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Sunny sighed. “We’re no fuckin’ closer, and Primal has information that I think we need.”

“Maybe call in today and see if there’s any change with that asshole?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the heads-up. If you need an extraction, let us know. We’ll come, guns blazing.”

“Take care of Callie.” Sailor hung up.

Sunny punched in the hospital number and requested Primal’s ward.

“Mr Barlowe, how are you? I’ll call Mrs Rogers for you, she has news,” the nurse replied, and the line went quiet.

“Sunny?” Belinda asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Jed has been stirring. Not much, but they think he is coming out of the coma. He has said your name,” Belinda stated.

“How long before he’s awake?”

“Anytime today. Someone called Chance wanted to visit from Hellfire MC. I denied him access as I do not know him, but Jed was once part of their club, should I let him in?”

“Shit, no! Don’t tell anybody from Hellfire anything.

Listen, Belinda, Primal was an asshole. A total cunt, you might know a different man from me, but the rest of us remember how he was.

Hellfire has a problem with him. Don’t let anyone from Hellfire visit.

It could impact your safety as well. You seem a nice lady despite who you married, I would not like to see you get harmed. ”

Belinda stopped talking at Sunny’s words. After about thirty seconds, she spoke. “Come to the hospital, Sunny.” Sunny wanted to tell her to get fucked, but his manners wouldn’t let him. Sure, she’d made a colossal error in who she married, but she was nice.

“Soon.”

“I’ll be here,” Belinda replied and said goodbye.

“Will you be okay?” Cherry asked from behind him.

“Didn’t hear you approach, Mom.” “No, I can be quiet when I need to. How do you think I snuck Santa’s presents past you as a kid?”

Sunny chuckled. “First me, then Liv. Don’t deny you did not love playing Santa.”

“I loved seeing the look on your faces at Christmas. Liv still has a sack at the end of her bed.”

Sunny laughed even harder. “That doesn’t surprise me. You made Christmas magical. Thank you for that and the memories.”

Cherry smiled and then sobered. “You didn’t answer my question. Will you be okay visiting Primal?”

“Yeah. Gonna have to be, Mom. Somehow, that asshole may have information I need. If he’s playing me for a fool, then I’ll deal with him. And no new fuckin’ wife will stop me putting a bullet in that man. I don’t care how much Belinda claims Primal might’ve changed.”

“How do you feel about Belinda?” Cherry asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

“I’ve no feelings for her. Woman might be nice, but she’s nothing to me but a stranger. Ain’t going to be playing happy families with her,” Sunny growled.

“Primal has a whole other family. That makes them yours too,” Cherry pushed.

“The fuck it does. They’re his victims, too.

Primal will never be family to me, nor will his new one.

They’re strangers, and Belinda seems to be in denial with what he did.

And if mentioned, she excuses it. I don’t want that in my life.

I have pity for her and a sense of obligation to warn her, and that is it.

Primal was nothing more than my sperm donor, and Bullet was my dad. That’s all I need to know.”

Cherry glanced at Sunny for several long moments before nodding. “Okay, son. I’m going to take Callie fishing.”

Sunny looked at Cherry, aghast. “After yesterday?”

“Today can’t be worse.”

“How much do you want to bet on that?” Sunny asked, thinking of the previous day’s shenanigans.

“Dinner tonight,” Cherry shot back.

“You’re on!”

◆◆◆

Sunny parked at the hospital and looked around.

Diaz had driven around several times before he chose a parking space and hadn’t seen anything relating to Hellfire.

Sunny headed for the ward and the room Primal was in.

There were doctors and nurses bustling about, but nobody questioned him as he let himself into Primal’s room.

He saw the reason why when Belinda and another man turned to look at him.

“Sunny! Thank you for coming, this is my son, Ronnie,” Belinda said softly.

“He awake?”

Belinda looked a little disconcerted at his abruptness. “No, not yet, but the doctors think anytime soon. Jed is restless, and his eyelids keep fluttering as if he’s trying to wake up. He will be glad to see you.”

Sunny shook his head. “Belinda. I know what you’re attempting.

But that man is an abusive cunt. He’ll never be a part of my family or anyone I spend time with.

You seem a nice lady, and I’m sorry for you.

One day, his true colours will rear their head again, and you’ll be on the end of it.

My advice is, run now. While he is unconscious, get away from him.

He’s a piece of shit and will always be. ”

Ronnie stiffened, and his face turned angry. “Dad’s a good man, he has flaws, but he is the best dad in the world.”

Sunny snorted in disbelief. “Dude, you don’t know anything. I suggest you shut up and worry about your mom.”

“What would you know about him?” Ronnie wouldn’t stop.

“What do I know? I know Jed burned my mom with cigarettes for shits and giggles.

Mom has the scars to this day. Jed beat her with a buckled belt, leaving scars on her back.

In front of an entire clubhouse, he shaved her bald and knocked her unconscious.

He also forced her to get on her knees and give him a blow job in front of a crowd of people.

When Mom refused, Jed punched two teeth out and fucked her mouth anyway.

“ Jed broke several of my bones before my real dad could get to me. He locked me in a cellar for days as a baby and nearly killed me. My mom was in hospital unconscious, as he’d beaten her black and blue beforehand.

Jed also burned me with cigarettes, I was three weeks old at the time.

And another incident I have the scars from is where he rode his bike around the clubhouse grounds and dragged me behind him.

An hour after that, he attacked the president of the club and Primal was removed for good.

“Actually, he wasn’t. He ran like the coward he is.

If my dad had got hold of him, Primal would have been dead.

Don’t stand there and tell me the guy you idolise is a good man.

My mom and I have far too many scars from Primal to ever believe that.

I am not here to play happy families. I’m here to get the information he has, and then Primal can slink back under whatever stone he crawled out of,” I snarled.

Belinda and her son had gone pale as I recited some of the injuries Mom and I had got.

“It was the drink,” Belinda muttered.

“Dad doesn’t drink anymore. He has been sober for years,” Ronnie added.

“Fuck the excuses. You’re telling me that booze was responsible for his actions.

Jesus, take the rose-coloured glasses off.

I know plenty of alcoholics who don’t abuse people.

The fact he did is because he is evil, and he got off on it.

I can give you a long line of witnesses to his level of depravity.

Booze might have been the trigger, but those actions came from him. ”

“He’s never touched me,” Belinda muttered, her face still pale. “And he told me about how he treated you and your mom.”

“And you exposed him to your kids? Lady, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Sunny exclaimed, horrified.

“Jed wanted to make amends,” Belinda argued.

“What could he possibly do to make things better for my mom? Take away her scars? Her nightmares? How about her sense of failure that she did not protect me? We’re never going to see eye to eye on him, and the truth is, I pity you all.

Because he’ll blow, that’s the man you married.

Primal has information he claims I need.

Once I have that, you’ll not see me again. ”

Belinda shook her head, but Ronnie looked concerned. “I didn’t know the circumstances. Dad admitted he was very abusive but never told us that. I’m sorry.”

“Watch your mom carefully. I don’t believe for one second that the evil in him is gone.”

Ronnie nodded, his face still pale, but he was listening. That was all Sunny could ask for. As much as he wanted to believe Primal had changed, the memories were hard to deny.

“Sunny…” Primal muttered, and their heads turned to the bed.

“Jed?” Belinda said hopefully, and her face lit up. Sunny shook his head. There was no helping some people.

“Sunny.”

“Dad, wake up,” Ronnie urged.

Primal’s eyelids fluttered, but his eyes remained closed.

An hour passed, and Sunny waited patiently. Finally, Belinda and Ronnie headed out to get some lunch.

“You are the biggest piece of shit I knew, and considering we just fought Fury and his cronies, that’s saying something,” Sunny said to Primal.

“It takes a special kind of cunt to do the stuff you did. I would love to say I don’t feel anything for you, but there’s a load of hate.

That will never fade. You might have your new family snowed, but not me, I know what resides in your heart, I’ve seen it too many times.

You’re nothing but a cunt, Primal, the lowest of the low, and if you were on fire, I’d pour gasoline on you. ”

Primal’s eyes fluttered opened. “Hate… me.”

“I fuckin’ loathe you,” Sunny agreed.

“Who shot Enigma? Who is behind my shooting? Tell me who the last traitor in Hellfire is,” Sunny demanded.

Primal blinked, and his mouth worked as he tried to form words.

“Who is it!” Sunny repeated.

“Sunny… Levi…” Primal’s eyes closed, and Sunny stiffened.

Levi. Sunny had a name.