Secrets We Keep (Ruthless Sinners MC 3)

I remained silent as Eric moved into the living room and placed another small object behind a picture frame on the mantle. Once he had it positioned the way he wanted, he turned to look at me. “This wasn’t something the young prince wanted—not for his child—his flesh and blood, but he had no choice. His parents forced his hand. Threatened to take away his inheritance if he didn’t agree, so he did the only thing he could. He allowed his parents to give his child away, but that didn’t mean he just forgot about the fact he had a daughter. No. The powerful prince never once forgot about what had been taken from him—his dear, precious daughter.”

There was something about the way he said “precious daughter” that sent a fearful chill down my spine. Again, I was tempted to ask why he was telling me such an odd story, but deep down, I think I already knew the answer. I was just too afraid to admit it. Eric continued to talk as he entered my bedroom. “While he never made his presence known, he kept tabs on her, and even though it wasn’t a life as luxurious as his own, he made sure she was well taken care of.”

Eric stepped back into the room and continued, “You see, the young father was just biding his time—waiting for the right moment to step back into his daughter’s life. A few years back, he learned his daughter was looking to make a move. She started researching different cities around the South, and he started to wonder if his chance had finally come.”

“Wait...What are you saying?”

“Just listen to the story.” He glared at me with the eyes of a killer as he continued, “Twenty-two years had passed since the young prince was forced to give up his firstborn. Any other man might’ve given up hope after such a long time, but not this father. No. He was determined and would use any means necessary to find a way into his daughter’s life—even if it meant sending her fake emails about a city he’d recently moved to. You see, he’d moved to Nashville to broaden his business and wanted his daughter to be there with him.”

“Are you saying I’m this man’s daughter?”

“See, you’re finally getting it. I knew you were a smart girl.”

“But who is my father, and why would he want me to be in Nashville?”

“Because he wanted you to be close. He was establishing his empire here. He wanted you here so you could reap in the benefits of all his hard work.” Eric walked back over and sat down at the table next to me. “That’s why he tracked your every move from San Antonio.”

“If he was watching me all this time, why wouldn’t he just make his presence known? Why wouldn’t he just tell me who he was?”

“He was waiting for the right time. He knew it was important for you to feel like you’d created this little life of yours all on your own, but as he watched you apply for one job after the next, he knew he’d have to intervene. You weren’t going in the right direction ... You weren’t following his plan. That’s when he decided you needed a little push and put a flyer for Crockett’s on your car window.”

“Crockett’s? Why would he do that?”

“So you could make nice with the grandmother.”

“What?” I gasped. “Why would he want that? What does Gladys have to do with any of this?”

“It had nothing to do with Gladys or her bar. It was all about her grandson and his friends.” His eyes never left mine as he said, “Your friendship with the grandson gave us the in we needed to their MC.”

“I’m not understanding any of this.”

“You need to take a step back. Try and see the bigger picture.” He leaned forward, his eyes fierce as they locked on mine. “Nashville is a flourishing city. It’s in a prime location for any emerging business. Your friends, the Ruthless Sinners, know just how prosperous this city can be, and they’ve done everything in their power to claim this territory as their own. Such arrogant assholes. They should’ve known this city wasn’t theirs to claim.”

“No! You have them all wrong. I know them. The Ruthless Sinners are good men,” I argued. “They watch out for one another and the people they care about. They were watching out for me.”

“You’re wrong. It was your father who was looking out for you, and if you think these men are good, then you’re a fool.”

“And how would you know anything about them?”

“It’s my job to know...but I digress. We were discussing your father.”

My head was spinning from all the nonsense Eric was dishing out. I just wanted him to spell things out and tell me exactly what I had to do with this crazy story of his. Even though I was putting my life in danger, I held up my hand and snapped, “Just stop. Tell me who my father is or just go.”