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Dana sat down beside Jett’s bed and hungrily searched his battered and bruised body. Patriot had cut his shirt off and his chest was exposed to her eyes. The blood had been washed away, so his injuries could be observed. He looked so beat up that she cringed in sympathy.
When she heard the whole story, she knew he had come back for her. The feelings she had was something no one except her dad had ever showed her and even her dad was not one to overly share or show it. Jett had actually come back to help her. Maybe there was someone for her. He could be her someone. She had always felt so alone and thought because of her behavior no one would ever care about her but this man did. Despite knowing some of what she'd done and being disappointed in her too. He still cared enough to come back here when she needed him. No one had ever done anything so selfless for her before in her life.
He cared about her when no one else did. For the first time in her adult life, she could see herself more clearly. Like the time when she hadn’t cared what happened to Winona when Blacky had taken her. At the time, all she cared about was that the other woman was gone but now... she realized her sister had been in real danger. The kind that had hurt Jett. She sat there thinking about all the things she’d done and the recent events in the club.
Looking at Jett’s bruised and bloody body, she wanted to scream. He shouldn’t have paid the price for what was essentially her fault. She had been following Blacky all those years and she should have told her dad what he was doing. Now because she had been the selfish brat everyone called her, she'd put them all in danger. This old man was a monster and he wanted to kill her father—she had to do something to stop him
Dana reached her hand out to Jett and was surprised to find it was trembling. She pulled it back and held it to her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks. Brushing them away, she tried again. Reaching out, she touched his chest with trembling fingers.
His skin was warm as her fingers barely brushed across his sleek chest. She then looked up at his face and saw his eyes were looking back at hers. Dana went to pull her hand back but Jett reached out and took her hand replacing it on his chest.
Tears rolled down her face as their eyes locked together. Neither said a word as she could feel the heat beneath her hand. She leaned closer and laid her forehead against his briefly. Closing her eyes, she brushed his mouth with her own. Then she backed up and stood tall. With tears in her eyes she whispered, “This has to stop, I might know a way to stop it. I almost lost you and it hit me hard, so I can’t just not care anymore. I just hope daddy and the men will listen to me.”
Jett squeezed her hand. “You can make them listen. You are the club princess.”
Dana wiped at her tears and smiled sadly while shaking her head. “I’m not you know. That isn’t my title anymore and I’m ok with that but thank you. You were coming back for me weren’t you?”
Jett nodded. “Yes, I was.”
“I came for you too. I snuck out of a lockdown and went to find you.”
Jett frowned at this information. “I heard what that bastard had to say.” He winced as he moved trying to get comfortable. “He ran me off the road about five miles out of town. He was going to use me to get your dad to come to him and then he was going to take him out.”
Dana nodded. “We know. But everyone here is still in danger and I have to tell them what I know. Because of my actions before they might not listen but I have to tell them anyway.”
“You go, apologize and then make them listen to you,” Jett told her.
Dana nodded. “I have a lot to make up for. I need more time too. I realize that maybe I got that time now. I have to tell them what I know. No more secrets. They may not want me around afterward but I can’t let them face this without telling them what I know about Blacky.”
“Just be honest.” Jett assured her.
“What’s going to happen to me? I could lose everything because of the secrets I’ve kept.” Dana suddenly felt scared.
“You just might,” Patriot spoke from the doorway. “You’ve treated this MC like shit for far too long.”
Dana turned to acknowledge him. “I realize that and I’m sorry. All my life I’ve grown up here in a house filled with all you guys but I wasn’t, you know... a guy? I was a girl in a house full of men. I always felt so alone and that I was missing something but I never knew what that something was. I was struggling but no one ever saw that. You guys had each other but I had no one I could talk to, no one I could confide in. Even in school I was never close to any girls.” Shrugging she said, “I acted out because I was lost and didn’t have a clue what I needed.” Dana then looked back at Jett. “When all I needed was someone to believe in me. To need me. Then Winona came here and I still didn’t know what I was doing. All I could see and feel was she was replacing me and I couldn’t stand that. I didn’t want to lose what little I had and I didn’t want my dad to love anyone but me. That’s the way it has always been. I felt I had to hold on to what I had. Things around here were changing and...” Her voice trailed off. “I became a bitch but in the end, I only hurt myself didn’t I?”
“No, you hurt all of us and you hurt your sister more with your words and actions than she may never be able to forgive you for,” Patriot told her.
“But I hurt me the most.” Dana swiped tears from her face. “Admitting the truth means I have to admit that as well. I realize she is my sister and DeeDee is our mother and both of them...are what had been missing all my life. I know that now. I can see now what I did was wrong. Last night when I was sitting all alone. I knew what I had to do but now, I’m scared no one will listen.”
Jett nodded. “Make them listen. When this is over, truly over, you will come with me. We can either go back to Killeen or we can start over in Hondo. But you will never be alone anymore. You will be my woman and I’ve got your back.”
Dana smiled and squeezed his hand. “I know and I want to be your woman so much.” She kissed his lips tenderly then said, “I’ve got your back too.”
When she let go of his hand she squared her shoulders and turned to face the door. Without saying another word, she took the first step to face her destiny.
Gunner ran his hands over the back of his head and looked more than a little frustrated as he faced his men. “We have to find this bastard and put him down before he can strike again.”
“I may be able to help with that, daddy. If you’ll give me a chance,” Dana called out as she stood in the doorway to the main room.
Everyone swung their gazes over to her.
She could see the mistrust and anger on their faces.
“Oh, hell no,” one of the men called out. “You’ll more than likely get us killed!”
Dana stood there with her heart breaking on the inside but outside she hoped she showed no feeling. She just stared at her father and prayed he would at least hear her out.
Gunner stood there shaking his head. “Dana, I really don’t have time for your shenanigans right now.”
“Dad,” Winona called out as she came up to his side. Gunner turned toward her and she grabbed his arm. “Maybe you guys should hear her out. I know I have no say in club matters but at least hear her out.”
Gunner stared at her for a moment then turned to Dana. “Fine, so what is this all about then?”
Dana swallowed hard. Moving forward she looked only at her dad. “I’ve known some of Blacky’s secrets for a while now.” She paused when she heard grumbles from the men around her.
“You knew he was peddling flesh and didn’t think we might want to know about it?” Gypsy growled.
Dana stared at him and shook her head. “I wasn’t ever sure. I never got that close to him to actually see what he was doing. I just followed him from place to place but I did see some of the people he met with. And I saw the places where he went to handle his business.”
“And how the hell does that help us?” Tramper asked with anger in his tone.
“I’ve seen that old man before,” Dana admitted. “He’s been here for the last three years or more I’ve seen where he stays when he’s in town. He’s been watching Blacky too, for at least that long.”
The room was quiet for a long moment. Tension was riding high as the silence seemed filled with rage.
“Where have you see him?” Boone demanded at last.
“There’s a shack down by the water not far from the warehouse Blacky used. It’s almost hidden from view by some trees closer to the road but from where it is located, you can see the road and the cars coming and going. He also has a place in town, over by main street. It’s an abandoned garage called Vulture’s. He stays there sometimes when Blacky was working street kids.”
Gunner frowned. “Working street kids? What the fuck are you talking about?”
Dana shrugged. “Blacky ran a street gang, peddling his drugs. He manufactured his own designer drug. The kids called it Rum Shot.”
Everyone in the room gasped. They knew of that drug.
The cops busted the street gang running it because kids were dying after taking it. Something about the drug using a reduced version of rum that when it was reduced it became too strong, becoming lethal. The kids were busted but Blacky was protected because they couldn’t identify the seller. Not that they didn’t want to, as the seller would be facing homicide charges but they didn’t know who was behind the drug. Blacky had protected himself.
“That sonofabitch!” Gypsy exclaimed.
“How often was the old man here in town?” Gunner asked her.
Dana shrugged. “I’ve seen him maybe half a dozen times in the last year. But I’ve seen him a lot more recently though.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Boone asked.
“He’s been here almost daily for several weeks now.”
“Did Blacky know his dad was here?” Tramper asked.
Dana nodded. “Yeah, he knew. They met from time to time.”
“So that bastard was playing one end against the other and he knew his dad would come after us after he was gone.” Boone growled. “He knew this was coming.”
The group exploded with rage as different shouts and swearing could be heard.
“So this was Blacky’s last fuck you to the club.” Gunner seethed. Then put his fist through the wall closest to him.
Dana’s eyes went wide as she stepped back.
“He knew his old man was out there waiting,” Boone added.
“And he knew his old man would come after Gunner and his family,” Gypsy stated. “He set this up.”
“He wanted to bring this club down if he ever got caught.” Tramper glared.
“Well, he’s getting his wish isn’t he?” Gunner muttered.
“Like hell he will!” Boone shouted. “We’re not going down like this. We are the Savaged Souls and no one is gonna take us down from beyond the grave.”
The men erupted around him.
Gunner smiled and looked over at DeeDee only to see tears in her eyes.
Someone whistled loudly from the main door.
Everyone turned to see Cobra and his men standing there.
“What the hell is going on here?” Cobra snarled.
Gunner grinned. “You made good time.”
“Where’s our man?” Thor, Cobra’s VP glared at him. “Is he still alive?”
“Yes, he’s still alive,” Dana told them. “He wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Cobra turned his angry gaze to her and snarled. “You almost cost me a good man little girl. He’d better be alive and breathing or his blood would have been on your head.”
“Boss, I’m good,” Jett called out from behind Dana as he slowly entered the main room.
Dana whirled around and rushed over to him. She tucked herself under his arm and assisted him to the nearest chair to sit down in.
Cobra moved to get a closer look at Jett and looked him over carefully. “Boy, you’re lucky to be alive. We found your bike and you can’t even recognize that it was ever a bike.”
Jett nodded. “That bastard admitted he ran me off the road on purpose. He wanted to use me to get to Gunner and his family. He’s looking to take down this club.”
“Do we know who the hell this fucker is?” Cobra asked.
“We do and we know where to start hunting him down.” Gunner nodded as he glanced over at Dana.
Cobra rubbed his hands together. “Good, let’s hunt him down and hang this fucker out to dry.”