Her dad threw up his hands and turned to Timber's mom, who remained quiet through the argument. It wasn't unusual for her mom to clam up or storm off. Ironically, that example was how Timber learned to protect herself from being hurt.
"If she gets killed because of you..." Her dad's mouth tightened, making the whiskers of his beard bunch around his lips.
"Doll?" Romeo turned to her. "You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay with me. Whatever happens, I can keep you safe."
She glanced at her dad. "It's never safe," she whispered.
"That's what he wants you to believe. But when you're here, I can protect you."
She had no idea how the danger would present itself. As examples, her mom and dad always warned her against strangers asking her questions or trying to convince her to take a ride with them. She wasn't allowed to go to the houses of any of the kids she knew growing up, and never talked to strangers at the store or on the street. She wasn't allowed to walk by herself until she'd turned sixteen, and that was only because her parents realized they couldn't stop her.
From then on, she had to sneak away to meet her friends or go on a date or get a part-time job. But, the fun never lasted long. Her dad would ride into town and put a stop to everything.
"One way I can keep you safe is if you know why it's important that you listen to us," said Romeo.
"Don't do it," said her dad.
She stared at Romeo, needing to know what was going on. "I'm listening to you."
He kissed her forehead. "When your mom and dad got together, your mom had reasons for not getting involved with him, but they got together and had you. But they kept you a secret from her family."
She shook her head. That wasn't true. Her mom had told her there were no relatives. She was an only child, too. Her parents had died a long time ago.
"It's true. Ask him."
She glanced at her dad. Not wanting to believe him, she refused to ask the question. But she could see her dad's face. Regret shined in his eyes. An emotion beyond anger and frustration that he usually had when he looked at her.
She looked away. "Mom has a family?"
"Her father is still alive. He's a bad man, doll." Romeo lowered his voice. "He heads a crime organization in Seattle. That's why your parents kept you moving. They didn't want your grandfather to find out about you."
"Why?"
"Because he'd take you away from your mom. He'd kill Dice, and the world he lives in is dangerous for a woman. Your parents were trying to protect you."
She stepped away. It wasn't the news she'd expected to hear. For some reason, she always assumed the neglect from her parents came from them falling out of love and not wanting to be around her. She'd assumed for all these years that the danger surrounding her had to do with her dad belonging to Killere Motorcycle Club.
"It wasn't Killere," she mumbled, realizing that she was wrong her whole life.
She walked away from Romeo. She was the granddaughter of a criminal. The people who were supposed to love her had lied to her.
Walking over to her mom, she stood in front of her. How long had it been since she'd looked into her mom's eyes? Four months? Six months?
How long was it before that?
She waited for anger to consume her, but nothing came. "What's his name?"
Her mom shook her head. Timber wasn't discouraged. Not anymore.
"Tell me." She steeled herself. "I have a right to know who my grandfather really is."
Her dad stepped closer to her mom, putting his arm around her. "Don't talk to your mom that way."
Finding her voice, Timber balled her fists. "My whole life, you treated me like an inconvenience. I could never figure out why you hated me."
"I don't hate you." Her dad reached for her and then let his arm drop to his side. "I tried to keep you sheltered and out of your grandfather's hands. If he found out about you, it would all be over."
"I'd keep her safe," whispered her mom.
Her dad shook his head. "You can't even keep yourself safe, and you know it. You're the one who allowed me to watch over Timber all these years, so you could have your time with that son of a bitch and pretend your life was with him."
Her mom cringed. Timber felt nothing. The same argument over the years finally made sense. It wasn't about her.
She cut off the hysteria building inside of her. Dice was still in love with her mom, and her mom was still involved with her family. Dice believed he was doing what was right in protecting Timber. It was her mom who continued to put her in danger every time she disappeared. Her mom had returned to her family, leaving Timber behind.
She shook her head in disbelief.
Everyone was miserable.
Walking out of the room, she went up the stairs and into the bedroom. She couldn't stand to be around any of them.
She had no idea who was to blame for how she'd lived her life. Maybe she was meant to live alone.
Nobody wanted her. She was only a pawn in their sick game.
Chapter Twenty Six
Tiptoeing down the stairs in the dark, Timber held on to the railing, looking for the last step. Once on the landing, she walked forward with her hands out until she ran into the couch.
She sat, pulling the folded blanket that was always on the back of the couch, and covered her legs. Having fallen asleep after finding out her life had been a lie, she'd woken an hour ago expecting Romeo to be in bed with her and found herself alone.
Unable to go back to sleep and sensing Romeo was gone for the night, she decided to wait for him on the couch. It wasn't long after moving into the Muel home that she realized something special about being awake in a house filled to the rafters with sleeping men.
Deep snoring from the back bedroom on the main floor broke the silence of the night. Often, she heard male laughter upstairs in the middle of the night. A couple of times, she'd listened to the sounds of someone having sex—though she never witnessed a woman leaving the house the following day, she had found abandoned panties thrown in the trash.
Most of all, at night, she could sense the house breathing with people who enjoyed living together and went out of their way to show each other love. While she stayed here, they incorporated her into the family and made her feel welcomed.
It was late at night when she felt like she lived a fairy tale life with Romeo. Sure, the guys argued, fought, punched, wrestled, and were slobs, barely cleaning the kitchen. But, she'd witnessed each of them drop what they were doing to run off and help do whatever needed done.
She suspected most of them worked for questionable people, but since it wasn't her business how they earned their money, she took them at face value on how they treated her—compassionate, caring, and strong men.
The front door opened. She peered through the darkness, knowing without seeing him that it was Romeo returning. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees.
"Brody?" whispered Romeo.
"It's me," she whispered back.
"Hey, doll." He made his way closer until she could finally see him. "What are you doing out here?"
"I woke up, and you weren't in bed." She licked her lips. "I'm used to you being in the same room."