meeting.
I knew my mom would be on my side, but I also knew that my dad was going to
object, and probably strongly. I didn’t want Olivia to have to be there for the
argument. I was kind of hemming and hawing about
starting the conversation but was forced into it when my dad started to stand
up after saying, “I should probably go check on the supplies at the bar.”
“Hey Dad, wait. Can we talk for a minute before you
go?”
“Do you want me to leave?” my mom asked.
“No, I’d like to talk to you both if you have the
time.”
My dad settled back in and asked, “What’s up?”
“Okay, I know when you first hear this idea that
you’re not going to care much for it, but just hear me out, alright?”
They both nodded. My mom looked worried and my dad
just looked impatient. I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I’m just really
sick of all the drama and I’m sure everyone else is too. I need to get on with
my life, but I feel like I’m just stuck until I prove that I was falsely accused
and falsely imprisoned. I know who it was that set me up. I want to confront
them all at once, but I want it to be in front of plenty of witnesses. They
deserve a jury of their peers, right? So what I want,” I said, looking at my
dad whose impatient face suddenly looked like he knew what I wanted and he was
prepared to say no. “I want a club meeting. I want everyone there, even Brock
and his nomad crew. I want to confront them in front of all of their peers and
see if they have enough spines to admit what they’ve done.”
“No,” my dad said, as soon as I finished talking.
“Why not? It’s safer than him sneaking around trying
to do it himself. Look at him, Bull! They put him in prison and then they shot
him. All he’s asking for is a little help from you. All you have to do is call
the meeting.”
“You don’t know how any of this works,” he said to
my mom. “You only want to get in on it when Dax is a part of it.”
“Because I’m concerned about my son…our son,” she
said. “You should try it sometime.”
“Damn it Gail! Don’t you think I am concerned and
that’s why I don’t want him spouting his foolish accusations out loud? He’s
going to get his damn head blown off next time. He needs to just let this go
and move on with his life. Leave all of this in the past where it belongs.”
“Hey!” I startled them both. I really don’t think
either of them remembered that I was still in the room. “Still here, remember?
Listen, Dad. I’m not going to leave this
alone , until I prove that I’m innocent and that these men set me up. I’m not
going to walk away and let Blake, Terrance and Brock get away with this.”
“Will you stop that? You can’t just go around making
those kinds of accusations.”
“I’m not just making accusations. Brock admitted it
and so did Terrance and Blake shot me.”
I heard my mom’s sharp intake of breath. I really
hadn’t meant to say it in front of her, it had just come out. My dad was
glaring at me and my mother looked like she was going to be sick.
“Blake shot you?” she asked. Without waiting for an
answer, she looked at my dad and asked, “And you knew this?”
My dad continued to glare at me. He was waiting for
me to tell my mother that he was right there when it happened. I wasn’t going
to do it though. I was going to leave it up to him.
“Yes Mom, Blake shot me. He also set me up. Dad
doesn’t believe it though, do you?”
“No, I don’t believe that my best friend of
twenty-five years would set up my son.”
“But you do believe he shot him?” my mother asked,
looking confused.
“He saw him shoot me,” I said. My dad wasn’t going to
tell her. My mother really looked like she was going to be sick.
In a high pitched voice that she reserved for when
she was really freaked out, she said, “You brought him here just yesterday. You
son of a bitch! You had the man who shot my son sitting at my kitchen table
sipping coffee