Shadow:Satan's Fury: Memphis Chapter(26)

"Is this sudden interest in my father because of me or something else?" I asked boldly.

"Both, but we will get to that later. Right now, I want to know how you ended up here in Memphis."

"I've got plenty to say where he is concerned. I'm guessing you want to know more than just the fact that he's a horrible human being, so I'll tell you what I know, and we can go from there."

I spent the next twenty minutes telling him everything I knew about my father, and I was amazed by his reaction or better yet, his lack of reaction. He didn't seem surprised by anything I told him. Hell, he didn't even bat an eye when I told him about my mother. It was like he expected something like that from him. I wish I had been so intuitive to know what a monster he could be, but I couldn't fathom something so horrific coming from my own flesh and blood. Once I was done, he said, "I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you. It had to be hard, even harder to get away from him. How did you pull it off for all these years?"

"You're right. It was hard. It took months of planning." I sighed as I thought back over those months of anguish. "It was just a few days after Christmas when I heard him talking about my mother. After that, I knew I had to get away from him. I pretended like everything was normal right up until the day I left for college, but nothing was normal. I was filled with hate and anger, and that's what kept me going. I managed to get a new social security card, a fake id, and everything else I'd need to disappear. Since I'd paid my tuition to USC in advance, I was able to get a refund when I withdrew. I used that money to get out of town. I traded my car and left for Memphis. That's when I met Hallie. You know the rest."

"Hmmm. Smart girl."

"I was desperate." I shrugged. "I would've done anything to get away from that man."

"Can't say I blame you there," Moose scoffed.

"So, now you understand why I can't go back there." I looked up at him as I said, "But please know  …  I never intended to bring my problems to your doorstep, and if you want me to leave, I'll go right now. I would certainly understand."

"Your father has been looking for you for years, right?"

"Apparently."

"How did he find you?"

"A photograph was taken of me during a concert at one of the local bars. He used that to track me down. I'm guessing he sent Berny to bring me back home."

"Is that the guy you tangled with at your book store?"

"Yes, sir."

"I gotta say, it was pretty impressive the way you handled him."

I smiled as I replied, "Marcus trained me well."

"Marcus?"

"He was one of the men who worked for my father, but he was one of the good ones. He was always looking out for me." I thought back to his visit and groaned when I remembered the envelope he'd given me. "He actually came to warn me that my father was coming for me. I should probably let him know what happened."

"Sorry, doll, but I can't let you do that. In fact, I need your cell phone and any other devices you might have on ya?"

"But why?"

Riggs turned and answered, "Because they can use them to track you. It will be even easier now that they know you're here in Memphis."

"Damn. I didn't know they could do that."

"Not many people do, but don't worry. Riggs will take care of it." He leaned forward with a serious expression on his face as he said, "I know today hasn't been easy for you, Alejandra and I don't want to add to that, but the club needs your help."                       
       
           



       

"My help? With what?"

"Dealing with your father." I could see the concern in his eyes as he explained, "Your father might be a heartless sonofabitch, but he's smart. He's spent his life making his business what it is, and now, he's got his sights set on Memphis."

I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice when I asked, "You know why I don't want him here, but why is it such a big deal for you?"

"Because his presence here endangers everything the club has worked for, and I can't let that happen." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Your father has to be dealt with before it's too late, but he hasn't been an easy man to track down. That's where you come in."

"So, you want me to help you bring down my father?"

"Yes." Before I could give him my response, he added, "But, let me be clear. I know you are important to Shadow, and that makes you important to me and all the brothers of Satan's Fury; so no matter what you choose to do here, we'll help you any way we can."

Without hesitation, I answered, "I'll do anything you want me to do."

"I need you to be sure about this."

"I'm sure," I assured him. "After what he did to my mother, he deserves whatever he has coming to him and more. I just need to know what you want me to do."

"Glad to hear you say that." He ran his hand over his thick goatee, slightly tugging on the end as he said, "Now, we just have to come up with a plan to draw him out, and then we can take things from there."

"That should be easy enough. Just use me as bait." The thought of seeing my father again made my blood run cold, but I knew it was the best way to get him to come forward. "I can reach out to him and tell him that I'm ready to come home."

I couldn't even finish my sentence before Shadow stepped forward, and the room fell silent when he growled, "No fucking way."

"But  … "

"No buts, Alex. I'm telling you now, there's no way in hell that's gonna happen."





Shadow





No one wanted Navarro taken down any more than I did. After all he'd done to my club and to Alex, there was nothing I wanted more. If given the chance, I'd wrap my fingers around his fucking throat and squeeze the life right out of him. Better yet, I'd spend a few hundred hours showing him the kind of pain that only a man like me could dish out. I just needed him within my reach, and then, he'd be finished, once and for all. We all wanted to be done with Navarro's bullshit, but using Alex to flush him out wasn't an option. While I knew she was willing to do anything to help bring her father down, just the thought of having her in harm's way made my stomach turn. I couldn't let that happen, but I could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't going to give up on the idea.

Her voice was strong and full of determination as she said, "Whether you like it or not, using me is the best way to get to my father, especially now when he's so adamant about getting me to come back home."

"There's got to be another way."

"I may not know much about how my father runs his business, but I do know that he's a man who doesn't like to lose. Right now, he's got his focus on winning me back. It only makes sense to use that to lure him out. Besides it's not like you won't be close by to make sure I'm safe."

Gus looked over to him and said, "She's got a point, brother."

"There's no way in hell that he's going to believe she's suddenly changed her mind and is willing to come back home," I argued. "He'd have to know that it was a trap."

"What if I gave him a good reason for changing my mind?"

"And what exactly would that be?" I roared. "You've said yourself that your father is a smart man. He's not going to buy into some bullshit that you've suddenly had a change of fucking heart and you are giving up your life here to go back home to him! There's no way he'll ever believe that, especially after what happened earlier today. Once he sees that his guy didn't make it back with you, he'll know something is up and he'll plan accordingly. You try this bullshit and there's no doubt that he'll turn the tables on you. Then, what are you going to do?"

Her eyes dropped to the ground as she mumbled, "Oh, well. I uh  …  I hadn't thought about that."

Gus could see that I was becoming irritated, so he interrupted our dispute by saying, "Hold on, you two. We're not getting anywhere like this. We need to take a step back and clear our heads. Why don't you take her back down to your room, and we can discuss this more in the morning?"                       
       
           



       

I nodded, then reached for Alex's hand and led her out of the office. I'd let my frustration get the best of me, and I tried to collect myself as she followed me back to my room. Unfortunately, I wasn't having much luck calming the storm of emotions that were raging inside of me, mainly because I'd never experienced anything like it before. I wasn't a man who had these kinds of feelings, and I had no idea how to deal with them. I glanced over at her, and I could see the concern in her eyes as we stepped into my room. She stopped, and without saying a word, she turned and looked at me, waiting for me to speak. I had so many things I wanted to say to her, but I just wasn't ready. I needed a moment to ground myself, so as I walked past her, I said, "I'm going to take a shower."