Tarin: Chapter 1- November 2012
I sat outside the gate of the Archangel’s Warriors MC compound in Hunters Creek, Tennessee. What in the world was I doing here? Had I really come to a motorcycle club’s compound to see a man who had no idea I existed? A man who might want nothing to do with me? I had to be crazy or desperate—maybe a little of both.
The PI I had hired had been able to find Donovan Wood rather easily by digging into Donovan’s background. He gave me a report on everything he found. It seems that after Mom left him all those years ago; he left town and wandered for a few months. Eventually, he landed in Hunters Creek, Tennessee. That was where he’d been ever since. Not long after he arrived, he formed a motorcycle club with a few guys who’d been in the military like him.
One of those guys was still part of the club, the president, Nicholas “Bull” Williams. The PI said he was my real dad’s best friend. He’d dug into the history of the Warriors, too. While they’d been thought to be involved in some less-than-legit stuff years ago, they were now, by all appearances, a legitimate club. They owned several businesses all over town and had three more chapters—one in Dublin Falls, Tennessee, one in Louisville, Kentucky, and the other in Gastonia, North Carolina.
I admit, I was almost as curious about the club as I was about him. You hear so many things about MCs. I wondered which stories were true. My PI had told me there was nothing to indicate that he’d ever married or had kids. That made me very sad. Had he never done it because of Mom and what she did to him? Or had he not found the right person? Hopefully, he’d be excited to learn he had a daughter.
I looked at the compound gate again. It sounded like they were having a party. I thought of waiting and coming back when it wasn’t so crowded, but I was getting cold feet. If I didn’t do it now, I might never do it. Who knew, maybe having a lot of people around would make it easier? Besides, I'd get to see some of that MC life I was curious about.
I took a deep breath and pulled my car up to the gate. A guy around my age came out to look through the window at me. When he saw me behind the wheel, he opened the metal gate and came over to my driver’s side window. I rolled it down. “Here for the party? You’re a little late. Everyone has already started. Just find a place up by the clubhouse to park.” He pointed to a large mansion where the music was coming from. “Then you can just go on in. Maybe I’ll see you later.” He gave me a sexy smile. He was good looking, but I wasn’t finding I was interested in his offer. Guys just seemed to turn me off.
“Thanks, I will.” I rolled up my window and drove to the clubhouse once I went through the gate. It took a couple of minutes to get the courage to get out of my car. I went to the front door and jerked it open. The music grew louder. There were people everywhere! They were standing in groups, as couples, at the pool tables, the dart board and around a bar. Everyone was laughing, talking, and drinking. I looked around to see if I saw him. The PI had been able to give me a recent picture of him. I had to admit, for an older guy, my dad was hot, which was a weird thing to think. It made it hard for me to understand why he wasn’t married or at least had a girlfriend.
A few people noticed me and gave me puzzled and interested looks. One of them came walking over to me. He was a tall man in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, I’d say. His leather vest read, Gunner. “You look a little lost. Can I help you, sweetheart?” He smiled at me and I could see a hint of interest in his eyes, but he didn’t come off flirty or anything.
“Yeah, maybe you can. I’m looking for Bear. Do you know where I can find him?” I remembered to use his club name, not his real one. That was something else the PI told me. Guys in an MC went by a nickname, a road name, not their real names. Gunner gave me a searching look for a couple of seconds, then he nodded.
“I can do that. Come with me. Last time I saw him, he was looking for Reaper and Terror.” He motioned for me to follow him. He opened a path through the sea of bodies. I was thankful, since they all loomed over me. It took a few minutes of wandering before I saw Bear. He was talking to another guy. My breath caught. I was about to talk to my real dad for the first time. I swallowed down my nerves. My hands shook. Gunner went right up to them. Both of the guys looked at him. I saw the other guy’s vest read, Ink.
“Hey, Bear, this beautiful lady says she needs to talk to you.”
Bear looked at me. He ran his eyes over me. There was no spark of recognition in his eyes. I didn’t look much like my mom. In fact, I thought I had more of him in me than her. He raised his eyebrow at me.
“I’m sorry, but do I know you, honey? I don’t recall ever meeting you before. What’s your name and what can I do for you?” His deep voice was growly. I could see him scaring people with just that voice. That was on top of him being a huge guy with a broad chest, muscles for days, and tats on his arms. He had dark blond hair like mine and blue eyes. His goatee was neatly trimmed with just a touch of gray. Like I said, he was hot for an older guy.
“No, we haven’t met. My name is Tarin Mercer. I really need to talk to you… in private. It’s important.” Gunner and Ink melted away.
Bear shook his head. “I’m sorry. I was about to go home. I have no idea what we could have to talk about. I think you might have me confused with someone else. I hope you find whoever it is you’re looking for.” He stepped away like he was going to leave. I hurried to say something to make him listen to me.
“You’re Donovan Wood, right?” That caused him to stop. He gave me a slow nod. “I need to talk to you about someone you used to know. Carol Roberts.” He stiffened when I mentioned my mom’s name. Anger flashed across his face and he tightened his jaw.
“What about Carol Roberts? I haven’t seen that bitch in years,” he growled.
“I know, however, I do need to talk to you about her. Can we go somewhere quieter?” He didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, then he turned.
“Follow me.” He headed toward what looked like a hallway. I followed him on shaking legs. When we got to one of the doors down the hall, he took out a key and unlocked it. He swung open the door, flipped on a light, and gestured to me to go ahead of him. I slowly went into the room. It was a bedroom. It didn’t have much in it. I felt a little nervous. God, did he think I was here to have sex with him? Gross! I’d have to make sure he knew I wasn’t here for that. He shut the door.
He leaned against it and crossed his arms and legs. “Have a seat.” He pointed to a chair. I sat down before my legs gave out. “Talk. What do you have to say to me about Carol? Don't waste my time. I’m curious what the hell that woman is doing coming back into a conversation after all these years. Otherwise, I’d have told you to hit the road. If she’s looking for money, she took it all when she left.”
“I’m not here for money or even because she sent me. Let me start from the beginning. I know you and her were together for four years. That ended twenty-six years ago when she left you.”
He nodded as he frowned at me. “Go on, what else do you know? I need to get home to my woman. We’ve got a sick little one.” I was surprised to hear that. How had the PI missed that he had a woman and a kid? Damn, maybe I should just go. I stood up.
“I think maybe I should go. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” I took a couple of steps toward him. He held up his hand.
“Just tell me what you came here to tell me, Ms. Mercer.”
I sat back down. “Please, call me Tarin. Okay, I know she left you because you couldn't have kids and you wanted to adopt and she didn’t,” I told him in a rush. He stood tall and glared at me.
“How the hell do you know all this? Who are you?”
“I know all this because I read her diary after she died in May. She wrote about what she did to you in that diary.”
“Why would you have her diary or care about what she did to me?” He came closer to me.
“I got her diary from her lockbox. I’m her daughter. In that lockbox was her diary that I just mentioned and my birth certificate, which named you as my father.”