“He’s not. Look, Mom, I need to ask you something about William Doherty?”
“What about him?”
“Did he know the truth about Caroline?” I asked, watching my mother nurse a cup of tea. Unlike the lot of us, my mother believed tea was the cure for anything that ailed. She drank it all the time. I couldn’t stand the piss water, preferring a good black cup of coffee myself, but I never refused a cup of tea when my mother handed me one.
Looking at her now, I could tell she didn’t want to say anything. All the women in the club were like that. It was like it was ingrained in them to keep their mouths shut and their legs open. God, I hated the whole fucking thing.
“Yes.”
“And he did nothing?”
“William didn’t concern himself with the women of the club. You know that, Kitty. He believed they were only good for one thing.”
That was true. William Doherty was the biggest womanizer in the club. The man fucked every new cut-slut, and then some. He wasn’t shy about it either, and though no one would say a damn word, William was also known for going after the ol’ Ladies and wives. The man did not discriminate.
“When did James figure it out?”
“The day before, he was killed. He received a message from Anthony. He put two and two together, and when he asked me, I filled in the rest.”
“That’s why he was pissed when he left,” I said, remembering that day. It was one of the few times I’d ever seen James mad at my mother. James wasn’t like his father, William. Instead of inflicting pain on the messenger, James just walked away. He didn’t believe in hitting women, something he instilled in Reaper when he was growing up.
“Yes, and it got him killed.”
“Did William know about you? How you came to this club?”
“I’m not sure. Sometimes I think yes, but he never let on. But I know Caroline knows. That’s why she hates you and me.”
“Does she know the whole truth?”
“No. Only about you. She’s clever, Kathrine. Be careful.”
“Okay,” I said, getting to my feet. Looking around the outdated kitchen, I grabbed an envelope of cash I’d stashed behind one of the old cabinets months ago and handed it to my mother. It wasn’t much, but it would get my mother and daughter out of the line of fire. I knew what I was about to do would cause World War III, but it was the only way. I was tired of seeing my husband hurt and brothers killed for shit they had no part of. Reaper was right to break away from the mess his grandfather and Pops were a part of. It took balls, but Max still didn’t understand it all. There was more at play here than the Collector and the powers that be. Something more sinister. “Take Hailey and leave today. Don’t come home until you hear from me.”
“Kitty, what are you planning to do?”
“I am going to clean this mess up. I am tired of seeing my family bleed. That bitch and William started something years ago, and well, it’s time to clean house. Reaper wants no more lies. Well, he’s about to get a heaping plate of the truth.”
“Be careful, Katherine Jane. Sometimes the truth is worse than the lie.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed.
“You’re going to need the picture and the files. You know that, right?”
That fucking picture and those files were everything. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to prove shit. The only problem was that the image was secured in the one place I wasn’t allowed to go, and as for the files, that was another problem altogether. Getting the picture would be a feat in itself, which would surely get my ass reaped if caught. As for the files, I was going to have to think about them later.
One problem at a time.
In the meantime, I had to protect my mother and daughter.
They had to be my first priority.
Nodding, I hugged my mother once more, kissed my daughter on her forehead, and left. If I stayed any longer, I wouldn’t go. I knew that. The shit was about to hit the fan, and someone in that all-male club needed to have a clear head. Knowing it wouldn’t be anyone with a fucking dick, I jumped into my car and drove away, wondering if that was going to be the last time I ever saw my mother and daughter.
I should have taken care of this mess years ago.
But what did I do?
I left.