Barbie Btch (Rejects Paradise #3) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,51
crush her, but she needs to know the truth. She needs to know that it’s okay to move on.
Mom looks at me expectantly. She’s no fool, Colton’s hasty exit was anything but ordinary, but naturally, she’s far too polite to have pointed it out while he was still in the pool house. “What’s going on, Oceania?”
I cringe at hearing my full name and let out a heavy sigh. “There are some things you should know about Dad.” Mom’s brows take a dive and I continue on before my courage has a chance to fade away. “He’s not who he always led us to believe,” I explain. “I found out the other week when I went into Breakers Flats.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know how I was there during the drive-by when Kian was killed?” Mom nods and I let out a shaky breath. “Well, the reason I was there in the first place was because I found a file in Charles’ office with the Widows mark on the front and all this information on dad.”
“What information?” she demands, cutting me off.
“He was a Wolf, mom,” I say, feeling my insides twist with guilt. “Nic and the boys knew all along. He was a wolf.”
She shakes her head. “No. They’re lying. Your father hated gangs. They’re dangerous and only cause problems. He was in no way affiliated with them. He stayed far, far away from them. You know that.”
“No,” I say. “Trust me, I wish it weren’t true. I wish so badly that I could tell you that he was an innocent and loving man like he always made himself out to be, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t just a Wolf, Mom. He was second in command and their exterminator.”
Her face pales and in a flash of lightning, her hand smacks across my face with a sharp sting. I stare at her in horror, holding a hand to the side of my face and desperately trying to dull the ache. She’s never hit me before and it comes just as much as a shock to her that it is to me.
“Don’t you dare talk ill of your father like that,” she cries, standing in a panic and looking at me in horror for not only what she’s just done but for the truths I'm telling, fearing that I could be right.
I stand, brushing off the sting from her slap, knowing that the longer I hold onto my face, the more she’s going to hate herself and on top of what I’m telling her, she doesn’t need that too. “I swear to you, Mom. He was a killer, and apparently the best one on this side of the planet. They told me that he was ruthless, he killed for sport and not for a payday which made him the most sought after killer the Wolves and Widows had ever seen. Kian told me that he tried to recruit him all the time but he denied. He was loyal to the Wolves.” I let out a sigh and look straight into her eyes, letting her see my pure devastation. “He wasn’t a good man. He fooled us both.”
She shakes her head, tears pouring from her eyes. “No, that’s not the man I married. I would have known. If he was a Wolf, he never would have allowed those Widows to befriend you the way they did. He would have got rid of them as soon as they stepped into your life.”
“I know,” I tell her. “But he wanted to keep it secret. He wanted to protect us from that life and keep the target off our backs. You know my guidance counselor, Miss Davies? Her family is involved with the Wolves and when I had my meeting, she recognized my name and said that she knew my father. I didn't believe her at first but the more digging I did, the more I realized that she was right.”
“That meeting was weeks ago,” she says, her voice hitching up higher. “How long have you known about all of this? How long have you been keeping this from me?”
“I … I’m sorry. I just … I didn’t know how to tell you. I knew it would be hard and I didn't want it to crush you like it crushed me. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Mom stares at me, the horrified look still etched heavily into her features. “I just …” She shakes her head, looking at me with disappointment. “I can’t with you right