Meant To Be (Heaven Hill Series) (6 page)

Rage flew through Denise. Why wouldn’t they all just leave her alone? She was damn tired of everyone using her for their own agenda. The feelings she’d had the day before about not wanting Meredith to know the extent she was working for Heaven Hill were back and she reacted with anger.

“Get out!”

“I’m telling you that these people are bad, Denise. Do you really want them around your kids? Think about them.”

“I am,” she screamed. All the rage and fear began to manifest again. “I
am
thinking about them. If I didn’t do what I had to, they would go hungry tonight. They wouldn’t have food. They wouldn’t have a home to live in. Would you rather us be homeless and out on the street?”

She paced back and forth, her rage threatening to consume her.

“Have you ever been in my shoes? I’ve made choices that I never should have had to make because of an economy that doesn’t care about the working class. I’ve had to make decisions because of situations that are completely out of my control. I never expected to have twins at the age I did, and I sure as hell never expected their father to leave me. I have done what I can with the circumstances I have been given. No one asked if you agreed with it. I don’t recall asking you anything at all.”

She took a deep breath and marched to the front door. Opening it, she held it for her.

“Get the hell out of my house. I will not be a pawn in your game to get this gang. You want them? You get them yourself. We’re friends, but I
cannot
help you with this.”

Meredith walked out the door knowing she would get nothing more out of Denise. The slam of the door echoed loudly behind her. Meredith stood there shocked, but she wouldn’t be deterred. If there was one thing she knew, it was how to flip others to her way of thinking. She would break this story if it was the last thing she did.

“What do you mean a reporter is asking questions?” Roni asked as she sat in the clubhouse talking on her cell phone.

Liam’s ears perked as he heard her words. This could be trouble, depending on who she was talking to on the other end of the line.

“Let me talk to my brother, and I’ll get back to you.”

He took a sip of his beer and leaned back in his chair, eyebrows raised in question. “Who was that? Something we need to take care of?”

“That was Denise. That damn reporter has already sniffed her out.”

On the other side of the clubhouse, William inhaled from his cigar and waited to see what his offspring were going to say. “You still questioning my authority?”

“No, I’m questioning your common sense. Who in their right mind decides that a single mother who is having financial issues is ready for all of this? We threw her to the goddamned wolves. We need to get to her before that Rager bitch goes to the police. You know she’ll probably run something tonight. This is more our fault than anyone else’s. She wasn’t ready for this, and we were reckless.”

Liam watched as his father took another long draw off his cigar. “Bring her here. We need to find out what she said to the reporter.”

“At this point, I’m not sure she’ll have anything to do with us,” Liam muttered.

“She doesn’t have a choice.”

Denise sighed as she heard the motorcycle pull into her driveway. She figured that across the street Meredith was probably taking pictures. Hell, she’d probably bugged her home when she’d been there earlier. They had been on their way to such a good friendship too. She was going to miss that.

Liam walked in without even knocking.

“I didn’t know we were that comfortable with each other,” she dryly greeted him. “You know, for you just to walk into my house.”

“Get your stuff and get your kids from school, we gotta go.”

She could tell by the look on his face and the tone of his voice he meant business.

“Am I in trouble? Are you going to kill me?”

He saw her lower lip tremble and wanted to kill his father. “No we aren’t going to kill you, but we all need to be clear about what’s going on here. I promised you that your kids would be fine, and I keep my promises.”

She noted that he had never promised she would be fine. She was now at the mercy of these people, and it was very clear that she was in way over her head.

Chapter Six

“M
omma, where are we goin’?”

Denise sighed. It was moments like these that she wished there was someone else to help answer the children’s questions. “To a friend’s house, Mandy. Like I’ve already told you three times.”

Her patience was beginning to run thin. She had no idea where Liam was taking her, only knew it was her job to follow. Gripping the steering wheel, she thought back on the choices she had made. No matter what happened here this afternoon, they had been the right ones. The only ones she felt that she could make. It wouldn’t do to second guess herself now.

“We don’t know anybody who lives out here,” Mandy argued.

“Amanda Cunningham, I’m going to say this one time and one time only. We are going to a friend’s house, and if you open your mouth again you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

Properly scolded, Mandy sat back in her seat and began picking at the nail polish on her fingers. Every once in a while, she glanced up at her mother in the rearview mirror and rolled her eyes.

“You’re pushin’ it, little girl.”

It struck her at that moment – the differences in her children. Mandy back talked when she was scared and wanted to know exactly what was going on. Drew, on the other hand, reminded her a lot of Liam. He sat with his eyes straight ahead, taking in their surroundings. She could almost see his mind working through all of this, and she had a sneaking suspicion her son knew it all.

Liam had gotten further ahead of them on the road as the battle of wills with her daughter ensued. Denise pressed the accelerator to catch up. She questioned why she suddenly seemed so willing to follow him anywhere he might lead her. As far as she was concerned, he was as much to blame for this as she was. As they traveled down Porter Pike, he took her further out in to the county than she had ever been before. They passed a volunteer fire department, and she noticed a highway number. If she wasn’t mistaken, they weren’t too far away from the eastern boundary of the county. Up ahead, his brake lights flickered, and he pulled onto a gravel road. Signaling, she followed him, and they drove for what seemed like miles before they crested a hill. There sat the largest garage-like building she’d ever seen, surrounded by motorcycles.

“Mom? When did these people become your friends?” Drew asked, his mouth agape at the scene.

“I’ll tell you just like I told your sister. Hush.”

Liam parked his bike beside those that lined the drive and motioned for her to park her car. Her heart pounded as she put the car in park and instructed the kids to get out.

“They can go hang out with Roni. She usually keeps the kids preoccupied.” He pointed to where Roni stood observing a group of kids playing basketball and riding bikes.

“I’m not leaving my mom alone with you,” Drew lifted his chin in defiance.

Liam respected what the boy was trying to do but knew that he couldn’t let him get in the way. He stepped in front of Denise and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“We need to take care of some adult business.”

The two males sized one another up. Finally, Drew gave in and followed his sister to where the other kids hung out.

“Let’s get inside. William wants to talk to you.”

It might have been false, but she felt a sense of protection as she walked in with Liam at her side. He placed a hand at the small of her back, leading her into the main room of the clubhouse. It was dark to her, miscellaneous posters hung on the walls along with pictures of different men. She assumed they had something do with the history of the club, but she really didn’t know. A row of couches sat in the corner, a pool table beside them. In the other corner, a large table had been set up that was obviously used as a kitchen table, and there were a group of recliners. It looked comfortable, but not at all welcoming. Conversation ceased when they arrived. Liam watched, his eyes taking in everything as his father walked over to where they stood. He didn’t like the look in the older man’s eyes.

“I take it you’re Denise?”

Shyly, she nodded. This man’s demeanor was completely different than the younger one standing next to her. That could be seen by the tick in his jaw as he looked at her. He didn’t have a relaxed air about him like Liam did. This man
wanted
to intimidate her.

“What did that reporter want with you?” he asked gruffly. She knew that his tone of voice was meant to scare her, but instead it made her angry.

“She wants to use me to get to you. Somehow she knows that you’ve recruited me.”

His face flushed red. “Well then you must have told her”

“I didn’t tell anyone anything.
She
came to
me
!” Her voice shook with fear and anger. She didn’t appreciate being put in this situation.

This wasn’t going to end well, Liam could tell. Emotions were running high, Denise was scared to death, and William was pissed beyond belief. Neither one of them appeared to want to listen to what the other had to say.

“And just how did she know to come to you?” he questioned.

She wanted to cry. Throwing her hands up in the air, she just said, “I don’t know.”

“You did one job for us and she’s already on to you?”

“I don’t know how.”

“What did you say to her to give yourself away?”

“I don’t know.” she screamed. “I didn’t talk to her about this. I am just a single mother minding my own business,
you
came to
me
. Not the other way around.”

William Walker did not allow anyone to yell at him. Denise, in her frustration, was beginning to get louder. Liam stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Irritated, she shrugged it off.

“I’d watch your tone if I was you,” William warned her, sticking a finger in her face.

“If you were me, you wouldn’t be in this situation. I got bullied by
you
to do a job that you knew would put a bull’s-eye on my back. If you’re wondering how she knew about me, maybe you should look at your own people. They are the only people who knew about it.”