Sinner’s Redemption by Rebecca Joyce
Chapter Twenty
Montana
“He’s fucking lying!” Snoopy roared, jumping to his feet. I had massive respect for the man who protected my father all these years. There wasn’t anyone more loyal than Snoopy. He was a trusted brother. One I could always count on. That would never change, but seeing his reaction to the shocking news, I knew he knew nothing about it.
“Prez, I swear, I’ve never even been to West Virginia,” Snoopy stated, looking at my dad. “If I knew, you know I would never have left her.”
“Sit down, Snoop. It’s got to be a mistake.” My dad sighed.
“Afraid not, Prez,” Mercy said, sitting up. “We have the blood work right here. The rules haven’t changed since the club started. When a brother joins the club, there is blood work. When a brother sustains an injury, they need to have a blood test. When a kid is born, there is a paternity test. When a President takes a woman, especially an ol’ lady, a full medical exam is required. Not only for her protection, but for the club. Your own wife Virginia had the same exam, Prez. It’s just how things are done. When Montana made his intentions clear about Tessa, she received the same exam. Part of that exam is bloodwork. Tessa’s bloodwork is a 99.8% match to you, Snoopy. She is your biological daughter.”
“I want a retest done!” Snoopy shouted.
“Oh, there will be one done,” I muttered, glaring at the angry fucker. “But first you are going to tell me how you know Tessa’s mom?”
“I never met the bitch,” Snoopy growled. “Like I said before, I’ve never been to West Virginia. Fuck, kid, I’ve never left the fucking state.”
“Not true,” Popeye grinned. “You were with us last year when we went to Vegas. Remember?”
“And don’t forget that time in Barbados when we went fishing,” Happy added.
Snoopy grinned. “Yeah. That was fun.”
Slapping my hand down on the table, I growled before this meeting got out of hand. “Focus, assholes. I want this shit cleared up and wrapped in a neat fucking bow before I tell my woman that her father is a part of my club.”
Shame grinned, opening a folder. “Alright, you Rejects, listen up. The time was 1996, Bill Clinton was President, the Macarena was topping the charts and Princess Diana wised up and divorced that cheating bastard. The cost of gas was $1.12 and Tickle Me Elmo was all the craze. According to club records, not much was happening during the time of Tessa’s conception. Prez, you were still the President of the club. Montana was getting ready to turn eighteen. I went back through the files and I’m sorry to say, Montana, but Snoopy is right. For the entire year of 1996, he was here in New York.”
“What about Tessa’s mom?”
Vicious opened the file before him and sighed. “I didn’t have much time to gather information, Montana. This is what I got. Evelyn Marie Jackson, born August 3rd, 1979, in Charleston, West Virginia to Jacob and Martha Jackson. A straight-A student, Evelyn, was a member of the 4-H club and played the piano. A talented pianist according to school records, Evelyn auditioned for an alumnus at Juilliard in her senior year and was offered a full scholarship until she dropped out after one semester, returning home to West Virginia where Tessa was born five months later.”
“So, Tessa’s mom was in the city?” I asked.
“Yeah. From August to December 1995.”
“That’s a brief window, Montana,” Mercy said, leaning back in his chair. “Four months, to be exact. There is no way we can trace her time here.”
Looking at Snoopy, I asked, “And you don’t remember Evelyn?”
Snoopy shook his head. “Sorry no.”
“Fuck,” I groaned, looking at Vicious. “So sometime between August and December 1996, Snoopy met and fucked Evelyn. Is that what you are saying?”
The brother nodded. “Yeah. It’s the only time she ever left home. When she returned, she got a job teaching piano lessons to little kids and worked part time waitressing to put food on the table.”
“I can’t go to Tessa about this shit with no more information than we have. She’s going to want to know what’s going on.” Looking at my watch, I cursed. “Shit. She’s gonna be here any minute.”
“I say don’t tell her about the paternity,” Snoopy advised. “Wait until the new bloodwork is back. That gives us time to figure this mess out. Tread carefully, though. Tessa is a smart woman. Just stick to questions about her mom.”
“And when the bloodwork comes back, stating that you are her biological father, what then?” I countered.
“Then I’m her father,” Snoopy shrugged.
“What about the other stuff, son?” my dad asked.
“Fuck if I know, Dad. My one lead is now dead. I do not know who’s blackmailing Tessa or who orchestrated everything since her return. All we know is that some damn charity called Mon Châtiment is behind Tessa’s blacklisting. We do not know who started the charity. Nothing.”
“Then you’re going to have to talk to Tessa,” my dad clearly said, as we all heard a knock at the door. “Yeah.”
The door opened as Tessa walked in. “Sorry, I thought you were alone.”
Waving her in, I smiled. “Hey, baby. Come on in.”
Cautiously stepping in, Tessa closed the door behind her, walking over to me. Without thinking, I pulled her down onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her.
“Why am I here, Montana?” she asked, looking around the boardroom. This was the first time she’d ever been in this room. I knew she knew what this room was. What went on in here? The boardroom was for officers only. Generally, when I wanted to see her, she would meet me in my office or in the rec room.
“Baby, I wanted to ask you a few questions about your mom. You okay with that?”
Tessa stiffened. “Why?”
“Curiosity.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Your mom played the piano, right?”
“Yeah. She even gave lessons. What’s going on, Montana?”
“Did your mom ever travel after you were born? Did she take you on vacations?”
“We were poor, Montana. We barely had money for food. Do you want to tell me what this is all about or are you going to keep me guessing?”
Snoopy leaned forward and asked, “Did you know your mom received a scholarship to Julliard?”
Tessa nodded. “Yeah. She told me about it. She won a contest. Beat out every other kid in West Virginia. She said there was a recruiter from Julliard there. He offered her a full ride. Only she didn’t accept.”
“Did she ever tell you who this recruiter was?”
Tessa shook her head.
Mercy carefully asked, “Tessa, what do you know about your father?”
“Nothing. My mom never talked about him.”
“You were never curious?”
Tessa shook her head. “No. He was never around. As far as I was concerned, he left my mom to raise me alone. If he didn’t give a damn about me, then why should I care about him?”
I saw Snoopy flinch.
“Is this about me being blacklisted? Do you guys think my biological father is behind it?”
“No!” Snoopy snapped, then sighed. “Sorry for the outburst.”
Narrowing my eyes at the fucker, I calmly said, “We’re just trying to cover all the bases, babe. So far, everything we’ve looked into has turned up nothing. We’re grasping at straws right now.”
“Well,” Tessa sighed, leaning back against me. “Why don’t you share with me what you’ve found out already? I might be able to help.”
Mercy looked at me, and I nodded.
“Alright, Tess,” Mercy said, flipping open the folder. “We’ve found out a charity by the name of Mon Châtiment is making large donations to several hospitals with the stipulation that they don’t hire you.”
“Yes. I know that charity well. But I don’t understand why Mr. Graves would stop me from working. That makes no sense.”
“What!” everyone shouted, including me, as I turned Tessa to face me. “Baby? How do you know about this charity? And who the fuck is Mr. Graves?”
“The charity, Mon Châtiment, is owned and operated by my mom’s neighbor, Mr. Graves. I helped him set up the charity before I left for college. Are you telling me that Mr. Graves is the one who’s stopping me from working? He was the one who talked me into returning here. You must be mistaken.”
“Tessa,” my dad said, getting to his feet, then kneeling before her. “Sweetheart, who is this Mr. Graves?”
“He was our neighbor. Had been my whole life. He looked after me and mom. He always helped mom out when money was tight. He is the closest thing I have to a father. What’s going on?”
“Storm?” I growled.
“On it, Prez,” the brother stated, rushing from the room.
“Someone better tell me what the hell is going on,” Tessa angrily said. “Because there is no fucking way Mr. Graves would ever hurt me. He wouldn’t. He loves me. He loved mom.”
“What is Mr. Graves first name?” Mercy asked.
“Benson. Benson Graves.”
Snoopy shot to his feet, the rolling chair slamming against the back wall. “Benson Franklin Graves?”
“Yes.”
Snoopy turned to my dad, who slowly stood. “It can’t be. We killed him. I shot him three times. I watched him die.”
“I checked him myself, Prez. There was no pulse,” Popeye added.
“Son of a bitch,” Happy cursed.
“Find the motherfucker. Now!” My dad roared as the Retirement Rejects all turned to leave the room. Slamming my hand on the table, I roared. “You three fucking walk out of this room and I will strip the brand right off your backs with my bare hands.”
The Retirement Rejects slowly turned and looked at me.
Narrowing my eyes at the geriatric assholes, I asked, “Who the fuck is Benson Franklin Graves?”