A spark of hurt flared up in his eyes before he tamped it down. "Your choice." His voice sounded gruff.

"Wanderer."

"That works." He nodded.

"Are we going to sit here and keep pretending everything is fine, or map out how this is going to go down?" Wanderer was an imposing man, but she couldn't afford to be timid. This fight was too important. It would set the stage.

"What are you expectations here, Joey? I know you're not ignorant of the way things work. Your mother made it a point to keep you informed. When you started seeing a member of Mayhem, you forced my hand."

"I didn't force shit."

"You need to watch your mouth. You talk to me like that in public and there's going to be a problem. You have the right to be mad. So I'll give you leeway for now. That's not going to last," Wanderer said.

She bit back her automatic response. He wasn't some guy from suburbia and she couldn't approach him as if he were. "I understand," she said.

"Good, now if you can hold your tongue, I'll explain."

She gave a curt nod.

"When you weren't in the life, speaking up was a choice. One I decided against, because it allowed you the freedom your mother and I didn't grow up with. Once you took up with Moose, I couldn't stand on it. Letting you go around flying his flag and ignoring mine would be a smack to the face. As you can imagine, I'm not the type to take that lying down."

"Why? No one knows."

"The community can be small and one good look at the both of us and it's easy to put two and two together. I learned a long time ago leaving loose ends untied is a bad idea."

"Are you saying this could start a war?" Her chest constricted and she gripped the arms of her chair tightly.

"I'm saying it could ruin the friendly setup we've held for years."

"I don't want that."

"Neither do I. No one wants to go to war. It's ugly, and there are always casualties on both sides. Yet, respect is everything. I need you to understand how important that is. Respect and fear keep you safe and on top of the heap. I can't lose from either angle. I'm in charge of more people than you and your mother."

"So once again, they come first. Isn't that how this has been set up from the beginning?" she scoffed.

"Do you have any clue what would've happened to me? What might still, once this comes out? Procreating with another brother's daughter without consent or acknowledgement? That's a bloodletting offense." He shook his head. "I don't know if your mother explained her father-"

"She did," Joey said. If he was trying to change the topic, she wasn't about to let him.

"Then you know how literally that man takes those words."

"But you're the president."

He shook his head. "Clubs are founded on rules. If they aren't followed and reinforced, it all goes to shit. If we don't approach this situation a certain way, I'm fucked. As is, it could make me shaky with the older members. People here remember Stargazer well. A breath of fresh air in this charter, she was well-loved. Old ladies are going to want to see my ass handed to me." He shook his head.

"Are you saying you don't deserve it?" She sucked on the inside of her cheeks, daring him to say yes.

"No, I should've manned up a long-ass time ago. And I sincerely apologize for that." He leaned across the desk and took her hand. "I would change it if I could. But the past is behind, and I'm looking toward the future."

His words were logical, but they did nothing to soothe the hole ripped in her heart. "So what? You expect me to give up my entire life now?"

"No. But I do expect you to claim your proper title and acknowledge us. We need to plan this out carefully."

"Plan what?"

"Moose's request to court you. Shit, we need to come up with a damn good reason why I let you go outside the crew."

"Don't you think you should worry about telling people I exist first?" she asked, not able to follow the frog-leaping his brain was doing.

"They all know you exist. They just don't know I'm your father."

"Uh huh, and how are you planning on spinning that?"

"I'm going to tell them I saw you recently and it became damn clear where your lineage lay."

"You planning on painting my mother in a bad light again?" She ground her teeth together.

"No, I'm going to set the record straight about that too. But you should know, we don't judge here. Not her." He shook his head.

"That's something at least, because she sure as hell doesn't deserve that."

"I know." His voice lowered and he dropped her gaze.

Good, you should be ashamed, asshole. "How do we plan on doing this, do I have some fucked-up version of a quinceanera?"

Wanderer snorted. "Now that you get from me."

Despite her anger, the words planted a tiny bulb. At the end of the day, this man was her father. His blood ran through her veins and overall, he wasn't a bad man, just one who had made a thoughtless decision that locked him into a lie.

"Then this...partnership should be interesting," Joey noted. "What's the first step?"

"Tonight I'll round everyone up, tell them about you and let the fallout happen. When it's settled down, we'll bring you in and let you get to know everyone."

"Okay, so I'll let Moose know to hang-"

"No." Wanderer shook his head. "This is club business. Nothing is discussed until we have our shit together."

"You expect me to lie? That won't fly." She shook her head. "Look where it got you and Mom."

"Fuck, your mouth is sharp enough to cut diamond. Since we're being blunt, I know he's not your old man. You're lucky I'm respecting the relationship at all."

"I'm lucky." She stood. "I think we've talked enough for one night."

"Sit down."

"I'm not your lackey. You can't make me do a damn thing."

"Watch me." He rose to his height.

Joey leaned back.

"Whether or not you like it, I am your father. Now sit your hotheaded ass down and listen. I know what I'm talking about. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone. That's the thing about being in an M.C. Whether born or joined. It's not about you anymore. There is no individuality. It's a group. You'd do well to remember that." The words and his tone pushed her back into her chair. Suddenly, she understood exactly why this man was the president.

"Where are we headed?" Moose asked, following Shooter and Maverick out of the clubhouse to their bikes.

"For a visit with the Eights; we're setting up some runs together. The dealers are heavy hitters. They approached both of us, and we want to make sure they keep it up on the straight and narrow," Maverick answered.

"What? Prez thought they were going to pull something shady?" Moose asked.

"Yeah, only reason I think he'd want to buddy up. I mean we're cool with them, but this is like getting into bed with them," Maverick explained.

"Speaking of, where is Tiny?" Shooter said, looking around.

"On his way, he had an appointment with Boston," Hawk said walking up behind them and climbing onto his bike.

"Can you believe he's going to be a dad?" Shooter asked, shaking his head.

"Times are changing, boys." Hawk grinned. "Well, for those of us with a ball and chain."

"Fuck you." Shooter flipped him off.

Hawk laughed and shook his head. "Who said I wasn't referring to ol' Moose over here? You and your sweetheart have been all right and shit."

Moose rolled his eyes. "Look, if you want to hook up with one of her friends, I can probably manage it. But don't give us shit because you're tired of your hand."

"Oooh..." A chorus rang out among the group.

"Damn that's cold." Hawk smirked. "Sorry, boys, no one's taming me."

"I mean his name is Hawk," Moose teased, shrugging as they all laughed.

The roar of a motor cut through the banter and the Prez pulled up to the gate in front of the Eights's clubhouse. A prospect ran out and opened the gate. Moose put his game face on and put thoughts of Joey out of his mind. He hadn't heard back from her since he got called in. Moose and his brothers fired up their bikes, and followed the Prez and Hawk as they took off out of the parking lot.

The Eights' building was larger, and their club had more members because it had been around longer. Moose got off his bike and brought up the rear with Shooter, scanning the area. So far everything seemed on the up and up. But an ambush was always a possibility with the way loyalty traded hands in this lifestyle. Tiny walked in first and they followed.

Once inside, they were greeted by a burly man with an easy smile. "Thanks for coming in. The Prez will be out in a minute. He's just finishing up an unexpected meeting."

"Thanks, Snubs. I know how it is. That's what a VP is for, right?" Tiny patted his upper arm.

Moose tensed. His nostrils flared and he narrowed his eyes as he focused on the man he perceived to be a threat. He did not seem like the club type.

"Easy, Killer," Shooter whispered.

Maverick turned sideways and glanced at Moose.

Moose shook his head. Damn, I know what to do. I might want to take the guy's head off, but I know there's a time and a place.

"Come back here with us. We'll get you guys set up with a drink. There're a couple pool tables and some video games too, that'll pass the time," Snubs suggested as he gestured toward the mentioned items.

"Thanks for the hospitality," Tiny answered, nodding.

"It's my pleasure. We've never had beef with Mayhem and we'd like to keep it that way. You guys are dependable and have good heads on your shoulders. That can be hard to come by with an M.C."

"We feel the same way about you," Tiny replied.

Moose let their schmoozing drift into the background as he took inventory of the club. There were only about ten people, probably just Wanderer's council plus a few stragglers.

"How about we play a game of pool?" Shooter urged.

"Sounds good to me." Moose inclined his head toward the vacant pool tables.

"Let's go grab some pool sticks then." Shooter smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. The tension around Shooter's eyes told Moose he was on alert.

"You rack them," Shooter prompted.

"All right."

They moved together silently as they fell into the familiarity of playing.

"So this place is swank compared to our clubhouse," Moose small-talked, never one for too much quiet.

"True. But they've been around longer. You want to vote for a remodel?" Shooter snickered.

"Maybe I do." Moose removed the triangle, slipped it into its slot on the table and grabbed the cue ball. He placed the white ball on the green felt, grabbed his stick and lined up the shot. "With the new wave of togetherness Tiny is hoping for, we might need to." He took the shot and watched as a few stripes and a solid went into the pockets. "Stripes." Moose looked up at Shooter and grinned.

"Yeah, I figured, you ass."

"We're ready to get the meeting started now. Sorry about the delay," Wanderer said, walking over. The older president was a living legend. No matter what went down, he always kept his cool. But those who crossed him learned quickly his laidback style didn't make him weak. He took everything from them before he ended their life, dismantling his enemies' worlds, one piece at a time and when they were begging for death, he walked away and let them wallow in the mess they'd created.

"Looks like a draw. Lucky for you 'cause we both know I would've sunk that eight ball," Moose smirked.

"There's a thin line between cocky and confident," Shooter retorted.

Moose laughed. "Holy shit, did you get that from the librarian or Oprah?"

"Fucker."

They made their way to the group gathering around the bar.

"I think we're ready." Tiny turned to look at his men, who all nodded.

"Good, follow me." Wanderer turned on his heel and walked down the hallway.

Moose stopped in the middle to open a door.

They all filed in, taking seats around a massive wooden table.