"We never should've helped you," muttered Tony. "You're proving to be nothing but trouble."
Her spine stiffened, and her pulse roared in her ears. She'd always done what they asked. Every day, she was aware of not putting any more stress in their lives. She'd stayed in school, kept to herself, and not once got in trouble.
She'd lived her twenty-six years without getting a speeding ticket, being late on a bill, and worked her ass off to make sure Tony and Brad had money when they came up short. Not once had she told anyone how many days they had left her on her own when she was young and had to depend on herself for food and to get to school.
"Helped me?" Her voice squeaked. "How have you helped me?"
He remained silent. Her anger grew. All the new information she was learning about her life came flying at her.
"Tony, where are Mom and Dad buried?" She stared at the table, willing him to tell her. It would be easy enough to make a phone call to the appropriate number and ask for records of burial.
Tony snapped, "How the hell am I supposed to know. Is Slag Motorcycle Club putting you up to question me? Fuck that. They're dead. Died in a car crash."
She closed her eyes. "Why is Brad listed as my father on my birth certificate?"
"Don't question me," muttered Tony. "Are you coming home or do I have to come and get you?"
She shook her head. "Who is the woman with long black hair from my childhood? Why am I always dreaming about her?"
"Shut up. Don't you ask—"
"Who is she?" She shot out of the chair.
Brage caught her and held her close. Her body trembled. She remembered.
While she couldn't recall who the woman was, she could feel deep in her bones her desperate need to find her. She remembered crying and begging to see her.
"You were better off with us." Tony belched. "The son of a bitch owed us."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Something major was happening, and she couldn't grasp what it was.
"Who?" she whisper-screamed. "Who owed you?"
"Your dad. The fucker double crossed Moroad, but you don't have to worry about that old drunk. He's dead. Moroad takes care of their own. You should be grateful we took you away from—"
She disconnected the phone and hurled it across the room. Brage's arms came around her. She screamed, snuffing out the words left behind, stabbing her in the heart. The fear, loneliness, and uncertainty of her past consumed her.
The dirty men wouldn't let her see her mommy.
Chapter 20
Brage brushed the hair away from Dinah's face. He'd let her sleep the rest of the day after she'd cried herself into exhaustion.
She'd refused to talk with him after the shock of information she'd received from the man who'd raised her as her brother. Whatever memories she battled against had won the war. Guilt riddled him, having let her learn about her past from Tony Reed.
He wondered if she would've been better off never knowing the truth.
It wasn't hard to figure out from the phone call that Moroad had killed her father and Brad and Tony had taken her and raised her into believing she was their little sister and her parents had died. At that point in the phone conversation, it no longer mattered what the Reed brothers planned for her. They'd ruined any chance at a relationship with her with their web of secrets.
"Dinah?" he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Wake up and talk to me."
"I don't want to talk." Her eyes remained closed.
"Are you planning on going to work?"
"Is Peer working tonight?" she mumbled.
"Ja. Holly's going to watch the baby. It'll be good for him to have a break from caring for the child and clear his head." He rubbed her hip above the covers.
Hating to see her hurting, he wanted to fix everything that made her feel less than she deserved. But she was an adult and needed to make the choices herself.
To lose what she perceived as family, the people who were supposed to love her, and try to dig herself out of the devastation would happen on her own time. She was a strong woman who'd survived on her own before it was socially acceptable and she'd need to find the strength to forge on with her life, knowing that she had first belonged to a different family.
"I'll work." She blinked and lifted her head. "Peer needs the help."
He pulled her into a sitting position. Brad and Tony Reed couldn't kill her giving spirit. She'd spent a lifetime putting who she believed were her brothers first, and even in her darkest moment, she wanted to make life easier for Peer as he struggled with being a single father.
"Up you go." He pulled her to her feet.
Wrapping her warm body in his arms, he inhaled deeply when his cock reacted to having her against him. He kissed the top of her head. "Do you want another shower?"
Earlier, she'd cried hard enough she couldn't catch her breath. He'd taken her into the shower. It was the only thing he could think of to help calm her down. The warm water had worked its magic and relaxed her enough for her to sleep.
She shook her head. "I'll just get dressed. What time is it?"
"Six o'clock."
"Shit." She pressed her hand to her forehead. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
He let her get ready for work, keeping an eye on her. If she showed any sign of not being able to handle working tonight, he'd take her out of the bar. Even if he had to serve drinks in her place and make an ass of himself, he'd give her that.
With the ride to surprise Brikken in front of him, he wanted to have everything and everyone at the clubhouse in a good headspace. Nobody could let down their guard. The shipment leaving the Seattle Chapter for Norway needed to
