“You wanna know what happened? Ask him.” I jerked my chin at my brother, who had created this fucked up mess. I didn’t care if I threw him under the bus. He damn well deserved to be smashed.
“Talk, Micah.” Lady M crossed her arms over her chest. I could tell the wheels were churning in her head. My mother would step in if I didn’t get through to Karma. Her involvement in my personal life would only make matters worse.
Bone threw his hands up. “What? All I did was test him to see if he was strong enough to be president. Karma had him by the balls. We all knew she did. She would’ve interfered.”
“Oh, God.” Lady M shook her head, putting her hand on her forehead. “What in the hell did you do, Micah?”
“And where do you get off questioning my decision for who I make president!” my father yelled. “It was a done deal.”
“I was supposed to be president!” Bone shot back. “Me.” He hit his hand on his chest. “Not Cobra.”
“No. I selected Cobra because he was the firstborn and the best choice. Regardless of my reasons, you had no right to question them.” Dad looked sidelong at me as he paced. “Tell me what happened and why you didn’t tell me seven damn years ago.”
“Bone told me if I was to be president, Karma couldn’t be first in my life. He wanted me to prove I wasn’t controlled by her, so he set me up with one of the chicks who attended our parties.”
My parents glared at Bone, then they shot dirty looks at me.
“So you cheated on Karma?” Dad asked, disgust in his voice. He was a hardass, could kill a man without blinking, and did as he damn well pleased, but infidelity was a sin he wouldn’t commit and wouldn’t forgive.
“No, I didn’t. I made it look like I did so Bone and Spectre would hear us in the next room, but I didn’t cheat.”
“Bullshit,” Bone muttered. “You weren’t faking it.”
“It’s true.” I shot back. “I have proof. I paid the chick ten grand to put on the performance of her life.”
“What proof?” Bone asked in a skeptical tone.
“It doesn’t matter what proof he has, I believe Abe,” Lady M said.
“So do I,” Dad said. “But it sounds like Karma is the one who needs the proof. I have to say, I’m disappointed in you, son. You should’ve come to me when Bone was harassing you. I would’ve shut him down.” He glared at my brother.
“No, it was my problem, and I dealt with it.” I stood to stretch my side.
“You didn’t deal with it.” Dad grabbed my bicep and stared me in the eyes. “An excellent president knows when to ask for help. If you can’t depend on your brothers and club to support and defend you, then you’ve failed.”
“I thought I could appease Bone, and Karma would never find out.”
“And it blew up in your face.” He released my arm and returned to the spot beside Lady M.
Piper came and kissed my cheek. “I’ve heard enough. I hated Karma for hurting you. It wasn’t easy watching you drink yourself into the toilet. Now I feel bad about cursing her name when she had every reason to leave you. But don’t think I’m okay with her taking my niece.”
“Me either,” Mom snapped. “I can’t believe I’ve had a granddaughter and didn’t know it. It burns me that Karma would do that. You think you know someone.”
“All right, enough,” I hissed, pointing at my family. “If any of you give Karma shit about this, you will have me to deal with. This is my fuckin’ mess to clean up.”
“Good for you, son.” Dad nodded proudly.
Lady M gaped. “But Ben, he can’t let her get away with keeping his child from him.”
“Sweetheart, you would’ve done the same thing if you thought I was cheating on you.”
Lady M glowered at him. “If I caught you cheating, I would’ve cut off your dick first, then asked questions.”
I snorted. “Listen, I’m pissed at Karma for hiding Nova too—ifshe’s mine. I hurt her in the worst way, then she did the same to get back at me.”
“You’re perfect for each other,” Hustler said, sarcasm in his voice.
“I doubt she’d agree. After all these years, I’ve never stopped loving her.”