RUTHLESS HOLD (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novel) (28 page)

“
That
didn
’
t happen.
”

“
Of
course not. I couldn
’
t
move. But the door opened and Griffin came in. He was by my side the entire
time I was in the hospital. He held me. He kissed me. He wept with me. He then
showed me the information on the people who were adopting you. That gave me
some relief. I knew you were safe and I knew you
’
d
be happy.
”
Jenn reached out
and took Eden
’
s hand.
“
I know everything that happened.
Griffin kept in touch. I
’
m
so sorry about your
…
your
parents
…”

“
How?
”
Eden whispered.
“
Just
…”

“
After
I left the hospital, Ripper had me in an apartment. He didn
’
t want me back until I looked
pre-baby. He and Griffin had some kind of fight about guns. He accused Griffin
of getting too close to me. Of course, I couldn
’
t
have sex for a while after having a baby, right? But Ripper just wouldn
’
t have it. So Griffin took off
again. That began a really long and lonely road for me. I only saw Griffin when
it was necessary through the club. We never talked. I never knew much about
you. He managed to pull me aside to tell me about what happened to your
parents. He assured me you were in good hands again. He watched over you, Eden.
But then a couple years ago he arranged for us to be alone. The years had
beaten me as bad as Ripper. I drank, smoked, did things to my body that I
should have never done. I hated myself, Eden. Maybe I still do. But knowing you
’
re here and you
’
re safe, I feel relieved in it
all.
”

Jenn squeezed Eden
’
s hand and tears filled her eyes
again.

“
I
don
’
t know what to say
right now,
”
Eden said.

“
You
don
’
t have to say anything.
It was a couple years ago. Ripper was on a run. Griffin heard about it and
snuck away. I made up some bullshit story that my sister was in the hospital
with a gall bladder issue. We were in the woods, in a private cabin, just me
and him. It was the first time we were really alone like that in
…
like forever
…”

Eden watched the way Jenn
’
s eyes glazed over and she
looked away. A genuine smile crept across her face. She really loved Griffin
and Griffin really loved her. So at least that was something Eden could take
with her - her birth parents really did love each other. It was just the outlaw
life that kept them apart. The life that kept them apart was the life that kept
Eden and Trev together.

“
I
mean, I don
’
t have to tell
you what we did, right?
”
Jenn asked.

“
Again,
gross,
”
Eden said.

They both laughed.

A tear fell from Jenn
’
s eye.
“
He was the only one who could do it for me. Even
after all those years, he touched me like it was the first time. He made me
feel alive and wanted. But I knew we weren
’
t
together then just to roll around in the sheets. Gosh, look at me. I sound like
a whore. In front of my daughter.
”

“
No.
It
’
s kind of romantic. In a
weird way. I just wish you two could have been together.
”

“
Me
too,
”
Jenn said.
“
But I was claimed by Ripper. And
Ripper would rather make me suffer in misery than just let me go. He fucked
anything he wanted, but I wasn
’
t
allowed to look at another man.
”

“
He
sounds like an asshole,
”
Eden said.

“
That
’
s exactly what he is. That
’
s why I
’
m here. But let me finish this first. We were in
bed together. I know, I know - gross. We had to break apart. Somewhere in my
heart I thought it could all work. We could keep sneaking around together. But
Griffin looked at me and I just knew. I knew right then I
’
d never see him, touch him,
taste him, ever again. I started to cry. He touched my jaw and told me he had
something for me. He said he dreamed of giving me a ring and riding off into
the sunset. He didn
’
t give
me a ring. He gave me the letter to you.
”

Eden gasped.
“
He
…
you
…”

Jenn nodded.
“
He said that if he was to ever
get killed he wanted me to send you the letter. Because then you
’
d go to the club and they
’
d protect you. I think on some level
he thought by being alive it kept all enemies away from you. Maybe he thought
Ripper knew the truth. I don
’
t
know, Eden. I really don
’
t
know. But he said it and I respected it. When I heard that he was killed, it
destroyed me. I couldn
’
t
show any emotion either. Think about that. The man I loved and I couldn
’
t even weep for his death. I
sent the letter and waited. I figured news would have to push through the MC
about you. But it never did. Until I saw you at Giovanni
’
s funeral. I could
’
ve
collapsed
…”

“
I
didn
’
t come for a year,
”
Eden said.
“
I didn
’
t know what to make out of it all. Then I was
attacked. I worked at a tattoo parlor. The owner was shot in the head right in
front of me. Then the guys came after me. They burned the letter. I managed to
save the picture that you sent though. But the guys wanted me dead. So I came
here and
…
then I found out
my father was dead.
”

Eden started to lose it. Jenn
wrapped her arms around Eden and hugged her. It was the first time Eden got a
hug from her birth mother. Eden hugged back and started to cry. Jenn started to
cry.

Mother and daughter stood there,
crying. For everything lost. For everything gained. All the anger Eden felt
slowly washed away. She wasn
’
t
sure if she loved her mother or not but the woman proved to be brave. Making
such a difficult decision
…
and her father always protecting her
…

The door to the apartment opened.

Eden saw Trev standing in the
doorway.
“
Hey. I heard
noise
…”

“
Just
a good cry,
”
Jenn said.

Trev looked at Eden.
“
Everything okay?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Eden said.

Her mother leaned in.
“
The way he
’
s looking at you right now is
the way your father always looked at me. Never let that go.
”

Eden felt her body gush.

Trev entered the apartment and shut
the door.
“
You two talk?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Jenn said.
“
She knows all I can really tell
right now. I guess we have to move to the bad news.
”

“
The
bad news?
”
Eden asked.

Trev ran a hand through his hair.
“
Yeah, beautiful. I
’
m sorry.
There
’
s really bad news
…”

__

twenty-one.

Eden started to shake as she rested
in the corner nook of where the counters made an L shape. She wanted to hide
there. Fall to her butt and shut her eyes. Wake up in a different time and a
different place. But she still wanted Trev. She forever wanted Trev.

“
It
’
s going to be okay,
”
Trev said.
“
I
’
m
trying to be as open and as honest as I can with you, Eden. I hope you know
that.
”

Eden looked at her mother.
“
This is all true?
”

“
All
of it,
”
Jenn said.
“
That
’
s why Ripper came after me. He started piecing
things together and started swinging.
”

“
How
does it work?
”
Eden asked.
“
Why would he believe you?
”

“
He
’
s desperate,
”
Trev said.
“
I give up my cut and go outlaw.
I show up at his bar and offer myself. I make it clear that me and the Frelen
charter had a falling out. Saw that I found out the truth about you, Eden, and
that I wanted to kill you. They voted me out and told me I was their next
target. I say things that only I would know about you, Eden. To play this
right. Ripper will fall for it. His pride has been fucked from the day Griffin
touched Jenn. He
’
ll let me
in because I
’
m outlaw. I
’
m the one who could help him
secure his deal with the O
’
Nuall
family. His play is bigger than anything we can see right now. He wants to push
down into Frelen and take control. That
’
s
where I come in. I know everything about this town. The PD. The people. The
club. The members. You.
”

Eden shook her head.
“
No. Trev
…
he won
’
t
believe you.
”
She looked at
Jenn.
“
Right? He
’
s not that dumb. Look at how
crazy he is.
”

“
He
hates the setup,
”
Jenn
said.
“
He
’
s gotten drunk so many times and
slipped things to me. He
’
s
tried to build crews outside the MC to attack you all. The thing with Giovanni
…
that wasn
’
t an Irish thing. That was an
internal thing.
”

“
What?
”
Eden asked.

“
We
’
re going to vote on it still,
”
Trev said.
“
But Jenn heard them arguing.
Giovanni was trying to work the deal with Ripper. He wasn
’
t in all that deep though.
”

“
Ripper
had been saying things about Miller,
”
Jenn said.
“
He was filling
the guys heads with bad information. Every time there was a shooting, a fight,
an attack, Ripper would point to it. Your war from a year ago was a big deal to
Ripper. I know it
’
s been
quiet around your charter
…”
Jenn looked at Trev.
“
Ripper
has been making it clear that he
’
s
been watching Miller and sees something bad on the horizon. He
’
s pulled reports that show
people talking to the police about Back Down Devil MC. I can tell you this
though, the men at that table are fiercely loyal to the cut. Not to the man
behind the cut. I think they all know something is wrong, they just don
’
t know where.
”

“
This
is our shot,
”
Trev said.
“
To fix a problem. A problem that
could end up with all of us dead if we don
’
t
act. Beautiful, I think Ripper was the one who set up that attack on you. The
tattoo shop. Having some of his other crew digging around for money.
”

“
How
did he know about me?
”

“
Maybe
he was on the look,
”
Trev
said.
“
With Griffin gone.
You didn
’
t show up at the
club, did you?
”

Eden shuddered.
“
No.
”

“
Don
’
t feel guilty, sweetie,
”
Jenn said.
“
You followed your heart when you
needed to. That takes guts. You
’
re
safe here and this can work.
”

“
Listen,
”
Trev said.
“
I go up there, running outlaw. I
make it clear that Jenn came down to Frelen. That will piss him off. I can turn
him in a second, Eden. I can twist him up. He
’
ll
slip. He
’
ll fuck up. And then
we have the truth and we can take action.
”

“
Action,
”
Eden said.
“
Your version of justice.
”

“
Exactly,
”
Trev said.

“
You
’
re going to kill him.
”

“
There
’
s no other choice,
”
Jenn said.
“
Look what he did to me. This has
been years of it.
”

Eden looked right at Trev.
“
What if you get killed?
”