The Broken Pieces of Us (The Devil's Dust #2.1)

“Charity event?” She looks at me with a shocked expression, her mouth gaping open. She knows nothing of my life, the way of the club. I sigh. If she’s anything like her mother, she’ll write me off when she sees the shit that happens here.

“Yeah, some little boy and his mother were hit by a drunk driver. They can’t afford the doctor bills, so we rebuilt a bike we’re going to auction off for the family. Things will get crazy here during the after party. I know I haven’t been your dad more than ten minutes, but I would rather you stay in this room when the party comes back here.” I know I have no right to tell her to stay in here, but for the sake of redeeming me as a father, she needs to stay in this fucking room.

The door slams open and Lady steps in with a cynical glare on her face, looking right at Dani.

“Thanks for having us here, Bull. We already feel welcomed,” Lady remarks hatefully. God, she is such a bitch. Did she forget she came to me for help, not the other way around? I want to throw her ass out on the fucking streets, make whoever she pissed off back in New York deal with her. Not to mention, I had to use my favor I had with the Ghost MC just to get her fucking ass here.

“Yeah, anything to keep my daughter safe, Lady,” I inform, emphasizing the word daughter.

“Yes, I can see you're such a great father,” she retorts, insulting me.

“If it wasn't for her, I would send your ungrateful ass packing,” I roar, pointing at the door, my anger over the edge of caring about this ungrateful bitch. Would it have killed her to call me, tell me I had a fucking daughter? “What you did was unforgivable, not telling me I had a daughter.” Lady’s face twists with disgust, her eyes squinting with distaste.

“Why in the hell would I tell you? You told me you didn’t want me. I gave up everything to be with you, and you made it more than clear you didn’t care.” I cringe with the words and the tone of her emotional state. I said and did a lot of things back then, scared of losing my club. I am man enough to say I picked the club over Lady, and felt regret as soon as it happened, but it’s the past and I’m trying to make up for it by being here now, especially for my kid.

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want her, and you know it,” I clip angrily, pointing at Dani. “And, I never said I didn’t want you,” I inform her. I know I never said those words. Just like Lady to put shit in my mouth. She did it when we were younger, and it looks like that never stopped.

“I didn’t want this life for her. She is on a great path. She has a future, and it’s not biker trash.”

My face burns, feeling like I have been slapped. She called me biker trash all the time when we were younger. It’s the worst thing I have ever been called in my life and it still burns today as much as it did back then. Why in the fuck did she come here? Why is she here, asking for help from biker trash?

“That’s how you see me, huh? Biker trash?” I ask softly, avoiding looking at my daughter. I’m scared to see if she agrees with her mother. I risk a glimpse at Dani. Her mouth is parted with shock and her face is tense with confusion. Maybe she doesn’t think I am trash, a deadbeat father. Maybe I can fix what was never there between Dani and me. But whatever was between me and Lady is long gone in the wind of resentment.

“There’s a room at the end of the hall you can stay in, Lady. This is a lot for Dani to take in. I'm sure she could use some alone time.”

“Don’t tell me what my daughter needs. You know nothing about her.” Her face scrunches. “She needs her mother, and that is what she will have. Don’t you have some slut to attend to?” I step up to Lady, ready to throw her fucking ass out of my club. I have had enough of these fucking games.

“Enough!” Dani shouts. I stop mid-step and look over at Dani, her body wracking with emotion. The anxiety she must be facing, the uncertainty she has to be feeling. I look down at myself, my hands clenched and body puffed out in anger. I look terrifying, not what I want Dani to see in me. I quickly turn, leaving Dani and her mother. I can’t be around Lady and keep a cool head on my shoulders. I don’t want Dani to think I’m the monster her mother put me out to be. I may be a lot of fucking things to keep my club the way it is, but I’m a man, and I need family just as much as any other person.