He’s in the front seat beside Sully, while Rebel, Racer, and I are in the back, listening to the conversation.
“He left a note. It’s so fuckin’ cliché, but he said he wants the girl.”
“Me?” I squeak, surprised.
I know my father would need me if he wanted to take over the organisation, but he’ll need me dead. And I don’t want to die.
“No, actually,” Sully says, glancing in the rear view mirror. “He wants Calli,” he informs us, but that makes even less sense.
The more I try to work out what she could mean to Patrick, I can’t come up with a solution. She’s never mentioned him before, not even when the men were looking for him. When Tye spoke about having to investigate Bragan, it was no secret who the Royal Bastards were after.
“Did he say why?” Rebel asks, his tone flat, uncaring, but his eyes tell a different story.
Even though he’s not looking at me, I’m pretty sure he’s burning a hole through the back of my head.
“No reason. He just said we need to have her go to him before seven tomorrow morning. Once he has her, he’ll leave us be.”
“She can’t go,” I pipe up. I haven’t known her for that long, but she’s become a friend to me. She was one of the first people to accept me into the club, into the family. “Monster?”
“Aye,” he says. “Miren is right. We need to bring Patrick closer, lure him into a false sense of security, and then we can bring him down. With Sinéad and him out of the picture, perhaps we can finally stop lookin’ over our shoulders.”
My stomach twists with anxiety when I think about all the heartache my family have brought on these people. And now one of my best friends is being targeted by my father. I never knew I could be capable of hate, but right now I do hate him.
We pull into the grounds of the clubhouse, and I’m out of the van before I can rethink my actions. I race into the house and up the stairs. I don’t find Callia in her room. Panic sets in. I hope she hasn’t gone to him already. Maybe she went to see him and ask him to reconsider.
No.
She couldn’t have.
When I reach my bedroom, I find Lia on my bed, and I sigh with relief. “Fuck,” I curse. “I thought you went to him.”
She races into my arms, and her long blonde hair gets tangled in my fingers as I hold her close. But then, she suddenly says, “I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
I pull away and look at her. My hands holding onto her upper arms. “What? No. You can’t go with him. He’s the fucking devil. He’s going to kill you.”
“No,” she says while shaking her head. “He’s not going to hurt me. I don’t know what he wants from me, but he’s not going to kill me.” Her words are confident, as if her explanation makes sense. It doesn’t.
“What do you mean? You don’t know what he’s capable of, but I do. I was in that house. He didn’t care about me. He hurt me without a second thought, Lia.” My pleas fall from my lips, but there’s a look in her eyes that tells me she’s not going to listen. She’s made up her mind. “There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t, but I need you to do a couple of things for me, Miren.” She pulls me to my bed, and we sit, side by side. “Please, promise me.”
“Of course.” I nod, but the moment I can, I’m going to tell Monster what she’s planning. He must be able to stop her. Or Rebel. He can’t just stand back and watch her go.
“You can’t tell Monster about this. You can’t even tell any of the girls. But Patrick has proof I’m his daughter.”
My stomach bottoms out. My heart leaps into my throat, and my pulse thrums in my ears. I am deafened by the sound. My blank stare, which pins Lia to the spot,has her blinking as the tears fall down her cheeks.
“I saw the tests. I’m his biological daughter. And he needs me. I can’t walk away from this. The only way to keep the club and the girls here safe is if I go with him.”
I still can’t find the words to respond. Shock has overtaken me. The whole day has been nothing more than a movie reel. Everything has been made up. This can’t be real life.
“Let’s find another way,” I implore her, holding her hands in mine.
“The other thing I need you to do is be happy. Please. You and Monster are beautiful together. I need you both to just love each other. As much as you can.”
This makes me laugh. It’s a sad chuckle, pained. “I can’t do this without you. Please, let the guys come up with a plan. They had one in the van on the way back from the airport. We can fix this.” I look into those eyes that have only ever offered me kindness. Her smile is sad, and my heart aches.
“And the last thing I need from you is to give this to Rebel.” She hands me a letter, which has my heart sinking.