Page 14 of Fury (The Dark Angel’s MC #3)

She continues, “I-I, I was pregnant, Nyx,” I turn to her in shock, “The night I was raped I was pregnant, and I lost it because of the trauma, including any chance of carrying again so when Brick accused me of cheating, I shut down but when he screamed that he had a daughter, I-I,” she shakes her head, pain etching her features, “I felt like I couldn’t breathe because that should have been my child and because of a jealous woman I saw him flirt with over the years before that, giving her the green light to do what she did, I lost my baby. ”

“Anna,” I choke, and her tears fall.

“I only went to the trailer that day because I wanted nothing more than to hit Melissa, but then I heard a scream, and I didn’t think, I just ran,” she admits as she wipes away her tears.

“When I went inside, Melissa was holding a bat cackling, and Skylar was crying in her room. The trailer was dirty and smelly, and I…. God.”

She shakes her head, the pain of that day showing a cross on her face, and I breathe heavily as I link my fingers behind my neck.

She states, “She said they’d report Brick for rape if I tried to take her, so I did the next best thing and kept Skylar away from that trailer as much as possible, giving her everything she needed, and for years it worked until it didn’t. ”

“What happened?” I growl, a sinking feeling churning, and she swallows, her throat bobbing.

“I’d just dropped her off after I thought Melissa was passed out, and she walked inside, but something didn’t sit right with me.

Call it a mother's intuition, but I had a horrible feeling, and I went in after her to see a man attacking her, trying to pull her jeans down,” she explains, and my blood boils.

Her tears fall again as she chokes, “I didn’t think, I attacked him to get him off her but when he turned around, I was shocked.

Eight years and not once did I see him, Sky only calling him Melissa’s boyfriend,” she wipes away her tears, “I froze when he gloated about what he did to me, that their plan worked.”

“He’s fucking dead,” I sneer, pissed Brick allowed Peter to live.

“He already is,” she shocks me, “Skylar grabbed the bat Melissa used on her before I came on the scene, and she hit him over and over until he was dead. She was sixteen Nyx, sixteen, and she killed him.”

Fuck .

I stumble back, pure shock etching me at her truths.

She saved her, she saved her mother.

Anna sniffles, “I got rid of the body, burning it before I got Skylar an apartment the next day, using money from what my parents left me, ensuring enough was left for Skylar’s education and the business start-ups but Nyx, she’s heard the rumors around town.”

I flinch, looking away for a moment before I look back and confirm, “You are part of the reason why she wants fuck all to do with Blade and Brick because of how they’ve treated you.”

She nodded as she wiped away her tears and chokes, “I’ve tried to convince her otherwise, but I-I…”

I finish her sentence, “You are her mother.”

“A role I am blessed to gain from her,” she whispers, and I nod.

“Thank you, Mama Lopez, for becoming someone most women in your position would run from and making that girl yours,” I rasp, and she nods and says, “I’ve been in her ear a lot, encouraging her bond with Tate.

She’s yours, Nyx, which is why I was so disappointed in you for hurting her the way you did.

Just don’t let me down, don’t hurt her again. ”

I walk over to her and kiss her cheek before muttering, “I promise I won’t, and get ready to walk your daughter down the aisle…”

She snorts but nods, and I walk to the door before I state, “Your past is safe with me until you are ready,” and she replies, “Thank you.” And I walk out, meaning every word.

This club, Brick, has taken enough from that woman, and she deserves to hold onto her past until she’s ready to let it out. My only fear is Brick and Blade will lose her when she does tell all. She already has one foot out the door.

Brick stands up straight near the bar, but I shake my head at him and continue walking, passing Blade, but I don’t make eye contact, anger for Anna burning through me.

I understand he needed to stand by his dad, but not the way he has.

He’s talked down to Anna over the years, accused her of shit, believed the rumor mill, punishing her over shit that never fucking happened.

If I stop and speak to him, I’ll most likely hit him for my girl and her mama.

I sigh as I turn off my bike and eye the diner, my gaze going to the back table in the large window, and my heart aches at the sight of Tate laughing with Skylar, who is gently tickling her. Her heart is so fucking good, I don’t deserve her, but I’m taking her anyway, for me, for our daughter.

Nodding, I climb off my bike and walk to the door, heading inside. I lift my hand to Lily, the high schooler earning extra bucks, and make my way to the back of the diner, Tate’s giggles echoing around me, soothing me.

Skylar notices me first, and her brows furrow, most likely seeing my tension, but I don’t stop my stride, my eyes taking her in.

Fuck she’s gorgeous.

Her hair’s down and wavy, her blazer on the bench seat beside her while her blouse hugs her generous tits that I fucking miss sucking.

“Hey, sugar plum,” I say when I get close, and Tate’s big green eyes come my way, her grin wide.

“Daddy!” she cheers, and I smile tightly as I round the table and kiss her head before leaning over and kissing Skylar’s.

“Hey, precious,” I mumble against her head, inhaling her lavender scent before taking a seat opposite her and grabbing Tate’s coloring book from her bag, needing her distracted for a moment. I place it on the table before her, then her crayons, and I say, “Can you color something for your daddy?”

She nods and opens her book, making me smile before I look at Sky to see her frowning at me with confusion.

Fuck, this girl is all heart, and knowing what she did at sixteen for Anna, makes me love her even more.

I place my elbows on the table and link my hands together before resting my chin on them, and I ask, “How was your day, precious?”

She tilts her head and admits, “Amazing, Tate helped me with my clients today, keeping them sweet.” My lips tilt, and she asks, “Are you okay? Did you have to work on old man Trivers’ car again?”

I hum, not surprised she knows about the Chevrolet, she and Ivy are close.

She’s been to the hospital a lot for Ivy, but always when the brothers are not around. I guess when your mother is a clubwhore, and you’ve been given the title of patch chaser for that association alone despite not having a relationship with her, she’s not going to want to be around the brothers.

“No, I didn’t. Venom’s bike needed attention,” I admit as I look over her features and I say, “I love you, Skylar,” and her mouth parts, “I love you so much, and I am so fucking proud of you.”

She furrows her brows and assesses me before side-eyeing Tate, then looks back at me and whispers, “You spoke to Mama…”

I nod and lean forward, grabbing her hand, and I rasp, “You are brave, strong, and so fucking special for what you did for her,” I squeeze her hand, my emotions taking over, “Not only did you allow her into your heart, to be the mother you always wanted but you slayed her demon, refusing to allow the people, your biological family, into your life, to hurt her even more.”

Skylar’s eyes tear up and she chokes, “She’s my mama, Nyx, my whole world. She saved me and shaped me into who I am today.” She breathes heavily as she admits, “I hate them for how they treated her, and I’ll never forgive them.”

I nod and whisper, “I know you are angry. Anna knows it too, but never say never because your heart is gold, precious.”

“For Mama, my heart will stay hardened,” she admits, and I nod, squeezing her hands tighter, knowing I can’t change her feelings over the situation.

Don’t go hurting a girl’s mama, plain and simple, especially one who took on someone else’s child while trying to protect her husband who didn’t deserve it.

Sky sniffles and then asks, “Are you going to out her past?”

I shake my head because I won’t do that, not just to her but to Anna, and I mutter, “Her secrets are safe with me until she’s ready, your secret is safe with me.”

Her bottom lip wobbles, and I fucking hate it.

I lift her hand to my mouth, and I press my lips to it as she tries to control her emotions.

I meant what I told her, she will learn to trust me again, one way or another, because I won’t lose her. Anna won’t allow her to walk away from me either her facilitating a bond with Tate is proof of that.

I look at Sky and see her eyes on Tate, who is happily coloring while Lily comes and takes our orders, and I spend the rest of the evening with my girls, proving to Skylar that I won’t ever give up.

She’s mine, always.