Page 24 of Knuckles

“I can and I will to keep you in line!” he grits, and I scoff.

“I’m a grown-ass adult! I can do what I want when I want, and I have done everything you fucking asked me to! My dream job, my future! You ripped it all away from me and I still did as you asked!” I shout, my anger taking hold.

As much as I hated my students, I loved my job, I loved that I could draw and paint and he’s trying to rip that away from me.

“Watch your fucking language!” he snaps back, and I growl as my anger takes hold.

“I’ll do as I please because again I am a grown-ass adult and I am fed up with you micromanaging my life!” I finally snap, and Dad's face reddens to the point that even I take a step back.

“I won’t have you disrespect me in my own home, and you will do as you are told!” he sneers, his body trembling, but I shake my head and go to walk out of the house, but he grips my wrist and twists me towards him hard, shocking me, his grip hurting.

“Dad!” I gasp with shock, but he ignores my look of horror and spits, “You walk out of that door, and I’ll lock you up!” before he sneers, “You will be taking a new role within the precinct, you’ll become the deputy chief, working right beneath me, and you’ll be dating Masters, do I make myself clear?!”

My eyes race between his, seeing nothing but anger, and instead of relenting like I probably should before I pack my bags and drive far away, instead of seeing that he’s completely lost control, I refuse, “Never going to happen!”

Dad vibrates with anger before suddenly pain radiates from my lip and the side of my face, and pure shock radiates through me as my head moves to the side and I gasp.

He just…

I swallow thickly and lock eyes with my father, expecting to see guilt, but instead, all I see is anger that completely scares me.

“I won’t tell you again,” he seethes, “you will do as you are told, and while we are at it, you’ll end things with that biker scum, or I will put a bullet through his head. I won’t have my daughter become a whore screwing criminals like her mother, and youwillbe dating Masters!”

He shoves me hard, causing me to stumble back into the wall with a bang, and I choke back a cry as I grab my wrist from where he twisted it, pain throbbing and I stare at my father with pure terror.

He knew about Mom and Cans?

Yet he allowed it to continue?

He kept her under this roof, knowing how dangerous that man was. With me?

My eyes tear up at the disgust that shines back at me, and he storms out of the house, slamming the door as he goes, and I slowly slide down the wall as a sob leaves me.

My face aches, my wrist throbs, and my heart shatters, not recognizing that man anymore.

All these years, he knew about Mom.

My body trembles as my tears fall, and the urge to pack my stuff and leave hits me, but I can’t, not yet. I need to see tomorrow through for Clark, then maybe I need to look at jobs out of state.

I don’t want to leave Knuckles, but the man doesn’t want forever with me, he’s already said he can’t promise it, and I won’t risk his life because my father is more unpredictable than I thought.

I need to leave.

Taking a shuddering breath, I slowly stand and walk towards the stairs. I need to pack, I need to leave this house, even if it means staying at the motel for now, until after Clark’s wedding, then, I’ll leave town.

I just hope my heart can forgive me for leaving Knuckles after finally wanting to let someone in.

Chapter 9

Knuckles

I lean against the club's bar as laughter and chatter echo around me, brothers ordering drinks, the prospects serving the women, while the club bunnies are all pissed because they are not welcome at the clubhouse today. My eyes are on Kodi and Willow dancing, and fuck do I melt at that picture.

Throughout the whole ceremony, she was all I could see, looking fucking beautiful with the lilac bridesmaid dress, and yeah, I pictured her walking down the aisle to me like I thought I would, which has scared the living shit outta me, but tension soon built. Releasing the fear with pure fucking anger when I got a good look at her face.

It doesn’t matter how much fucking makeup she puts on – something she barely ever wears – she can’t hide a split lip anda bruise that dark on her jaw from me, especially when it wasn’t there last night when I left her at the motel.

I’m a fighter, I get hit several fucking times a night, and I know when someone has punched my girl, most probably a backhand by the form of the bruise and where the cut is on her lip, and when I find out who did it, I will fucking kill them.