Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
MARLEY
“Oh God, he brought everyone with him,” I grumble louder than I mean to.
Griz chuckles, tucks me closer to his side, and guides me into the main room of the clubhouse. Thankfully, I’d been able to dress in my own clothes. Chelsea did well to pack my favorites, and she didn’t even know it.
Dressed in a pair of boot-cut jeans, I matched a thin black oversized off-the-shoulder long-sleeve shirt. I finished the outfit off with a pair of Chucks. I had high tops and low tops, all in different colors at home, but Chelsea was smart to bring my solid black ones and two other pairs. She also packed two pairs of heeled boots and one pair of stiletto point-toe heels. They were my favorite as well.
Dad’s eyes came to us first. My mom’s follow, both Marshall and Marla look over, and Grandma Ryan grins brightly.
“Now, how did I know it was going to be Griz that you would go for,” Grandma says cheerfully, coming forward and giving me a wink.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, furrowing my brow.
“Sweetheart, this is a small town, and I hear plenty of things. Even when I don’t go to town, I hear them. Old biddies sure do like to gossip.”
Oh, dear lord.
“How did you figure I’d get with Griz?”
“Because I knew he was just your type,” she says, straightening. “That being said, I’d have at least liked to have not gotten the call I did, however, it did get my daughter back home.”
“Mom,” my mom snaps. Looking at her, I don’t miss the frustrated expression on her face. “We’re not here to discuss that.”
“Oh, pish-posh.” Grandma waves a hand and rolls her eyes.
“Can we get on with things?” Dad grumbles, taking a step forward. Where Mom was looking at Grandma, Dad was looking at the way Griz was holding me to his side.
“Dad,” I murmur in greeting and look past him to Marshall and Marla. “I see you brought everyone with you.”
“Family meeting,” he mutters as he meets my gaze briefly and shifts toward Griz. “Mind lettin’ my daughter go so we can have that family meeting.”
“If it involves any of the shit she’s been through lately, then yeah, I mind, sir.”
Dad narrows his gaze on Griz and takes him in for a moment.
“You’re Gael Holland’s son, aren’t you?” my mom speaks up, coming up next to my dad.
“Yes, ma’am,” Griz confirms for Mom, surprising me with the way he answered this.
“Your mom, she’s . . .”
“Dad’s high school sweetheart, Erica Holland,” Griz finishes for her, and I don’t miss the pain in his voice when talking about his mom. “She passed away when I was ten.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I remember the two of them together. They were both a couple grades ahead of me, but you never saw one without the other.”
“That’s what my dad’s told me.”
“Does Gael’s brother, Dallion, still own the diner in town? I remember him and his wife bought it a long time ago.”
“Yeah, they’re still running it.”
“We’ll have to stop there to eat while we’re in town.”
“Again, can we get back on topic,” Dad demands.
“Michael, you need to calm down,” Mom tells him, swatting at his chest.
“I’ll calm the fuck down after I can assure myself my daughter isn’t hurt.”
“Dad, I’m fine,” I tell him, holding his gaze. “I would have told you that myself if I’d spoken to you.” I shoot Griz a knowing look as I say this. Turning back to Dad, I give him a smile I hope he doesn’t see through. “You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“Yeah, we fuckin’ did,” Marshall snaps, stepping forward, glaring at me. “Why the fuck do you think we’re here for a goddamn family meeting, Marley? You had to bring up the damn past for Mom and Dad, and now here you are, nearly getting blown up on us.”
“You need to step back and calm the fuck down,” Griz snarls, pushing me slightly behind him to face off with my big brother. “You’re not gonna come into my clubhouse and start in on your sister, who happens to be my woman, without thinking you can get away with it. Tellin’ you now, man, it ain’t gonna happen.”
My heart tumbles in my chest. I love my brother just as I love my sister. They’re amazing siblings, but like I told Griz before, we’re like oil and water.
“Marshall, calm down and take a seat,” Mom states firmly, using the mom voice we all knew to listen to or all hell would break loose. “All of my children sit down so we can get this over with.” Mom looks to Griz, hands going to her hips. “Since you’re with my daughter and adamant about her not being involved without you, then you sit your carcass down as well.”
I struggle not to laugh and nearly choke as my mom says this to Griz. The look he casts in my direction is one that I think I’ll never forget. I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to him that way. At least not since he’s been an adult.
Together, we move to a table, Blow and Nines joining in, along with Sniper and a few others.
“This is a family meeting,” Dad says.
“Yeah, Griz’s is our brother, we take his back on all things, including family meetings. Besides, Marley’s family, same as Grandma Ryan, means we’re sittin’ in on the meetin’,” Blow informs him, leaving no room for argument as he takes a seat.
Dad looks at me, his lip twitching, and shakes his head. “Swear, Lee-Lee, you’re a pain in my ass.”
“It’s not like that’s anything new, Dad,” Marla gripes, flopping back in a chair, eyes rolling. “I love you, Lee-Lee, but you’re constantly always getting into trouble.”
“No, I’m not,” I snap, stiffening and preparing myself not to launch across at my sister. I love her to death, but she’s a pain in my ass with her sarcastic remarks. “None of what’s going on is any of yours,” I indicate to my siblings and parents both, “business. It has nothing to do with y’all. We still haven’t had a chance to even get into it because it just flipping happened yesterday. I needed a day to recoup, for Christ’s sake, I don’t need the family to come barging in acting like I’m an infant needing my ass wiped .”
Okay, so the last part is a bit dramatic, but oh, flipping well.
“You don’t think we need to be here when we nearly lost you yesterday?” Marshall bites out through gritted teeth, glaring.
“No, I don’t,” I snap, glaring right back at him.
“Lee-Lee, you need to have your damn head examined then because there’s no way in fuck even as pissed as I am with you, that you think none of us need to be here. We nearly fuckin’ lost you yesterday.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t.” I wasn’t going to back down on this.
“Marley,” Griz murmurs and pulls me into his side, enough for him to whisper in my ear. “Calm down. You need to think.”
“I am thinking,” I tell him, twisting enough to look in his direction. “Marshall wants to act like I’m a kid when he knows damn well I’m not.”
“No, but he’s your big brother. Think about how you’d feel if you got told one of them had nearly been killed.”
I wouldn’t like it.
Okay, so Griz makes sense. Still, I didn’t need them coming in and throwing a shit fit about it. Acting like it was all my fault. Not when I don’t even know what it is yet. I mean, I know that the other things are connected. I don’t believe in coincidences.
Sighing heavily, I return my attention to my brother but don’t say anything. He doesn’t either. What he does is watch Griz and me a little more closer than before.
“If you two will stop the fighting, we can get this show on the road.” Dad grunts.
I look at him and see him pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed.
“You shouldn’t be surprised by the fighting, Dad. It’s how we always act, and you know it.”
Dad casts a glare at me. “Yeah, I know, but I figure one of these days, you three will actually get the fuck along.”
“Michael,” Mom snaps. “Stop it. You’re only going to egg Marley on. She will keep going to prove a point just as we all know she does.”
Yes, I would. I don’t back down from arguments or proving my point. They all know it, but still, they all continue to think I won’t. That I’ll back down. It’s not in me. It’s not the way my dad raised me to be.
“How about we get to the fucking point of all this and save the bantering for a time when my woman doesn’t have road rash all over her back and isn’t sitting here in pain,” Griz remarks, annoyance filling his tone in a way I haven’t heard before.
“I have something that will help with that,” Grandma Ryan says, opening her bag and digging through it. “I make this for Rain all the time when she asks for it. I just made a new batch and was going to give it to her yesterday but forgot.” Pulling out a jar, she slides it across the table. “It’s a salve you put on that will help with the pain and healing.”
“Damn, now I know where Rain gets that shit from.” I hear Nines mutter.
“Thanks, Grandma,” I say, catching the jar before it slides off the table. The last thing I need is to have to clean up a broken jar filled with whatever she’s made. “Now, Dad, what is it you need to share with the class?”
Dad glares at me for a second and lets out a heavy breath. “First up, you came to your mom and brought up shit the both of us have done our best to keep behind us.”
“I hadn’t meant to upset Mom, I simply wanted to know?—”
“We know you want to know what it was about, but you caught us both off guard,” he mutters, interrupting me. “We both know who the person was that was stalking your mom. Only we couldn’t do anything about it at the time, ‘cause who is going to believe a nineteen-year-old girl over a decorated officer?”
“You mean Mom’s stalker was a cop?”
Holy shit.
“Yes, and in keeping up with things, he’s still on the force, but now he’s got even more backing because of his rank. Cops are going to need some hellacious proof if they’re gonna believe someone accusing one of their own.”
“What’s the cop’s name?” Griz demands, his body tensing, and his arm around me tightens.
“Deets,” Mom utters the name quietly.
“Fuck,” Griz snarls, bolting out of his seat. “Keys!”
“Already on it,” Keys shouts rushing from the room. “Give me ten, and I’ll have something for you.”
“Prez, think you should call Adams back in on this,” Nines suggests.
“What’s going on?” I demand, coming to my feet, hands on my hips.
Griz slowly turns to me. “Remember how we first met?”
I did and I find the fact he’s asking, confusing. “Yes, what about it?”
“The order was against Hattie Deets. Now, you tell me this isn’t a fucking coincidence?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences.” There’s something not right about all of this, though. “Why are you flipping out though? That’s what I don’t get?”
“Her dad is a cop. I overheard her talking to him on the phone. Ended it. She didn’t like it, so she tried that bullshit with the protective order.”
“Okay,” I draw out, not quite getting what his ex has to do with her dad. Unless . . . “You think . . .”
“Don’t know, sweets, but we’re gonna find out.” He looks to Blow. “I agree with Nines. As much as I hate the idea of bringing cops into club business, Adams knows, just as we do, that there are some shady cops on the force.”
“I’ll call him,” Blow nods and pulls his phone out as he steps away.
Throughout this, my parents and siblings all watch as the man I’ve fallen for and his brothers take over what’s going on. However, I’m not able to let them take this over without me being involve. I mean, this whole thing does happen to be my problem. Not theirs. I’ll do my part even if that means working in the background. It’s what I’m best at. Finding the information for them to be able to do what they gotta do.
It doesn’t matter to me they already have Keys on it. Where he can’t do something, I can.
For instance, I can go into police databases, I’m sure they know nothing about.