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“Virginia is right,” Ms. Alice said, taking a seat. “I’ve known George Stone since I was a little girl. I was born in this house. My mother worked for Stone House long before any of you came here. George Stone is not a man to cross.”
“What I don’t understand is why George cheated.” Tessa sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I see the way he looks at you. That man loves you.”
“You can love someone with your whole heart and still despise them in the same breath, Tessa. It’s what you can accept and are prepared to live with, that decides your fate. When it comes to George, I love my sons more. I always have. He knew that and used them against me to keep me in line.”
“But you two seemed so happy together.”
“Looks can be deceiving. What you see is an act. Yes, after all these years, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel something for him, but what I feel isn’t love. I stopped loving George Stone a long time ago, and tonight, he lost what little respect I had left. I knew he had an affair but could never prove it. I could have divorced him years ago but didn’t because I couldn’t take the chance of losing my boys. Back in the day, George was more powerful than me. Had connections I couldn’t even fathom. When he threatened to take my boys, I believed him. I was still young and naïve back then. I gave up my career in law for that man for a short time.”
Leaning forward, I asked, “Virginia. If you felt that way, why didn’t you leave him after Kansas turned eighteen? You could have had a life. You were still young enough to find love again. You could have been happy.”
“Because he threatened to kill the man I really loved if I did.”
Shocked, Tessa and I stared at each other, not knowing what to say. It was one thing to learn that George Stone had an affair, but to learn that Virginia did as well was mind-blowing. I never would have guessed it. Not in a million years.
“So, you see.” the mysterious woman smirked. “There is more to this story than anyone knows, and now everything is about to be exposed.”
“Virginia,” Tessa whispered. “Does Montana know anything about this?”
The woman shrugged. “I think he suspects, but he’s never come right out and asked. My son rarely involves himself with the personal matters of his parents. In fact, since Montana took over the club, he’s distanced himself from the both of us. One of the first things he did was to retire the old guard. He wanted a fresh start with his own crew. Men that were loyal to him and not George.”
“But he kept Happy around?” I questioned.
Virginia smirked. “Yes, he did.”
“Oh. My. God,” I gasped. “It’s Happy. The man you really love.”
Virginia had a wispy, dreamy look on her face when she spoke about him. “I’ve loved Michael Hamilton for years. His club name suits him perfectly. Happy. The man is full of love and joy. It radiates around him wherever he goes. He doesn’t have a mean, deceptive bone in his body. When he looks at me, he sees the real me and loves me more for it. We started out as friends. He was married and so was I. We had our own lives. When his wife Victoria died, it decimated him. He sank into a deep depression. We were worried about him a lot back then. About that time, I realized something wasn’t right about my marriage. George was spending more time at the clubhouse than with me and the boys. When I confronted him about it, he told me it was club business and not to worry.”
“That’s a red flag, right there,” Tessa muttered.
“When it got to where George was only showing up for a few hours a week, I suspected another woman but never could prove anything. One night, I showed up, unannounced, at the clubhouse to talk with him, only to find the club partying. I could hear the music from the front gate. When I tried to enter, a club brother refused me entrance. When I demanded to speakto George, he laughed at me and said the president was too busy having fun and I should take my pretty ass home where I belonged. So, I did. I left the next day. I could not take it anymore.”
“Where did you go?”
“My parents had a summer house in Maine. I took the boys there. For a few weeks, we were happy again. The boys relaxed, started laughing again, and got to spend time with their grandparents. It was magical. One day, my mom and dad wanted to go into town. They asked if Arizona could go. I didn’t think. I just said yes. About an hour later, George called me. Said if I didn’t come home, he would take everything I loved away from me. I didn’t believe him. Three hours later, the police were standing on my doorstep, informing me my parents had been in a car accident. Dad was okay, but Mom and Arizona weren’t. My mom was still in surgery when I arrived at the hospital. It was touch and go. The doctors were fitting Arizona for a cast. The accident broke his leg in two places. When they took me to him, George was sitting beside his bed. When he saw me enter the room, he got up, walked over to me, and whispered, “I warned you something would happen”. It was then that I knew he caused the accident. The boys and I went home the next day.”
“Jesus,” I sighed. Hearing Virginia tell her story was shocking. Never would I have ever believed that George Stone could be that heartless, that callous, that vindictive, to cause an accident that almost took the life of his own son. But for Virginia to stay with a man like that, knowing what he had done, was a testament to her strength and perseverance.
“You are staying here,” Tessa stated furiously, getting to her feet. “There is no fucking way I am letting you anywhere near that man again. He may be Montana’s father, but that man is no longer allowed in this house or near my son.”
“It’s not that easy, Tess,” Virginia moaned.
“Oh yes, it is.”
“She’s right, Tessa,” I sighed, sneaking a peek at Virginia. “She can’t just leave. If she does, the club is required to bring her back. She is the wife of the former president of the club and the mother of the current president. With her former job and connections in law enforcement, there is no fucking way the club can risk her walking away. She already paid a heavy price the first time. They won’t let her go a second time.”
“What are you talking about?” Tessa asked.
“Blood of a Sinner,” Virginia whispered, and I flinched, remembering my punishment. “When I returned home, the club punished me like they did Largo. The club gave us a second chance. Just one. They won’t again.”
“If we leave, they will have no choice but to kill us,” I added.
“That’s bullshit,” Tessa shouted. “There is no fucking way Montana would allow that. Ever!”
“It’s club law, Tessa. Montana won’t have a choice in the matter,” I stated firmly. “The only way Virginia or I can ever leave our husbands or the club for that matter, is in a coffin.”
Virginia smirked. “Did you know George created theBlood of a Sinnerclausebecause of me? That clause never existed before I left. But when I returned, it was there. He created that clause to punish me.”
