Road Chosen: Sequel Book 2

Chapter 21

**Thank you to all of you who have been reading this series - I appreciate you more than you know! I am so sorry for the delay. I've been busy the last two weeks on a different site trying to get all the editing done for Crossroads to enter it into a contest. My brain has been fried. If you haven't seen it already, I have added a few things to the last chapter that are a bit important. Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 21!**

Elena

"Elena, I'm surprised that you would like to talk with me. Please come in." Reverend Viper steps to the side of his office door while holding it open for me.

I nod, still a little unsure. The therapy sessions with Oreo have helped a little bit, but I think I'm ready for some more answers.

"Oreo is right over by the window soaking in the sun incase you'd like to kick me out for whatever reason." He smiles politely as I settle in the chair across from his desk.

"I appreciate that."

My nerves are kicking up. If I were wearing a Fitbit, I'm sure my heart rate would at least be in the hundreds.

I can do this. I will be okay.

He takes his seat after closing the door, and Oreo finally wakes up. His head c***s to the side as he stretches out of his position then trots over to me. Oreo's tongue is hanging out as he smiles and wags his tail so hard that his bum wiggles side to side.

"Hi, buddy." I greet the adorable dog by rubbing his ears and landing my forehead against his. He yawns then lays at my feet, probably sensing that I need all the encouragement possible.

You would think that this rush I'm feeling would make me feel a bit better, since lately, I've become a bit of an adrenaline junky. Unfortunately, this one feels more like nervous energy than adrenaline.

"I understand that lately, you've been in some trouble with the law." Viper gives me a sheepish smile. "Carol has been keeping me up to date of your extracurricular activities."

A small smile spreads on my face. "She has, huh?"

"The speeding surprised me, but the Muriel you added to the billboard sign of the corner's drugstore was awfully colorful," he jokes with the corner of his mouth turned up.

I shrink back in my chair and sigh. "I told Officer Malone that I think I enhanced the billboard... she didn't think it was so funny."

The billboard was an advertisement for men's hair growth. The night after I stayed with Mike, my head was all sorts of confused. I couldn't believe that my dad helped Mike with Isaac's body! I'm not sure I know who my dad was anymore; how could I still have feelings for a murderer?

After punching my pillow repeatedly, crying, screaming, and nearly pulling out my hair, I decided that I needed an outlet. I simply spray-painted colorful bushy rainbow color hair on the guy's head and gave him a really thick handlebar mustache. I thought it was completely harmless...

Someone caught me and called it in. The adrenaline was in the fact that I could get caught at any moment, never actually thought that I would. The only reason why no charges were filed against me was because there was no profanity or anything offensive.

"Although I am curious about why you're beginning to act out, this is your time, and we can talk about whatever you'd like." He leans back in his chair.

It's time, Elena. Whether he works for Marcus or not, you need answers. I take a breath. "You knew my dad? Elijah? At the funeral, you mentioned how you grew up together. I've never heard my dad mention a Viper before." Then again, there were a lot of things he failed to mention.

The Outlaws being one of them, amongst others, I'm sure.

He purses his lips and nods his head. "I did grow up with him, yes. I'm not at all surprised that he never mentioned me. We had a falling out almost eighteen years ago. I'm surprised he actually talked with me on Christmas Eve, happy, but surprised." He c***s his head as I begin to pick at my index fingernail.

"You know," he says. "I have that same bad habit." Viper lifts his hands so I can see his nails. They are jagged and short, like mine. He chuckles, "I have tried nearly my whole life to break it, just can't seem to."

I stop picking at my nail to look at them. "I tend to do it from being nervous," I spill.

"What are you nervous about?"

Looking up at him, I see concern forming in his eyes. "There are so many things that I want to talk about, but I'm not sure I can trust you. In the past, I have trusted too easily..."

"I see. Well, what can I do to help?" he asks.

Shifting in my seat, I decide to just ask about the elephant in the room. Well, it's an elephant for me. I've shared some of my story, and I recall how slightly shocked he was that my father hired someone like Mike to be my bodyguard while my father chased after a criminal. He also didn't say much about it, just listened, like the good listening ear that he is.

"Do you know anything about Marcus?"

His brows furrow in thought before he shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't. Who is Marcus?"

With focus, I study him. The way he is still and engaged in conversation. He seems to be curious... maybe he doesn't know. I know Marcus is the organization and not a real person, but I'll keep that to myself. "Marcus is the reason why my dad came down here in the first place. I am so mad at him. He made me think that we moved here to be in a safer area for his job; my dad is just as much a liar as Michael. I hate them both."

"Hate is a powerful emotion, Elena."

I nod in agreement. "I talked with Michael the other day."

Viper sits up straighter. "You did? How did that go?"

My shoulders shrug. "I got some answers. There are still some that I haven't asked yet." I sigh. "It appears that my dad asked Michael to keep an eye on me, almost like he knew that something was going to happen to him... seems as though Michael is still working for my dad from beyond the grave." I'll keep the whole Isaac thing out of it or now.

"Sounds like Elijah just wants to make sure that you'll stay safe," Viper suggests.

I glance down at the tired puppy keeping my feet warm. "Maybe," I say more to myself than to the pastor. After a hard swallow, I ask, "This may sound silly, but were you a part of the Outlaws? Apparently, my dad was in a motorcycle club back in the day."

Just as quickly as the small smile formed on his lips, it disappears. "I'm not proud of it, but yes, Elena. I was a patched member of the Outlaws. Despite what you may think, Viper is my legal name, not just my road name," he chuckles at himself. "My parents were hippies."

I recall what Dad told me about the club and what they were up to before and after I was born. I also remember Dad telling me that he got out of it before it got too bad... I wonder if that was the truth.

"What was my dad like in the club? He never told me anything..." I lie and twist my fingers. "Maybe knowing a bit more of his mysterious past will help me move on."

"How do you think it will help you move on?"

Damn. "He lied to me, Reverend. He kept things from me. After everything, I just... he feels kind of like a stranger to me. I feel like I'm grieving over a father that I didn't really know..." It's the truth, and it hurts my heart.

I wish Mom were here.

"Very well." The pastor repositions himself in his chair to rest his arms on the glossy desk and looks at me with skeptically narrow eyes. "Are you sure you have the stomach for this?"

No. "Yes."

He leans back in his leather chair. "We called him Cobra. He earned that name because whoever he killed, he did so by sneaking up behind them and ending their lives quickly, much like Cobras. Instead of squeezing their prey, they attacked. He always made a point not to look into their eyes because he was afraid if he did, then a part of him would leave with them." I flinch, and he pauses to let the words sink in. "The life he lived before you was a very dark one. Being a part of a motorcycle club, you... you live outside the law, you have your own rules. Not all clubs are like this. Most are, though. This may be difficult for you to hear, but Elijah had to become who he was, to survive the club. Jack Gilbert, Michael's father, was the President and your father was the Vice President. Jack got involved with some pretty horrible things – I still believe all of it was blackmail."

"You think my dad and the club was forced to do things?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I ask while Oreo yawns at my feet.

Reverend Viper shrugs his broad shoulders. "To survive. There are rules within a motorcycle club, and depending on the President and the members, it can be a tough world. People owe you money - they don't pay, things get physical. You owe people money - you don't pay, things get physical. It's a ruthless cycle, but having a clubhouse, bikes, and the uh... other splurges all come with a price. First Timothy, six-ten tells us that money is the root of all evil. That quote is not wrong. The men in that club were hungry for it. They'd do just about anything. Money meant power. If they got arrested for something, there were people we paid to hide any further evidence, and we'd be able to walk. We became untouchable. We got away with a lot of murder, drugs, and so many other things. Things that we should all be rotting in prison for."

"So, my father is a bad guy?"

He thinks for a moment. "He was on the wrong side of the law for a long time, but that doesn't mean he didn't always have a good heart. Elijah had a good heart, Elena. He made bad decisions, but he was a good man."

"Did my mother know any of this?"

He nods slowly. "Your mother got him out of that whole mess. Although I'm afraid, it came with a price..."

Price? What price?

He looks down in sorrow. "Lilly was a beautiful soul. It's a real shame that cancer took her. I'm very sorry about that."

"How did you know she died?"

"You mentioned it, didn't you?"

"No..."

He thrums his fingers at the edge of his desk. "Oh," he smiles. "I must have heard it from someone - the grapevine and all."

I feel my eyes squint at him. "Yeah. Maybe." I wait a moment and let the anxious tension linger. "What price was paid?"

The man behind the desk c***s his head. "I'm sorry?"

"You said, I'm afraid it came with a price. What price?"

"Elijah..." He clears his throat. "Lilly... I'm not sure how to say this."

"Start from the beginning." I use his own words against him from the first time I was in this office.

He sighs. "I'm not sure if you knew this, but Lilly used to be with Jack Gilbert. She was an exquisite woman. All the men wanted her, and all the women wanted to be her. Jack had an older half-brother. The Outlaws blame him and his father for the ugly turn within the club. The Outlaws weren't always that bad... it wasn't until all the blackmail started.

"Jack was told that if he didn't break up with Lilly, then he'd lose the club. The club was essential to him, so he broke Lilly's heart. Elijah had a thing for Lilly – as we all did. He was there for her. So was I." He starts picking at his nails. "She chose him over me, which was fine, but Jack got pissed; bro-code and all that. For days, Jack and Elijah were at heads. Eventually, we all got over it, and Jack developed feelings for Carol – Michael's mom, but as time went on, Elijah was seen less and less. Jack needed his Vice President, but Elijah wasn't always around."

"He was with my mother."

"Yes." He nods. "The club was getting weaker. There was division within the club between stripping Elijah of his ink and removing him from the club to burying themselves deeper into debt with the drug ring. Jack's half-brother, I believe he went by the name of Greg Foster; he was in charge of the businesses we were kind of thrown into to help pay the debt we owed to others. Anyway, things just went from bad to worse. Lilly came to me one day because she was scared of losing Elijah to the dark side, that's what she called it. Jack gave him an ultimatum of the club or his relationship with Lilly - he didn't know what to do. Lilly was determined to get him out of the club life, but she needed a good reason to get him out. So, she came to me for help." His fingers rip off the nail he was working on.

The price? Did she go to Reverend Viper for the price?

"What better reason than love?"

He looks at me. "Your mother did love Elijah, but more as a friend from what I remember, and Elijah knew that... the rumor is, she was in love with another man. Things were safer with Elijah – your mother and Elijah were very good friends. He had promise and had people who could help him within the law; he was the safer choice for a brighter future."

My brows furrow. "I'm confused. Were they in love or not?"

His jaw clenches as he swallows hard. "Not in the traditional sense."

"But I've seen them; I remember seeing the love between them. They were in love."

"In time, they may have learned to fall in love with each other." He says, "Look. This isn't my story to tell."

"There is no one else who can tell it," I argue with a rise in my voice.

His calm tenor voice falls to a gentle tone. "The answers are out there, Elena. You just have to look for them."