Page 44 of Sinner’s Torment

“Connecticut,” Shame said. “Little town called Bethlehem. She’s with her family.”

“Then let’s go,” I said, already starting to stand. “I’ll leave tonight. I’ll⁠—”

“Sit down, Torment.” Shame’s voice was quiet but firm. “You’ve got a bigger problem than her being a club whore and the mother of your kid.”

I froze. “What kind of problem?”

Shame leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “Her dad is a former brother from the Silver Shadows Little Rock Chapter. He was Titan’s VP before someone in the club ratted him out for murder. He was serving twenty-five to life when evidence exonerated him of the crime. After five years, he got out, blacked out his ink, and left. Wanted nothing to do with the club again. A year later, he met and married a woman named Hannah. They had four kids together.”

I sat back down slowly, my mind racing. “Okay. So her dad’s ex-MC. That’s not⁠—”

“His club name was Hex,” Shame said.

The name hit like a physical blow.

Hex.

I’d heard stories about Hex. Every brother in the MC world had heard stories about Hex. The man was a fucking legend—old school, hard as nails, the kind of guy who didn’t flinch when staring down a gun barrel. The kind of guy who commanded respect just by walking into a room.

Montana leaned forward, his expression shifting from anger to something closer to shock. “Hex? Are we talking about the same Hex who stood toe-to-toe with George Stone and never backed down?”

“That’s the one,” Shame confirmed.

“Fuck,” Montana breathed. “I remember him. It was the only time I ever saw my old man back off from anyone.”

Mercy’s face had gone pale. “If we’re talking about the same man, then Torment’s got a bigger problem than just tracking down a runaway club whore.”

“What problem?” I demanded, my patience wearing thin. “So her dad’s a badass. So what? He’s out of the life. He’s not going to⁠—”

“Federation rules,” Mercy interrupted, his voice clinical and precise. “Excommunicated brothers and their families are forbidden from joining all active clubs. If Brandy is the daughter of Hex, you can’t claim her or the child.”

The words didn’t make sense at first.

I stared at Mercy, waiting for the punchline, waiting for him to clarify or take it back or explain that I’d misunderstood.

But he just looked at me with that same calm, detached expression.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I said slowly.

“Federation law,” Mercy repeated. “It’s been on the books for decades. Any brother who’s been excommunicated—whether by choice or by force—is blacklisted. And that blacklist extends to their immediate family. Wives, children, siblings. They can’t join an active club. They can’t be claimed as old ladies. They can’t be brought into club business in any official capacity.”

“That’s bullshit,” I said, my voice rising. “That’s⁠—”

“That’s the law,” Mercy said. “And it’s non-negotiable.”

I looked around the table, searching for someone to contradict him. To tell me this was a mistake, a misunderstanding, something that could be worked around.

But no one spoke.

Fury looked uncomfortable. Vicious was staring at the table. Payne and Rage exchanged glances but said nothing. Storm opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then closed it again.

“I don’t give a fuck about Federation law,” I said, my voice shaking with barely controlled rage. “She’s carrying my kid. That makes her mine. That makes the baby mine. I don’t care what some dusty old rulebook says.”

“It’s not just a rulebook,” Mercy said quietly. “It’s the foundation of how the MC world operates. If we ignore Federation law, we lose our standing with every other club. We lose our alliances, our protections, our legitimacy. We become outlaws in a world that’s already lawless.”

“Then we become outlaws,” I snapped. “I don’t care.”

“You should care,” Montana said, his voice heavy. “Because if we go rogue on this, we’re not just risking ourselves. We’re risking every brother in this club. Every alliance we’ve built. Everything.”