Ride or Die

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The plane ride back was silent as she sat with Andrew to her right side. Chloe stared out the window in a daze, thinking of the last 24 hours as just a dream. Chloe didn't even say goodbye to Danny or Julia in person, she was too emotional to say goodbye to them and truthfully, Chloe knew deep down in her heart that this was a permanent goodbye. As much as she would have liked to imagine her departure as a see you soon rather than a goodbye, she was aware that she most likely wouldn't be returning to the school anytime soon and wanted to just fade out of their lives as quietly as possible.

"Chloe wake up, we're here." Andrew said as he gently shook her shoulder to wake up.

Chloe stretched her arms out then rubbed her eyes as she became aware of her surroundings.

They had landed at 11 and by the time they had picked up their luggage, the car had arrived and then dropped them off at the clubhouse it was midnight.

As Chloe walked up to clubhouse it was as if no time passed at all. The big triple story house with a giant black gate enclosing it was where Chloe had grown up and while to others it screamed danger, to Chloe it felt like safety, but tonight Chloe was huge bundle of nerves as she faced the building.

She knew what laid behind those doors; bikies, drugs, guns, alcohol, women, her father and Ryder. "You ready?" Andrew asked and with that Chloe took a deep breath and walked up to the gate. Chloe punched in the code and waited as the gates slowly opened.

Opening the door, Chloe stepped into the clubhouse and found the first story filled with loud music and bikers sitting around the bar and tables. Alcohol was flowing and women were up on stage dancing on poles and taking off their tops. Chloe looked on in disgust and headed for the stairs up to the second floor. Not many of the guys paid her much mind, except for a few that stopped and stared as they recognized her as the President's daughter.

Arriving on the second floor, she walked into the meeting room where she knew her Dad would be and threw open the big wooden double doors. There was her Dad sitting at the head of the table surrounded by his closest and most trusted members. Ryder sat to her Dad's right and her heart almost stopped, but once she glanced at her Dad she remembered exactly why she was here.

Along with everyone else, Chloe's dad's hand immediately went to his gun, but once he realized who had walked in his hand loosened. "Chloe, what are you doing here?" her father exclaimed as he looked at her as if he had seen a ghost.

"Dad we need to talk."

Her father silently nodded and then got up and followed Chloe into her Dad's study.

--

"Dad," Chloe took a deep breath and looked up at her father directly in his eyes, "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"Wow, I forgot how much of a straight shooter you are, Chlo."

"Well I learned from the best, you always taught me to go straight for the throat. Now answer."

"You have to understand, I've finally been able to come to terms with what's happening and I didn't want to worry you. You're away at school, living your life and you don't need your old man pulling you back here and distracting you."

Chloe's eyes softened as she realized how much of a toll the cancer had taken on her Dad's body, mind, and soul. She took her father's hand and said, "Dad you're not a distraction. You're my everything."

Her Dad's eyes stung and he looked away to try and hid the tears from Chloe, but he had nothing to worry about as Chloe had begun to cry as well.

"I have stage four pancreatic cancer and I only have about four months left." Chloe began to softly sob into her Dad's chest as he gently stroked her hair.

"Now what Dad? Where do we go from here? What happens next? I'm scared"

"We take each day at a time. That's all we can do."