What They Didn't Know

Chapter 2

Chase's POV

The weight of the skin was heavier than the ski jacket I was used to wearing. The supple leather was cool to the touch on the outside, but worn soft on the inside.

It had been my dad's.

I trailed my hand across the patches and thought of him. I wondered where he was; could he see me right now caressing his vest? Would it bother him to see me wearing it? He had never wanted this life for me, always trying to shelter me from its people and their activities.

When mom left with her new husband, I stayed behind. After losing our father, she didn't cope well. Being alone was something my mother had never experienced. She and my father had been high school sweethearts; together for more than 2 decades. While hurt that my company wasn't enough, I still understood that my mother needed someone to anchor her. It was a role I couldn't fulfill. Wanting nothing more to do with this world, my mom found herself a new guy.

As an English professor at a small, Quaker university outside of Philadelphia, Harold couldn't have been more different than what my mom was used to and that was perfect for her. She was in a place where she needed the quiet. A life free from the pain and heartache that went along with being married to a motorcycle club's leadership. Landing a job as a librarian's assistant at Harold's university fulfilled that need perfectly. I couldn't tell if mom truly loved Harold or the potential lifestyle he represented for her. Either way, she was gone and I found myself alone needing to make decisions about my future.

I missed my mother. I wished she was here to guide me, but I took comfort in the fact that she was no longer in danger. I know the Cross's reach could extend to her new neck of the woods, but with no reason to go after her, they'd let her leave. It was her husband they'd wanted. With him dead, she was now useless to them. Sure, they'd accepted her too, but she was an added bonus, never the real prize.

As I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room I questioned myself; what did I want?

Uninitiated, I had a choice to make; join the club or go my own way.

There was a lot of pressure to join, of course, but at my age I still had some time to decide. Not much, but a few months at least.

Sighing, I slipped my right arm out of Dad's skin and grabbed a hanger with my left. Placing the jacket back in my closet I stared at it before closing the doors softly. I ran my hand through my hair and scratched the back of my head with my eyes closed.

Unresolved, I turned to grab my bag from the bed before leaving for classes. Once outside, and knocking the kickstand out from under my bike, I revved the engine before racing down the street towards my future.