Chapter 42 #2
The t-shirt really is hilarious. I’m a big guy. I know how to hold my own in a fight. If I didn’t know the guy, I’d still be afraid to meet Ash in a dark alley.
With the wolverine howling at the moon across his chest? Maybe I’d be a little less afraid.
“We should take that with us, too,” he says as we walk up the uneven path to the door.
“Should we?”
“I mean, it’s your car and we have to ditch Jett’s anyway.”
He’s right. Plus, my old car would fit all five of us pretty easily. We need a car like that.
“Fine.”
My dad made his choice when he decided he valued getting rid of his gambling debts he couldn’t help but get himself into, over his oldest son.
I take a deep, steadying breath.
Ash’s hand clapping down on my shoulder makes me jump.
“They didn’t give a shit about you,” he murmurs softly.
“Yeah, thanks,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“You didn’t let me finish. I was gonna say they didn’t give a shit about you but that’s not your reality anymore. You’ve got people who give a shit about you. Plus a pretty little bonded omega waiting.”
I can’t help but smile at the mention of Mirabelle. Ash is right.
For the first time in forever, I’m not giving my family something they need. They’re the ones giving me something.
I bang on the door, my fist making it rattle in its old frame.
“Who is it!” My mom’s shrill voice calls from behind. “Leave us alone, we don’t have what you want!”
“I think you do, Ma. Open the door,” I yell.
Silence.
Then the sound of my mom unlocking the three locks on the door.
“Griffin! My boy it’s you!” She cries out.
I stand there awkwardly as she practically throws herself at me. I’m glad I kept these old clothes on. I definitely want to get rid of her all too familiar scent of mild canned anchovies. She’s a beta, so it’s not overwhelming, but it grates against my nerves.
“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she sobs, leaning back when she realizes I’m not hugging her back. Her mascara has run down her cheeks a little bit, making her look like a raccoon.
“Did you know what he did, Ma?” I ask, my voice low as I grip her shoulders and firmly move her away from my body.
“I—I told him not to do it!”
I freeze, my eyes falling shut.
Of course.
Of fucking course she knew.
She’s always been complacent. She did nothing when my dad’s gambling addiction started getting out of hand. She did nothing when I came back from my first fight with a broken nose and two black eyes. And I guess, now I know she did nothing when my dad fucking sold me to cover his own ass.
Embarrassment sits hot in my chest as Ash shifts behind me, the cheap shoes I bought squeaking slightly with the movement. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him. Didn’t know how much I’d hate having an audience to this bullshit.
“Do you know where Dad sold me to?” I growl, my voice low.
She reaches up and pats my cheek.
Pats my goddamn fucking cheek.
“Your father didn’t sell you. He just sent you to work on a farm!”
“Seriously?” I let out a bitter laugh, my lips curling back in a snarl. “That’s the kinda bullshit you tell your kid when you’re lying about sending the family dog to a slaughterhouse.”
My mother bursts into tears right there. Like the fucking drama queen she is.
“Don’t—don’t speak to your mother like that! How—how could you! What happened to you?” She sobs.
My hands flex against her arms. I see red. That itch that’s been festering under my skin is threatening to explode. I’m so fucking pissed.
Ash’s hand clamps down on my shoulder again, snapping me out of my haze.
I instantly drop my mom’s shoulders like they’ve burned me.
“Thanks,” I mumble to Ash. He just gives me a single nod, jutting his chin up towards the door. I can practically read his mind. Seems he’s not one for my mom’s theatrics either.
He’s basically itching to get inside.
“Ma, I need you to move aside. Where’s Dad?”
“Griffin, I—“
“Where’s Dad?” I snap.
“In the den,” She says, her shoulders slumping forward.
“Don’t watch. You won’t like what we’re going to do,” I mutter as I pass her.
She continues sobbing, but unlike when I was younger, I don’t drop everything I’m doing to try and get her to stop.
“Your mom’s a piece of work,” Ash mutters as I lead him through the messy house.
“Yeah, you could say that. Wait till you meet my dad, though.”
He’s in the den, on the old couch. Old beer cans litter the floor around him as he stares at the TV.
“Long time no see, Dad,” I drawl, stepping into his line of vision.
“Hey, I was watching—“ His eyes go wide and he pales as he looks up at me. “Griffin? Son, is that you?”
His gaze drifts to Ash over my shoulder.
“What—what’re you doing here? I thought—I thought—“
“You thought what, that I’d be long fucking gone ‘cause you sold me like a fucking dog?” I sneer, leaning down into his face and gripping his collar.
“I—I’m sorry! I had to figure out a way to pay off those debts or else we all would’ve been killed!
You don’t understand!” He babbles. “And you were the most logical choice, you’ve fought your whole life and so I thought maybe you’d actually have a chance at surviving those things! And look! I was right!”
He waves at me before he taps my arm to try and get me to put him down.
I don’t.
I’m disgusted, as I stare down at him.
I can’t believe I looked up to him as a kid.
“You think I wanted to fight since I was a fucking teenager, Dad? You think I wanted to worry about us losing the house and being out on the streets whenever I fucking lost a fight?”
“N—no! But son, you—“
“Do not Son me,” I hiss, shaking him.
He’s an alpha, but a sorry one at that. The only thing I got from him was my size, but his is mostly made up of useless pudge from his diet of junk food and beer. Mine is made from muscle. I’ve been more dominant than him since I turned 18.
He doesn’t stand a chance against me and he knows it.
“You—You’re back now, right?” He asks, still continuing to fucking talk. “I’ve been winning my bets recently! Going small so I don’t rack up anymore, now that the big ones have been cleared out, you don’t have to worry about me anymore!”
I shake my head. “The fact that you’re still fucking betting money this family doesn’t fucking have is telling me enough shit. That doesn’t matter to me.”
“What—what’re you here for, then! There has to be a reason you came back!”
“I’m here for some contacts. For the fight ring and the ring girls at The Warehouse,” I say, shoving him back down into the sofa.
“You’re gonna fight for us again?” He asks. He has the audacity to blink up at me with a smile.
He has to be fucking kidding me.
“Not for you.” Never again.
“Who the hell are you?” My younger brother, Gavin says to Ash from the entryway to the den.
“None of your fucking business, kid,” Ash answers, barely giving my brother a passing glance.
“Looks like you’re back,” Gavin says, narrowing his eyes on me.
Damn. What a warm fucking welcome.
I take him in the same way he’s taking me in. He’s got bruises on his face. A nice, fresh-looking black eye and a bruise along the button of his chin like he got sucker punched and knocked clean out.
I can’t help but throw my head back in laughter.
“Oh, this is fucking good,” I say, wiping a nonexistent tear from my eye ‘cause I know it’ll piss my little shithead of a brother off.
I turn back down and just stare at my dad. Really take him in. He’s a pathetic piece of shit.
“The only fucking reason you’re winning your bets now that I’m gone is ‘cause you’re betting on your other son fucking losing his fights, huh? The crowd must expect more from him since he’s riding on my coattails. Too bad they’re gonna be disappointed.”
Gavin snarls and tries to throw himself over the back of the couch so he can hit me, but Ash catches him by the back of his t-shirt and throws him to the dirty carpeted floor easily.
“Watch it,” Ash growls low.
I turn back to my dad.
“Did you sell my phone yet?”
“N—no, I think your mom still has it somewhere,” my dad says, eyeing Ash warily.
“Good. Give me yours.”
“M—mine?”
“Did I stutter?” I roll my eyes. “I’m gonna copy over all the contacts I’ll need. I’ll give it back to you if you don’t cause any more goddamn fucking trouble.”
He hands it to me, and I shove it in my pocket.
My brother pushes himself up to his feet as I pass him, shoving me in the chest.
Ash is right there next to me, but I wave him off. I can handle my own brother.
“You don’t have to be the punching bag Dad bets on getting hit,” I murmur, my voice low.
“Oh, fuck off,” Gavin says, rolling my eyes. “Don’t pretend that you care.”
“I do,” I say, gritting my teeth together.
“Yeah, well I don’t give a shit.”
I shake my head.
“Fine then, get me my car keys,” I sigh.
He jerks his head back. “What? It’s my car now!”
“Not anymore. It’s my fucking car. Now go get the keys.”
“Like hell I will.”
“Go get him the keys,” Ash barks from behind me.
The command cracks through the air like a whip. My brother’s body jerks as he spins on his heel and starts marching towards the back of the house.
“Thanks,” I sigh, nodding to Ash.
“Starting to see why you like the kid so much. That beta’s far less annoying than your actual little brother,” he says, shrugging.
I guess Ash has a point. I never made the connection, until now.
“I’m gonna go follow him and make sure he actually grabs them,” Ash nods, slapping me on the shoulder. “Be right back.”
“Cool,” I nod.
After more sobbing from my mom, I manage to get my phone back and copy over all the contacts we need.
I hate this fucking place. My mom’s sobs, my brother’s grumbling. The only thing missing from the soundtrack of my childhood is my dad raging about.
Lucky for him, he knows to keep his mouth shut right now.
With a few furious swipes, I start deleting all of my dad’s contacts. Will that stop him from gambling his life away?
Probably not.
But maybe it’ll slow him down.
That’s the last favor I’ll do for my family.
“Here,” I shove my dad’s phone back into his chest.
I stare down at him. Pretty sure I wanted to kill him, when he first sold me to the Mercer Family Farm.
I cock my fist back and clock him in the eye. Same one Gavin’s got a bruise on. My dad whimpers like the pathetic piece of shit he is. I held back, too.
The guys Gavin’s going to fight now won’t fucking hold back.
“You’re lucky the only thing I’m leaving you with is a black eye, old man,” I growl into his face. “I know I’ve gotten a whole lot worse to feed this fucking ungrateful ass family.”
Ash reappears, shoving a pale looking Gavin in front of him.
“Holy shit, that’s a lot of stuff.” I let out a huff of laughter as I glance at Griffin’s arms, laden with what looks like a bunch of clothes and a first aid kit.
“Grabbed what looked like yours,” he mutters under his breath as he passes me. “Seems like they sold a lot.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
What does surprise me is Ash’s boldness as he makes his way to the kitchen, wrenching open the fridge.
“You guys seriously don’t have anything fucking good in here?” He snarls as he pulls out a six pack of beer.
“You done?” I say, letting out a huff of laughter.
“Mhmm,” Ash nods, lifting the six pack like he’s making a toast.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say, casting one last look at my childhood home.
Gavin glares at me as I push past him.
“Don’t ever come back!” He yells as I reach the front door.
“I don’t plan to,” I call back.
My mom breaks out into more sobs.
“Okay, I’m done here,” I sigh.
“You know who you’re gonna call first?” Ash says.
“There’s a woman who used to pick up a couple shifts now and then at one of the old rings I used to fight at. Roxie. I’ll call her.”
“Great, let’s get back then. Dunno ‘bout you, but I’m itching to get back to our omega.”