his thigh.

I looked away and took a deep breath to steady myself. His death was on my hands, it was true, but the reality was it had come down to me or him, and I’d just swung first.

“Just when I think you’re too boring for me,” he slapped his hands together, “bam! You hit me with another surprise. Christ, you’d make a great Potens member.”

“No.” I shot that shit down quick like I always did whenever he brought it up.

He raised his hands. “I know, I know, no memberships allowed.” He rubbed the back of his head. “What about your mom? Did you off her too?” I glared at him, and his mouth jerked at my response. “Sorry. You just never talk about them.”

I closed my eyes when I thought about my father and Allen and the unthinkable things they’d done to my precious mother. “She died.” I stood when I smelled the casserole. “Which you will if you don’t leave.”

“Fine,” he kicked his feet up on the table, “but not ’til dinner’s served. It smells really good.”

I rolled my eyes and headed for the kitchen. When would he learn I hated company?

M y doorbell rang and jerked me from my memory. I rubbed my eyes then tapped my phone to see it was just after one in the morning. I had taken a fistful of painkillers and must have passed out on the couch. It rang again, and when I moved, I felt a sharp pain rip through my entire body.

“Answer it or I’ll kick it down,” Grim barked. I limped to the door and opened it to find him and Jesse looking like members of some gangster crew. “Invite us in.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.” He stepped forward as I moved out of the way.

I peeked around to see if anyone else was out there, but I couldn’t spot anyone, and that almost was more nerve-wracking. “I don’t have much more flesh to pound.”

“There’s always bones.” Grim undid the button on his jacket, sat on the couch, and ran an arm along the back of the chair. “Sit.”

Jesse stepped back and folded his hands in front of him. He alone was frightening, but I’d seen what the two of them were capable of, so I didn’t waste any time doing what I was told.

“You lied to me.” His eyes narrowed to slivers and pierced through me.

“Yeah.” I didn’t bother lying. “Only about that, but yes, I did.”

“Why?”

I licked my dry lips. “Respectfully, Brick is a product of my father’s mistakes. I owed him nothing. He was better off without me. Just like he and I were both better off without our father.”

“You didn’t answer my question. I don’t fucking like being lied to. You could have told me the truth.” His growl sent a chill through my spine. It also bothered me I was older than this man questioning me about my past, but I also liked my bones intact, so I swallowed my pride.

“Look, Grim, all I wanted was to be left alone to live a simple life, but for some reason I can’t have that. I never asked to be pulled into any of this. I withheld the truth about who I was because you’re, let’s face it, a member of the Devil’s Reach and Trigger’s best friend. You’re all friends of my brother’s.” I had to make him see how impossible it was to tell him the truth.

“I mean, jeez, think about it. I just wanted to work off the rest of my debt to the Potens and be done. I knew Cameron’s days were numbered, and I thought if I could just get through that, I could leave and finally have the life I wanted.” I flipped open the box on the table and tried not to groan in pain as I handed him my dream. He held the paper up to the light and studied the listing.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a two-bedroom cabin off the grid in Wyoming. Just me, my books, and my thoughts.” I blushed a little and felt uncomfortable as I spoke about something that was so important to me.

He looked at the paper again then dropped his arm and studied me.

“Something’s been bothering me.” He handed the cabin listing to Jesse. “Why was Allen so interested in you joining the DR?”

“I don’t know.” I rethought my words at his expression. I’d had a lot of time to wonder about it, and I figured I knew why. “I’m smart, great with numbers, and made the mistake of helping my father out one time with finding a smarter way to launder their money. He was impressed, as it worked. After that, he came back again and again for my advice. The more I pushed back, the harder he came at me. But I dug my heels in and never gave up. I refused to be a part of it.”

“Until you killed your father.”

“What?” The word dropped right out of my mouth. I should have known Grim would figure that out. “Does Brick know?”

He picked a piece of lint off his pants and took a moment to answer. “No, I haven’t told him. You gave him something he’s been searching for for years. Closure.” I swallowed hard with relief. “And for that reason, I won’t make my friend suffer any more grief. He’s in a good place now.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” His gaze moved to mine. “None of this was for you.” I nodded. “What you’ll do now is finish what my father asked you to do, then pack your shit up and get the fuck out of town. If I ever hear you’re in Vegas, California, or Italy, I will make sure you meet the same fate as your father.”

“Understood.” I began to see that just maybe I’d not have the shit beaten out of me again and relaxed a little.

“And how do you feel about the Devil’s Reach now?” He eyed me through those slits again.

I slowly shook my head. “There was a time when I wanted to see the club go down, burn in flames for what Allen and Dad did to me, but years in jail gives you time and a different perspective. I know it was Allen and not the rest of the club who took part of me away. Life’s too short to care about the past, so that ship’s sailed.” Grim gave a tight nod, and Jesse dropped the paper back down in front of me.

I flinched involuntarily as Grim pushed to his feet. He really was a powerful man. “Mr. Gates.” I felt like I needed to say more. He turned to look at me, and his jaw ticked like he was about to snap. “If it’s not too much to ask,” I couldn’t believe I was allowing this part of myself to open up, “could you just let Brick know I’m sorry and give him something?” I hobbled over to my desk and pulled out an envelope and thumbed through some old photos until I found the one I wanted. “I was going to toss it when I moved, but maybe Brick might want it. So…” I handed him the photo of my father standing next to Trigger’s uncle Gus. It was just after he’d joined the DR. He looked happy in his leather vest. “My mother took the photo.”

Grim tucked it away in his pocket and glanced at Jesse. “One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Stay the fuck away from Kenna.”