"Your father..." Her mother nibbled her bottom lip. "He was the only person I was with. I might have dated around, enjoyed the newly found freedom, but I wasn't a whore." She shook her head. "At the time, when I became pregnant it was just easier to let that rumor stand. It kept people from looking too deeply into the truth."

"Why would you do that? Is he some kind of bastard?"

"Yes and no." She shook her head. "His father was Prez, and he was shoo-in. He had that same gravity and the ability to get the job done, no matter what. He was barely twenty-one and had the members looking up to him, listening in his father's stead. When the vice president stepped down due to illness, he was the logical replacement. Then his dad died out of the blue, and everything changed. He couldn't take over the club, reveal he'd been lying to everyone about us and take on my dad. They needed stability."

"So, you stayed silent for the greater good?"

Ellen nodded. "And he helped, paid the bills, got me set up and on my feet." Her eyes grew glassy. "He was there when I had you." Her mother released her hand and reached into the box, taking out a picture.

Joey's hand shook as she reached out, grasped the square and brought it to her. He was big and broad-shouldered with a shock of chocolate-brown hair he kept pulled back off his face, and kind hazel eyes. He had an oval face full of angles and the full lips she'd inherited. His long thin nose matched the one saw in the mirror daily. There was no doubt this man was her father. Tears rolled down her face. This was where she came from.

"This is Joseph Trent, better known as Wanderer, president of the Crazy Eights."

"The president?" Joey's voice cracked and she shook her head. "He left you on your own this entire time?"

"No." Her mother shook her head. "We get a monthly stipend and anything I've ever needed has been taken care of. They understood why I left. There were no hard feelings or excommunication. Technically, I'm still a member of the family, but they understood I didn't want my father anywhere near you."

"So, you didn't just leave because of-Wanderer?"

Her mother nodded.

"Have you been in contact with him?" Joey asked.

Her mother glanced away.

"Are you kidding me?" Joey said. The betrayal hurt.

"He used to come around when you were younger," her mother said.

"And now?"

"Now we talk on the phone regularly and get together every couple of months."

"Why would you keep this from me?" Joey asked, floored. Her mother had never been the secretive type.

"For you, Joey. I wasn't going to pull you into this life out of the blue." She shook her head. "Don't you understand, you're the president's kid? That comes with a lot."

"Oh, bullshit!" Joey tossed the picture down on the bed.

"There are enemies, protocol and titles." She shook her head. "All things that need to be applied to protect you now."

"Why? All of sudden he gets a wild hair up his ass and wants to claim me?"

"When he found out about Moose."

"Oh-ho, I see." Joey laughed. "This is a case of whose is bigger? How dare some lowly biker claim me!"

"He just wants to-"

"No. I don't want to hear any more, Mom. I think you've covered for him enough, don't you?"

Her mother clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. "This is why I made the decision to come to you one on one. He wanted to walk in like a bull in a china shop-"

"I've never known you to be the lie-there-and-take-it type."

Her mother clenched her jaw. "Are you saying I am now?" she asked, speaking through her teeth.

"If the shoe fits..." Joey shrugged.

"You listen to me, little girl. I understand you're pissed at me and you have every right to be. But if you think for one second I'll stand for disrespect, you've lost your mind. I raised you on my own, wiped your ass, fed and clothed you. The fact that we had help doesn't change any of that. Am I taking up for your father right now? No, but I see where he's coming from. He wants to make sure you have an out. A claim that will save you if things go wrong with Moose. Something I didn't have." Her mother's voice cracked. "I can't be upset with him for that. So don't ask me to."

Joey bowed her head, taking in all the newly gained information. "What do you want me to do, Mom?"

"Whatever you feel is right. I'm not here to sway you either way. Your dad fucked up big-time. I'll be the first to admit that. I've been saying it to him for years. Originally, we made the best of a bad situation, but then we let it go too far to ever fully recover smoothly."

"So why the one-on-one?"

"Because I wanted you to hear everything from me. Firsthand, not secondhand, diluted or without a mother's love. Wanderer knows he can't step in now and be your father. But he wants a relationship with you."

"Did he send you to do his dirty work?" Joey sneered, disgusted with the man who helped create her.

"No. He doesn't even know we're having this conversation," her mother said.

The ire lifted minutely.

"You don't have to know all the answers now, Josephine. It's a lot to process. Take your time, digest it. Then, make your list of questions and come back."

"What's all this?" Joey gestured to the bed.

"Parts of my life I kept to myself. Some that involve Wanderer and others that are from a family. It's time you knew where you came from," her mother said.

"Is he-Grandpa still alive?"

Her mother scowled. "Yes, the old bastard is too mean to die." She shook her head. "You don't have to worry about him. He's on his last leg and mostly too drunk to know what the hell is going on these days."

The blank tone made Joey want to wince. Her mother had been through hell and saddled with the responsibility of a child. "Mom, I'm sorry."

Her mother sniffed and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, it's my fault for not telling you sooner. I didn't want to rehash it and that was wrong on my part." She walked over to Joey and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Tightness formed around her eyes and her temples. After that what could she say? "I don't..." Joey shook her head.

"It's okay. I wasn't expecting you to say anything right now. I'm sorry I kept this from you."

"Are there any other skeletons that might jump out of your closet?" Their gazes met and she conveyed a silent message. The time to air dirty laundry was now. One more massive breach of trust and the relationship they'd formed over the years would be severely damaged.

"No, that's it."

Joey nodded, ready to take her mother's word. If her father's return divided them, he would win. She couldn't let that happen.

Chapter Eight.

Joey hung up her cell. Moose being called away flooded her with relief. She wasn't ready to share her revelation, and there was no way she could fake being all right.

"Everything okay?" Her mother said over the rim of her mug.

"Yeah, Moose just had to head back to the club to take care of a few things." She looked over the pictures on the bed. Her mother' stories had brought them to life. Too upset to drive, she'd decided to stay awhile. They agreed to leave the topic of her father on the back burner. Seeing images of her mother in all her glory, young, happy and svelte, helped ease the sting of betrayal. "Where's the club located?"

"On the border of the west side, they have a decent-size club off Stone Street. I haven't been there in years."

The words lit a fire inside her. "I think I'm ready to be alone now."

"I understand." Her mother squeezed her hand.

Joey stood up. She'd bring the fight to her father. A plan began to shape in her head. She'd confront him. Bring the fight to his doorstep. Waiting around for him to show up out of nowhere would drive her crazy. Two can play this game, old man. After a slightly strained goodbye, she got into her car and made the drive out to the west side. Her stomach knotted and she went over the conversation in her mind. What does one say after so many years of secrecy and lies?

While part of her understood why, the other part was mad as fuck. How could anyone abandon his daughter and her mother for this long? The first year or two when he took over the presidency? Okay, she'd give him that. The rest of the time however, was unaccounted for. She clutched the steering wheel tightly as she pulled up in front of a gated building.

A massive man with tan skin and hair as dark as midnight swaggered across the parking lot. The muscles on his arms rippled as they swung. Unsure, she remained in the car and rolled down the window. They didn't know who she was yet. There was no telling how they might treat her.

"Sweetheart, I think you're lost." He flashed a bright-white grin that softened the harshness of his angular face. The white rectangle under the club's emblem of a yellow eight ball announced him as Sly.

"Oh no, Sly, I'm exactly where I should be. I'm here to see Wanderer."

His eyebrows flew up and he tilted his head. "I can't say you seem his type. He's not a man one disturbs for the hell of it."

"You go in there and tell him Joey is out front."

Sly furrowed his brow.

"You can turn me away, but it'll be your ass that gets reamed for it." She shrugged.

He glanced away and patted the roof of her car. "All right, stay here."

While she watched him stalk away, she released her death grip on the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Would he come out here to see her? Her chest grew tight and her palms began to sweat.

Sly left the clubhouse alone. His face was set in an unreadable expression.

Her heart plummeted. She put on her game face, wiped the moisture from her palms and sat up straight.

Sly opened the gate.

Joey pulled into the parking space he waved her toward. She rolled up her window, cut the engine and stepped out of the car. Careful to stand up and utilize her six feet, she prayed he didn't notice the tremors descending on her body.

"Apparently you have pull," Sly noted.

She shrugged.

"I'll take you back to the office."

She followed him inside the building and it was like entering another world. Twice the size of the Mayhem's club, it seemed to swallow her whole as she entered. Leather couches sat against the wall along with booths. Two large pool tables sat side by side in the far corner on the room. The crack of cue balls coming together melded with the rock and roll coming from speakers. The room was full of bodies that ranged in age and size. Their eyes followed her as she walked behind Sly, but no one spoke. I wonder what Wanderer told them? They entered a long hallway and the noise receded.

At the end of the hall, a lone door stood open. Time grew sluggish. Blood rushed in her ears and each step felt harder than the last as an invisible weight descended. Sly stopped in front of her and her pulse raced. She curled her fingers into fists, digging her fingernails into the flesh of her palm to keep herself steady.

"Here she is, Boss."

"Thanks, Sly."

Sly stepped back and she slowly approached, gripping the door frame as she took Wanderer in. Silence engulfed them. Energy expanded as if trapped by an invisible bubble. Their gazes met. Green bored into brown. He appeared larger in real life. His shoulders filled out the black t-shirt that molded to his muscular arms and black leather vest. Streaks of gray stood out in his dark hair. I bet this life makes you go gray early.

Wanderer sighed, leaned forward, placing his forearms on the desk. "Come in and close the door."

She remained frozen to the spot.

"Please."

The request set her into motion and she stepped forward, pushing the heavy wooden door behind her.

"Take a seat, please. I didn't expect this."

"I didn't like the idea of being a sitting duck."

"That's a bit harsh," he said.

"No, being blindsided by all of this..." She waved her hand to indicate the pictures that covered the wall, a physical timeline of the club's growth and development.

"Couldn't see a way to soften the blow." Wanderer shrugged.

"No, because suddenly you couldn't keep your life, opinions and legacy to yourself, which is laughable, considering I'm damn near thirty and it worked fine for you all that time."

He gritted his teeth. "Okay, I deserve that."

"And more. I'm not done, so you might want to brace yourself," Joey said allowing the rage that had built up to seep out.

"If anyone else talked to me like that..." Wanderer's jaw jumped.

"Yes, but I'm not just anyone, am I?" She crossed her arms under her breasts.

"No, and you're definitely your mother's daughter."

"You say that like it's a bad thing..." She paused. "I don't even know what to call you."