Chapter 87: Conflicting Actions

The condition in the meeting room was finally under control. Will sagged into his chair, seemingly just gone through a full year of thorough military training. Despite that, Zalen kept watch so that he wouldn’t suddenly jump and bite.

The rest of them sat calmly in their respective seats. Stacy was especially calm. Despite being a teenager, her ability to face stressful situations was way beyond anyone her age. She mirrored her father’s laid-back manner.

“You said I was separated from your men and disappeared from your radar,” she continued asking for details, “why am I back here? How?” Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t perceive myself as someone dumb. Who brought me back?”

She turned to Chad. He raised his brows and both his hands in defense. Her head panned to Hank. “You know that I won’t,” he responded calmly. Stacy continued turning to the other side of the room. Will wasn’t meeting her gaze. His attention was elsewhere, staring into the distance. Zalen jerked when her suspicious eyes fell on him. He shook his head quickly and pointed a finger at Chad. “It was him.”

Chad shot him a quick glare. “I..” he stuttered when Stacy turned back to him. “I brought you back here, to the Reaper’s clubhouse. But you were already in town. It wasn’t me who brought you back to town.” The words tumbled out of his mouth.

Her brows knitted together. “Did you see me with anyone else when you brought me back here?” Chad shook his head. “None. You were alone, claiming you are new in town.” Her expression had subtitles. It said she couldn’t believe any of it. Chad pointed at Zalen. “He was there when it happened.”

Zalen nodded. “It’s true, you were alone. We found you outside a Viper’s bar, Ivory. You came out wearing a Viper jacket from a redhead after smashing his balls.”

“Too much information, Zalen,” Chad sighed. Stacy shook her head. “I must be nuts.”

“You wanted to save her,” Hank spoke up, turning all attention back to him. “While you were in the Viper, Mariana protected you as if you were her own daughter. You really care for her,” he gave her a small smile, “and I think that’s the reason why you came back right after you developed enough ability to get her out of here.”

Stacy was quiet as she thought. “If she treated me well, it’s logical for me to care for her,” she mumbled. Then, she raised her head, looking self-righteous. “It’s just right for me to save her from this shithole.”

“Only, it wasn’t in her plan,” Hank said, “her mission is right here, to see me wallow in misery and die a horrible death. Then, she can finally reunite with her children.”

The last sentence elicited a horrible throb of her heart. Slowly, her hand moved to her chest where her heart was. “Logically speaking,” she said as she squeezed the spot, “she’s only using me for her personal gain and revenge.”

Hank finally looked a little worried as he watched her intently. “But because I didn’t know of her big plan, I have always thought that she was my real mother. I took to heart all she had ever done for me,” she mumbled as she tried to connect the dots.

She looked like she was in a dilemma. After a while, she took a breath and calmed down. “She did help me through the worst of times when I was here. I believe that’s something,” she squeezed out a bitter smile. “For that, I should be thankful,” her smile wobbled and a muscle twitched.

Chad moved his chair nearer to her. “Hey, easy..” he tried to soothe her. She grabbed the hand he extended and squeezed hard. Despite the pain, he didn’t show it on his face. Her strength showed the dilemma she had. She was trying hard to fight the devil rising in her.

“Just let it go,” he said softly, “don’t worry about anything or how you should feel. You are allowed to feel what you feel. Don’t fight it.”

She took a few deep breaths. “At least she has a conscience,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Hank took a deep breath.

“You lots are really good at this, don’t you?” Will scoffed, “at destroying the lives of your next generation while claiming that you care for us. If you really care about continuing the bloodline and all, shouldn’t you stop trying to destroy our lives?”

“I was trying,” Hank’s voice was small, “I was trying to end the disputes that’s left of our three families. It should’ve ended with me.”

“Where’s she now?” Stacy's voice cut them off. Chad searched her eyes. “Why do you ask?” He was worried as he tried guessing what she was thinking.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything,” she assured, “just asking.”

The men in the room exchanged looks. “She didn’t seem to be in her right mind. Her daughter was shot by accident and went into a coma. Her son is still missing. We kept her here but she escaped,” Chad explained, keeping out the details.

“Hmm,” Stacy grunted. Tension left her body. She held on to Chad’s hand.

“Remember my warning,” Hank looked at Chad. He knew what he was talking about. “About what you said in the corridor,” he acknowledged. “Right. The skills run in the family,” Hank echoed, “Gus is still a danger we should keep an eye on. He disappeared with some men during the chaos. Now that Mariana escaped, I believe that they are together now. I don’t think they will stay idle for long.”

“We are exposed. She’s been here and seen the structure of our clubhouse,” Zalen voiced out from the back of the room.

“Yes, and they are in the dark while we are exposed in the light. We need to take precautions,” Chad agreed.

“I stayed alive in those years because I have things Lucy left for me. Now we have these,” he said before looking over at Will and Stacy, “and them.”