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I take in all the information Reid supplies, and guilt continues eating at my insides. Karma is a sick motherfucker, and he's looking to collect on my sins.
"Blake," Jake barks, jolting me from my intrusive thinking, and I cut my eyes to him and can tell he knows where my head is. "I need you in the right headspace goin' into this. You got me?"
"Yeah."
"Good, because you'll be joinin' me, Logan, Gabriel, and Quinn for this sit down." Jake looks down at the table at Reid. "Reid, I'll need you, Austin, and Grey to hold the place down. If you need anything, contact Demetri. He agreed to assist in any way should the club run into trouble while the rest of us are away."
"Should we be on lockdown for the time being?" Grey asks.
Jake ponders Grey's question, scrubbing his beard, then shakes his head. “Not until we leave. But while we're out of pocket, I want the women and children to camp out here until our return. They are free to leave the compound if they report where they're going and check in once they reach their destination. Our women are already aware there's shit that we're handling, and they're being cautious of their surroundings."
"When do we leave?" Gabriel finally speaks.
"We ride out in a few days," Jake states.
Just before noon, I load the cooler of food Ember and Bellamy packed for our lunch today into the back of the pickup, along with a large quilt and a new chainsaw I bought several days ago. Hearing footsteps, I look over my shoulder to see my sister approaching.
"What's the chainsaw for?"
"We're heading to my property up the mountain. I work up there when I have time."
"Cutting down trees?" Bellamy tilts her head.
I chuckle. "Somethin' like that. I carve art pieces out of trees."
Her eyes widen. "Chainsaw carving?"
"Yeah." I close the tailgate.
"That's so cool." She opens the passenger side door and climbs into the truck's cab.
The clubhouse door swings open. "I'm ready, finally." Ember steps outside. "Couldn't decide on what to wear. Does this look okay?" she asks. I drink her in as she walks toward me wearing a short black cherry print summer dress. The sweetheart neckline enhances the fullness of her breasts. She's got her hair down in loose curls. My eyes travel down her bare legs, the short hem showing her colorful thigh tattoos. I smile at the sneakers on her feet and snake my arm around her waist when she's within reach. "Come here."
"Too much for a picnic?" she asks.
"You're perfect, Vita Mia," I assure her.
"You sure we should be leaving?"
"I already cleared it with Prez, baby," I assure her. "Now get that sweet ass in the truck."
Hours later, we're relaxing in the sun as we sit on the blanket on the ground. I take a deep breath of the fresh pine mountain air, more content than I've felt in a long time. Over the day spent up here, I've gotten to know my sister better. She loves reading, which inspired an hour-long discussion between her and Ember. She loves black and hates pink. She's obsessed with the TV series Supernatural, which I can get behind. Her ideal man is Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean Winchester. And I now know how to ask where the bathroom is in Chinese. I have yet to share much in return. Very little to tell.
"It's so pretty out here." Bellamy takes a container of cookies from the cooler. "Can I ask you something?" She avoids looking at me.
"Ask away."
"What happened? I mean, with our dad."
I tense. "What do you mean?" I question, needing her to be more specific.
"Why did he do what he did to your mom?"
My mouth becomes dry as the Sahara Desert while my attention shifts to Ember, who eyes me with concern. She doesn't even know the details. She only knows they were murdered. My woman reaches out and lays her hand on my thigh, anchoring me and giving me the strength to tell my story. "You sure you want to know?"
Bellamy nods, crisscrossing her legs, and straightens her back. "I can handle it."
I eye her for a moment and consider that she's only fifteen, even though her eyes hint at her soul being older from growing up too fast. I take a cleansing breath. "Our father wasn't around much during my childhood, and I saw the door slamming on his way out more than I saw him coming in it. Whenever he was around, I was invisible to him. I still don't understand how my mom stayed with him for so long."
