Page 22

Jake

D ealing with Trish was the easy task of the day. It’s the least personal of the things that we need to deal with. This next task is going to be so much harder on Flash, and as much as I know me being here with him will help, I know he could use all the support he can get, which is why when we were leaving Trish’s house, I sent a text to my brothers and asked them to watch Micah and to send Piston to Flash’s childhood home.

As we pull up outside the house that Flash grew up in, I see the MC’s SUV that Piston was driving earlier parked in the driveway next door. I smile at his forethought of parking in his parents drive; him being there isn’t even remotely out of place, and nobody will suspect anything.

“What’s Piston doing here?” Flash asks me as he dismounts his bike and looks towards me.

“I asked my brothers to watch Micah and send him this way. I know this isn’t going to be easy for you. I figured having a little extra support wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“Thank you. As much as I want to destroy Raymond’s world for what he’s done, I hate that I’m about to blow up my Mom’s in the process. She doesn’t deserve any of this, but I can’t let him keep doing this to her.”

“I know, babe. Which is why you not only have me here to support you, but your brother from another mother too. I also have a feeling Piston may want to get his own shots in on Raymond for how he’s treated your Mom.”

“You’re not wrong.” Piston says, entering the conversation. “Momma Iz is amazing, and I hate that fucker for treating her this way.”

“Let’s go deal with this fucker then and help your Mom however she needs us to before we head home to Micah.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Flash says, and I watch a mask fall over his face. The only indication of his anger right now is his eyes. They are blazing with the fury he’s feeling. The rest of his face is stoic. I know that’s not going to last, though. He’s going to explode at Raymond sooner rather than later. It’s only a matter of time.

Unlike when we arrived at Trish’s place, there is no knocking on the door this time. Instead, Flash just opens the door and enters with us right on his heels. He shouts out a greeting of hello as he walks towards the sound of who must be his mother, who shouts back in greeting.

When we enter the room, I see an older woman with the same green eyes and brown hair as Flash; she gives him such a beautiful smile that despite knowing what is about to happen, I can’t help but smile myself. Her smile is so much like her eldest son’s when he’s genuinely happy. Whereas the man sitting in the room looks much more like Micah, with the same baby blue eyes and dark blonde hair. He doesn’t even look up from his newspaper at his son’s entrance, and even without knowing everything I do about the man, I’d have disliked him just for that fact.

“Deacon, I wasn’t expecting a visit today, and you brought friends. Obviously, I know Taylor, but who’s this?”

“Hey Mom, this is Jake; he’s my partner. I wasn’t planning on visiting, but something has come up that we need to talk about.”

“What do you mean he’s your partner? I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

“It’s new, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.” Flash stops turning his attention away from his Mom and towards his father. “Raymond put the fucking paper down.” Flash says, voice filled with anger.

I watch his Mom as he speaks, and I see the shock overtake her previously relaxed features. I also notice the moment she goes to say something, but Piston must catch it too, as from the corner of my eye I see him shake his head no to her. She clearly trusts him, as she stops herself from speaking, even though it’s clear she wants to say something to Flash about how he just spoke to his father.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to like that? And why the hell are you calling me Raymond? I’m your father; treat me with some respect.”

Oh shit. This is going to go downhill fast. Flash moves like, well, a flash towards the man he shares half his DNA with, and for the first time I see just why he was nicknamed Flash even before he became a member of Devil’s Inferno. He’s on his father in the blink of an eye, pulling him from his seat and pushing him up against the wall with his hand against his throat.

“I lost all respect for you yesterday, you piece of fucking shit. I’m going to give you one fucking chance to tell my mother what you’ve been doing all these years, and if you don’t, I’ll be doing it for you, and you won’t fucking like what I have to say.”

“I. I. I. Don’t know. What you’re talking about.” He manages to splutter out even though Flash is slightly cutting off his airway with his hand.

“I’ll give you one hint. Trish.” Flash gives Raymond a small shake, though I have a feeling he’d much prefer to just punch him.

Raymond’s eyes go wide with shock and terror. He knows that Flash knows something about his double life, and I can literally see as he tries to come up with some spin on the story in his head. That would be the wrong move; Flash isn’t going to stand back and allow this man to play his mother any longer.

“What the hell is going on? Who’s Trish? Why are you attacking your father, Deacon? This isn’t like you at all.”

Flash releases Raymond and takes a small step back, turning to face his Mom. The anger on his face is now mixed in with the pain he’s feeling for her.

“Trish is just someone from my past. I have no idea why he’s coming in here and acting this way.” Raymond spouts off, and both Piston and I groan. We both know that was the wrong move to make.

We’re proven right when Flash spins on his father once again and sends him flying into the wall with one punch to the jaw. I hear his Mom gasp at his actions, but Flash’s entire focus is on Raymond. As I turn my attention towards her, I see her attempting to get up to head towards them, but Piston cuts her off.

“Someone from your past. That’s the bullshit you’re going to spew out, old man. She couldn’t be more in your fucking present if you tried. She’s the goddamn mother of your other kids! She’s the woman you’ve been living a second fucking life with behind my mother’s back!”

“You’ve lost your mind. I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, Isabella; he’s lost it.”

Looking at Flash I can see he’s ready to murder Raymond. He’s had more than enough of the utter crap coming out of the man’s mouth, and I can’t say I blame him. I’ve had enough of it too. It’s not like we don’t have more than enough proof to prove everything he’s saying is bullshit, but before any of us have the chance to say anything, the front door slams open, and we hear footsteps pounding our way.

We all look towards the doorway to see who has just entered the house, and I don’t think I’m the only one more than a little bit surprised by who is here. I don’t think any of us expected Blaze and Shock to make an appearance, and if the looks on their faces are anything to go by, they are just as angry at Raymond as Flash is. What the hell is going on?