Chapter 141 141.Rogue Faction
Tabitha’s POV
“Mom?!” I exclaim as I stare at her in disbelief.
My mom looks just as stunned to see me, but the shock on her face quickly hardens as she turns to Wilson.
“Why did you bring her here?” she demands.
“She was going to find out sooner or later.” Wilson shrugs. “It’s better that she hears the truth from us instead of piecing it together on her own. I don’t want her ruining our plans.”
Their plan? Now, I really need to know what’s going on here!
“Okay someone please tell me what is really happening,” I say as I step forward. “I agreed to meet with you here at an ungodly hour because you said you would finally tell me the truth about everything. About why you were talking to my mom the other day and about the crazy accusations you threw at the Aldairs. But I didn’t expect to actually see my mom here.” I throw a wary look at my mom who is now frowning.
Wilson raises a brow. “Crazy accusations? You think I am just making things up?”
“I told you she’s not ready,” my mom hisses. “You should not have brought her here.”
“How did you even get here, Mom? Is Alpha Emery aware that you sneaked out of the mansion?”
“I can ask you the same thing,” she bites back.
I grit my teeth.
“Woah…” Wilson raises his hand. “All right. Enough with the family drama. Let’s get this over with before the others get a sniff of what we are doing here.”
My mom is still frowning, but she walks deeper into the living room and settles on the couch with her arms crossed. I follow and sit awkwardly beside her, aware of how stiff she feels next to me.
I look at Wilson. “So now, what?”
“Now, we wait.”
“Wait for what?”
The front door opens again and a group of people marches inside. I recognize one of them at once.
Mario?!
“Okay… I think I am about to have a stroke,” I blurt out. “Can someone tell me what Mario is doing here?”
Mario turns to me and flashes a toothy grin. He and the rest of the group move further inside. There are around seven men and four women with him, and they settle into the living room of my old house as if this is routine. Mario surveys the room and lets out a small breath.
“Ah, if it is not Tabitha,” he says lightly. it ain’t Tabitha. Didn’t know Isla’s girl would be sitting in on this little gathering.”
“Neither was I,” my mom replies coldly.
“There is no point hiding the truth now,” Wilson says as he steps forward. “She saw me and Isla talking at the market the other day. I think it’s time she knows everything.”
My mom turns to me and I see something flicker across her face. She looks shocked and pained at the same time.
He sighs and rubs at his stubbled chin, glancing at the others before looking back at me. They don’t have to say anything—one look at their faces was enough. Mario and his crew were far from thrilled to find me here in their secret hideout. As insane as it is that their so-called hideout is our old house, that doesn’t make me any less unwelcome.
Still, I’m not backing down. I didn’t sneak out of the mansion just to lose my nerve now!
“Fine. No sense dancing around it now. What’s done is done,” he concedes and nods at Wilson.
A smile returns to his lips as he surveys the living room.
“Been, what, four… maybe five years? Since your mama signed this place over to me.”
“Excuse me? Sold the house… to you?” I turn to my mom in confusion.
She sighs and nods. “Yes,” she admits quietly. “Mario was the one who bought the house five years ago.”
My jaw drops.
As far as I know Mario is just a fisherman. He used to work alongside my dad for years. He owned three small boats and lent one to my dad when my dad was just starting out. He was never flashy and he never acted like he had money to burn. Sure he upgraded his boats over time but that does not explain why he would buy our house, especially when he doesn’t even have a family to house. His wife and kids had died from an accident years ago.
“I kept most of it the way it was,” he says with a shrug. “Seemed only right. This old house has been our base for a good long while now.”
“Base of operations?” I repeat as I stare at him. “Of what group?”
He stops walking and looks at me straight in the eyes. “The rogues, ‘course,” he mutters as if it’s obvious.
The color of his eyes shifts right before me. His supposed brown melts into crimson red.
Holy shit.