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"With that said, your mother has had this uncontrollable fear of motorcycle clubs Terrified of their reach Terrified of their violence Terrified that at any e into our house and rip you out of our hands She told me stories and for the first few years I believed the My fear receded and yet your mother’s stayed the same"

"Do you think she lied to you?" I broach "About the club?"

"Not intentionally Your mother believes the saer and badder than they really are They probably threatened her and she fell for it The ination"

My cheeks burn and I lower my head How many times has Dad reminded me of that when it pertains to uarantee they’ll act overprotective, but things will reroup of women pull up to the warehouse in a minivan then hop out Two of them have babies on their hips and a toddler in a T-shirt that proclain of Terror supporter" follows "If that’s what you really believe then why do you want ame?"

Dad’s blue eyes flicker over ed me to discover the ansithout his help Sound out the word, Eure it out Would a real friend treat you that way? Don’t you wonder what’s out there in the world? Aren’t you curious about your heritage?

"You want ical fa "You’re curious about them"

"I’ slowly His foot controlling the speed and how high or loe go Dad’s thinking and I’er he waits to speak the worse it will be for ument, one I’ll surely lose

"There’s more to life than our home and Florida More to life than me, your e place Hoill you knohere you fit in unless you explore beyond your coust, beyond caring that it’s obvious to the gawkers that I’ "And this is where I should start? I’ll o home and visit somewhere safer in Florida, like a prison Maybe a toxic waste du "Anytis up the past, you pay complete attention You’ve never been one to htly curious about Eli, you never would have agreed to the visitations You’re frightened of Snowflake because your ure out that there’s nothing to fear and maybe your mom will finally learn that she has no reason to be afraid of Eli or his club"

My stoed I’m not so sure that it’s Eli she’s scared of, but I choose to keep this tidbit to myself There’s no way I could ever tell my father that my mother, his wife, touched anotheras I let the events of the past night and his words sink in Dad informed me froer and that everything was fine, but like Mo breath and bite the bullet "Mom’s lied tostills and my dad tenses beside ether I was a baby and James the Elephant was seriously pink and fluffy"

He’s silent for a moment "I pros with you I agreed, not understanding the effect it would have on you both I don’t break my promises Especially to your mother"

No, he’d never break a proht for the visits with Eli and why you think I should stay here"

Dad wraps an ar world out there and you have blood faet us and fall in love with them, but--"

"It’s okay to be curious," I whisper

"It is," he agrees

"I’nores me "Our fears are what stifle us and we’re only scared of e don’t understand Fear can be handed down generationally, kind of like eye color I love your mom, but I also love you I don’t want to see youryou down"

I let roup of guys hang around the women and children Mom still stares at us, as do Oz and Eli It’s the saed

"These people scare the hell out of me," I say

"They’re flesh and blood like the rest of us That, as a doctor, I can guarantee"

My mother was afraid Very afraid And she fled fro fear paralyze me if I don’t overcome it and what better way to overcome it than to stay in the scariest town on earth?

"If I ask Mom what happened, she won’t tell me, will she?"