I hated seeing the dreadful look on Dad’s face. It was the same expression he had after Mom had died, and it remained there for years. I always thought it was just the grief of losing her that haunted him, but now I realized it was so much more. After several long moments, he finally continued, “I won’t lie. I became a little unhinged about this doctor guy. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t let it go. I started following him and even hid cameras in his patient rooms—all in hopes of peeling back all his vicious layers. It was through those cameras that I finally discovered his dirty little secret.”
“What secret?”
“He was drugging his female patients. He told them it would help to ease the pain of their migraines or neurological pain, and when they passed out, he raped them.”
“Oh, God.”
“I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done the same to your mother.”
Bile rose to the back of my throat when I thought about the possibility of Mom’s doctor taking advantage of her during her most vulnerable moments. The man had to be a complete monster to do something like that. Tears started to fill my eyes as I muttered, “Do you think he did something like that to her?”
“I have no idea. I pray he didn’t, but the mere thought of him putting his hands on your mother enraged me. I wanted to kill him. Oh, God, I can’t describe how much I wanted to kill him, but I’m no murderer.” He came over and sat down next to me. “That’s when I decided to go see Viper.”
“Viper?” I gasped. “Why would you go see him?”
“I knew all about him and his club. Everyone at the precinct did. There wasn’t a cop who didn’t want to bring them down for something, but it couldn’t be done. Still, that didn’t stop them from trying.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My mind was literally reeling as I listened to him say, “When I first showed up on his doorstep, he thought I was just trying to bullshit him and add to the case the cops were trying to build against the club. And I gotta say, he wasn’t an easy man to convince. But then I told him why I was really there.”
“So, what happened?”
“I told him about the good doctor and showed him everything I had on him, then I made him a proposition he couldn’t refuse.”
“What kind of proposition?”
“That’s not something I can discuss, not even with you.” I’d always wondered how my father got involved with the Sinners, but this was far beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. “After he and the brothers dealt with the doctor, I used my skills in forensics to make sure no one would ever suspect that they had anything to do with his death. I was extremely good at it—which opened a door I would have never expected.”
“So, this door suddenly opened and what? You started cleaning for the Ruthless Sinners?”
“To start, yes, but with Viper’s help, it quickly grew into something more.” He reached over to place his hand on my knee. “There’s something about all this that you need to understand. The cleaning business is a tough one. I have to do things I never dreamed I’d ever do, but with each job, I’m getting drug lords, cartels, and gang members off the streets. That’s something I’d tried to do for years, but even with the evidence I gathered, they still managed to find a loophole and walked free. Now, I have the means to make sure they received the justice they deserved.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I know none of what I told you makes this easier for you, but I want you to remember that what I’ve done was always for you and your mother.”
“I will.”
He nodded, then removed his hand from my knee and crossed his arms. “Now, I think it’s time for us to discuss you and the Manor.”
“I’m sorry I never told you about what I was doing. I guess a part of me wanted to keep it a secret from you as some kind of revenge for you keeping so many from me. I know that’s not fair, but it’s the only explanation I have.”
“I understand why you didn’t tell me, but what I don’t get is why you started growing marijuana in the first place or even how you got it started.”
“Like you, I did it because of Mom.” I went on to tell him how I’d learned about the benefits of marijuana use in class and how it had made me think about Mom. I was honest with him. I told him how I’d used my inheritance to build the Manor and how I’d been able to produce a product superior to anyone around. “I don’t just sell it for profit. I also have people I donate to. They’re either going through cancer treatments or dealing with migraines like Mom, but I’m helping to make their lives a little better.”