Chapter 12
1197 Words
Cole
"What the f**k is that on your back, Harley?" I asked again as she stared at me, mouth opening and closing like a demented goldfish.
"What do you mean?" She responded with a question of her own, feigning ignorance.
I took a step toward her, noticing her taking a step backward in response. I wasn't trying to scare her, but I was struggling to contain the emotions bubbling up inside me.
"You know exactly what I mean, Harley," I stepped forward again, trapping her against the back of the sofa. "Why do you have that tattoo between your shoulder blades?"
The tattoo of a tree covered in blossoms and surrounded by a tribal styled border taunted me. It was so much like my own snow covered tree, and Alana's fruit laden one.
Harley's eyes darted around the room, obviously looking for an easy escape.
"Answer me, dammit!" I heard myself shout, gripping her upper arms with my hands. "Why do you have a similar tattoo to mine? Why do you have one like the one I'd presume April would have?"
Her bright blue eyes flashed and turned the colour of stormy seas. I could feel something pulsing through my hands on her arms, an undercurrent of power I could not ignore.
"I don't know!" Harley shouted back, pushing against my chest until I let her go.
I stumbled backwards, the realisation hitting me like a ton of bricks that Harley was actually April. It all made sense now, why I couldn't keep my hands off of her, why I felt like I'd known her all my life, why my powers seemed so uncontrollable lately.
She was April.
Seeing the internal battle waging within my mind, Harley took the chance to escape, barricading herself in her bedroom as I just stood there putting all of the pieces together. Completely dumbstruck.
It took a few moments before I realised that my phone was vibrating in my pocket and pulled it out, Junior's name flashing across the screen. Taking a deep breath, I stepped outside as I answered it, deciding some fresh air might clear my mind a bit.
"Hey man," I answered, sitting down on the grass and leaning against the white picket fence.
"Hey, I thought I'd just check up and see if that girl is okay. Sorry about Julian, he is a royal douche on the best of days but kicks it up a few notches when he's drunk. Our Charter leader is having it out with him at the moment. Apparently her dad is some big shot who no one wants to tangle with…" Junior's voice trailed off and I realised he'd probably said more than he should have.
"Yeah, she will be okay. She's more angry with me than with anyone else at the moment anyway," I laughed humorlessly and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.
"But you helped her…" I could tell Junior was flabbergasted.
"Yeah, but there's other things going on between us."
"Ah, okay. Anyway, it was great to meet you today. If you're ever in the city, give me a shout," he sounded a lot more cheerful than he had at the start of the conversation.
"Will do, man. And thanks for checking in on Harley."
With that, I ended the call and stared blankly at the front door until the rumble of bikes in the distance drew my attention moments before five motorcycles pulled into the driveway. I stood up and approached them, noticing Jay, Hank, Paul and Garth as they got off their bikes. It took me a few moments before I recognized Tanner in the background, resting his helmet on his bike.
The fact that Harley was actually April still spun in my head and I was furious that this wannabe beach boy didn't protect her.
My fist seemed to fly faster than my brain though and I punched him in the jaw as he passed me, following behind the four men.
"What the hang was that for?" Tanner asked, glaring at me.
"You left her to fend for herself," I shot back, heading to the house.
The men had stopped and watched the exchange but didn't get involved when they saw that our altercation didn't erupt into a full blown fight. I guess with them all being hardcore bikers, a few punches here and there are normal.
Harley had obviously heard the bikes too because she was standing in the kitchen next to the kettle as it boiled by the time we all entered, looking as blasé as could be. The fact she was now in track pants and a t-shirt was missed by no one though.
"You okay, angel?" Jay asked, pulling her into his arms and kissing her temple.
Shit… he wasn't her real dad. That thought hadn't even crossed my mind until that moment.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled somewhat weakly at him and hugged him back.
She poured everyone mugs of coffee as everyone sat around the table. I noticed Jay resting his head in his hands, a stance which seemed out of place in such a self-assured man.
"So what now? Our opportunity to find Jason at the rally is now lost." Paul said, shovelling spoons of sugar into his coffee.
"It's not like one of us would have been able to talk to him there anyway," Garth responded, leaning back in his chair.
Tanner leaned forward, reaching for a muffin Harley had just set on the table. "You know, we could help you if you actually told us what you were needing."
His words seemed to spark something in the older men and they looked at each other, as if contemplating whether to get us involved or not.
I glanced over at Harley but she was definitely avoiding my gaze, sticking on the other side of the table from where I sat.
"Come on, Pops. It's not like we're kids anymore," Tanner said as he looked over at Paul - and I could suddenly see a slight resemblance. No wonder why Jay trusted Harley with him!
Jay sighed and slammed his fist on the table, making the coffee cups jump a little and coffee lapped up against the edges, threatening to spill.
"Fine! I'm looking for my son, he's joined the Rebels and I want to get him out of it. I haven't spoken to him or my ex wife since I was imprisoned - at least not unless it was through my lawyer. Now Jason is getting mixed up with the same group which led to me getting arrested in the first place!"
Jay grumbled and stood up, taking a file out of a drawer and throwing it on the table in front of us. It fell open revealing basic information about Jay's son - where he currently lived, known associates and most importantly, a picture of him. The picture of the young man was taken from a distance, clearly by some private investigator or some such person. And yet, the face was unmistakable.
For the second time in an hour, I was dumbstruck. It was as clear as day, Jason and Junior were the same person.
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