Maybe it makes me a fool, but I still believe she’s the girl I think she is. Selfless, kind, and genuine, while still being incredibly strong. And I pray—pray though I haven’t prayed in years—that this is all one big fucked up coincidence. After the “Amen” leaves my lips, I pull in a fortifying breath and turn the knob.

The room’s dark, except for a stream of light that filters in from the bathroom. It highlights Ember as she sits stiff on the edge of the bed. Seeing her there, showered, dressed in my T-shirt, of pair of my boxers, and barefoot, has my skin tightening all over.

I want nothing more in this moment than to undress the both of us, pull her to the middle bed, and wrap her around me. Pretend I never learned where she came from.

I take two steps toward her, when movement and a red glow, the kind at the end of a lit cigarette, pulls my gaze to the shadowed corner. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust and for me to identify the man standing there. First by his cut, then his size, and lastly his features. When I do, my spine snaps straight.

“Mav,” Ember says with surprise and slowly rises to her feet. Her eyes, wide with fear, dart to Smoke behind her as she begins to wring her hands. “He’s uh . . . he knows my mother. He’s an old friend of hers, and we were . . . we were just catching up.”

Her reaction reeks of guilt. Stunned, I simply unravel the reality of what I’ve failed to see.

Every ounce of faith I was holding on to that Taz was wrong, evaporates like mist, and my memories start to rearrange themselves. Each one infected and remade with her true motivations.

Why the fuck couldn’t I see it before?

Because you forgot, red roses have thorns too.

“He’s an old friend of hers?”

“Yes.”

“An old friend or her ex-husband?”

Her eyes widen further and she sends a pleading look to Smoke like she’s seeking help on how to answer, or permission to answer.

WHAT THE FUCK?

The darkness I’ve tried to bury the last few days’, crashes into me. Turns my blood ice cold. Striding forward, I snake my hand into her hair and grip it. Use it to force her head back so her eyes lock with mine. I growl, “Don’t. Don’t you fuckin’ look at him. I asked you a question, and last I fuckin’ checked you were mine. So why the fuck would you look to him for an anything? Or is there somethin’ more going on that you need to tell me?”

Smoke takes a step toward us. My voice thick, I grate out, “You stay right the fuck where you are. This is between me and her.”

Ember places a hand on my arm. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

Wrenching her head back, I snap, “How about with the truth! Is Dean Pierce your father?”

She’s flinches and then fights to deny it. Her mouth opens and closes twice. When her shoulders deflate and eyes fill with defeat, I know I have my answer.

Even so, I direct my question to Smoke. I want to hear him say it. I need somebody to.

“Is he? And don’t lie to me or I’ll make sure any ties we have with the Greenbacks are cut, and the cleaning we do for you disappears.”

“Yes,” Smoke sneers. “But you’ve got this all wrong, boy.”

“I told you,” Taz voices behind me.

I close my eyes and grind my jaw.

Of course, he’d follow me.

“She’s one of them. Been playin’ us from the start.”

Opening my eyes, I turn to see his Glock aimed on Smoke. He moves fast across the room and shoves the barrel of his gun into Smokes temple.

“Hold a gun to a man’s head, you better be ready for the blowback that’s gonna have,” Smoke growls.

“I’m more than ready,” Taz responds as he clicks off the safety.

“Mav.” Her small hand lands on my stomach, slides up, finds its destination over my heart.

Peering down at her, my throat thick, I say, “Tell me the truth. Was it all an act?”

Her mouth tightens and her brows draw together. “Jesus, Mav. Is that really what you think?”

Grasping her arm, I shoot a pointed look at Smoke and then back to her. Digging my fingers into her wrist, I bark, “What the fuck else am I supposed to think?”

She winces under my grip, and the anguish covering her features has me confused as fuck. So does her temper as it ignites. She yanks her arm away, and then shoves me back. Fire lights up in her eyes. “How about for once you give me the benefit of the doubt. How about you trust me like you said you did. How about you give me a damn second to explain.”

“Then explain it to me, Doll. Make it make fuckin’ sense.”

“No!” She shoves me again. “Don’t you see? I shouldn’t have to.” Her face is flushed red with anger, but a tear and then another fall down her face. “I’ve already told you everything. I showed you who I am. I’ve shared things with you that I never shared with anybody. And every chance you get you believe the worst of me.”

“Do you know how bad this looks? Huh? Do you? I just find out he’s your father, and then I catch you in here meeting with him”—I point at Smoke—“behind my fucking back.”

Shaking her head, her voice softens. “Did you ever really see me? Because if you did, you’d know I’m not capable of what you’re accusing me of.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he was your father?”

“Because I didn’t know!”

“Bullshit.”

“Believe what the fuck you want. You always do.”

She closes her eyes, turns her head, as more tears trail down her face, and it fucking shatters me. “He was in here when I got out of the shower. I didn’t know he’d be here. And he wouldn’t let me leave.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe that? Fuck, even if I did, the club’s not going to.”

“All I have is my word. If that’s not good enough, then I guess we know where we stand.”

“Dammit, T! Put the damn gun down!” Griz yells as he comes up behind me. “I knew you couldn’t resist comin’ in here and doin’ somethin’ stupid.”

Smoke clears his throat. “Griz, they’ve got this all twisted. She’s not one of us. Before last night, I never even knew she existed. I saw her dance and couldn’t take my eyes off her. I’ve only seen one other woman dance like that and she looks just like her. I didn’t realize who’s she was until she told me her age.”

I turn slightly to see Griz nodding like that makes complete fucking sense. I recall how Ember danced and how it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Even in twenty, hell thirty years, yeah, I’d recognize it and be drawn in.

“Does Pappy know?” Griz asks Smoke.

“G, fuckin’ tell me you’re not believing this. This is bullshit,” Taz snarls.

“Does he know I know? No. Does he know about her himself? I don’t think so. Don’t think she’d still be breathin’ if he did. He wouldn’t leave evidence out there of what he did. I expect that’s why Tessa kept her hidden from the both of us.”

“You’re lying,” Taz growls. “Of course you fuckin’ knew. You’ve been usin’ her as your little whore and snitch from the moment she got here.”

“Whore and snitch?” Ember whispers. “Is that really what you think I’m here to do, Luce? Open my legs and whore myself out to get information? So last night and today? That was about me getting in your pants so I could learn something valuable that the Greenbacks could use? Is that it? Tell me then, Luce, what exactly did I learn about the club while you were between my legs?”

“Doll . . .”

“Don’t even.” She won’t meet my eyes, and that’s when I know I’ve lost her.

“You have to know how this looked.” My voice reeks of desperation.

“You promised me you’d let me go if this didn’t work out. Was that a lie? Because I want to leave.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Why? You still don’t believe me? You need to question me some more? Maybe lock me up until you’re satisfied that I’m not a threat.”

“Fuck!” I slam my fist into the wall and in doing so scare the fuck out of her. She lets out a yelp as if she thought I was aiming to hit her and darts away from me.