Page 49 of Finn's Future

“Yeah,” I forced a smile, “just need a minute.”

She studied me carefully before nodding once. “Don’t go outside the gates.”

I slipped outside before anyone could stop me. Cool evening air hit my skin immediately.

I wandered slowly along the side of the clubhouse, wrapping my arms around myself as gravel crunched beneath my shoes. The farther I got from the noise inside, the heavier everything felt.

Then—

“Kate.”

Every muscle in my body locked.

I turned slowly towards the dark sedan sitting just outside the gates. The passenger door opened, and my mother stepped out.

For one horrifying second, I couldn’t breathe.

They’d found us.

Relief flooded her face when she saw me. “Oh, thank God.” I stared at her silently. “We’ve been worried sick.”

A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Worried?”

Her smile tightened. “Kate, don’t start.”

“Don’t start?” My voice shook. “You tracked me down.”

“Honey, you disappeared with a baby.”

“I disappeared because you tried to sell my son.”

Her entire expression hardened. “We were trying to help you.”

“No,” I shook my head, “you were trying to profit off him.”

Her jaw tightened sharply. “You really believe that?”

“I heard Rick talking about money.”

“We were trying to secure Noah’s future.”

“There it is.”

She sighed dramatically, like I was exhausting her. “Someone in this family has to think practically.”

“You mean profitably.”

Something cold flashed across her face, then she smiled. Not warmly. The kind of smile that used to make me hide in my bedroom as a kid.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said, “you always were desperate for attention.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

“You’d cling to anyone who looked at you twice.” Her eyes flicked towards the clubhouse behind me. “Even bikers. You really think those people care about you?”

“I know they care more than you do.”

Her eyes sharpened. “They pity you, Kate.”