Chapter Fifty-Five
I know my grip is a little tight, I'm worried I'm hurting her, but she doesn't show any signs that I am.
As I watch her look between Andrea and Arthur, I wonder if she'll take their offer of leaving.
Fear burns inside of me as I think she might actually go.
And maybe she should, maybe her leaving with them is the safest thing for her and Mason.
As the silence draws on, I'm beginning to think she's going to agree. I don't want her to go, but if it's what she wants then I won't force her to stay. I loosen my grip on her hand, giving her the space to make the right decision for her.
I glance at Prez and then VP, they both give me a look, one that lets me know they have my back no matter what. They know what I'm thinking, they know what I'm considering. And I know that they'll support me however this plays out.
"No." That one word pulls my focus back to her.
As my eyes lock on the side of her face, I realise that her grip has tightened on my hand.
"No," she repeats. "I know that you think leaving with you is the best thing for us, but I don't." Nova turns her head a little, glancing at me over her shoulder and giving me a small smile.
"Andrea, you say that you failed us… well, you didn't, I understand why you handed us over.
I understand that you thought it was the right thing to do, and I don't blame you for doing that.
But I failed Mason by not doing something sooner.
I failed him by continuing to live in that house, letting them do the things they did.
" She lets out a breath, squeezing my hand a little tighter, pulling strength from me.
"The men in this room, the men and women in this clubhouse, have been amazing, they have gone out of their way to protect us. "
She glances at Prez. "If they want us to leave then we'll leave, but I won't choose to leave."
"We won't be asking you to leave, sweetheart,” Prez states.
She smiles at him and then turns back to face Andrea and Arthur. "You want to protect us, then do it here. Please?" she asks them quietly.
Arthur smiles at her, a genuine smile. "Ah, love, I'm already working on protecting you.
I have my lawyers working on correcting the issue of guardianship.
It's proving to be a little more difficult than I first thought.
Your uncle knows a lot of people in a lot of high places.
He couldn't just destroy the will that states Andrea was your guardian, but he could pay enough people and offer up enough threats to ensure it was suppressed.
We have tried having it brought up against a few judges, but each one has had it thrown out.
We just need to find the right judge, or.
.." He lets the sentence hang in the air.
"Or?" Nova asks.
Arthur glances to Andrea, who shakes her head at him. He smiles and looks at Nova.
"Or we need to apply the right leverage. However, Andrea is against that."
"Because I told you I will not take any further risks, we will do this the right way," she snaps at him.
"We have our lawyers working on the wills too, and we're coming up against the same roadblocks you are," Nitro tells them, choosing to ignore the tension between Andrea and Arthur. "Let me get you their details, I'd prefer it if they worked together on this."
"Agreed," Arthur says, his gaze still locked on Nova. "I told you the day I caught you dropping off those drugs for your uncle that you could trust me, that you could talk to me. I told you that every time I came to the diner, why didn't you say something?" he asks her.
She shakes her head at him, then lets out a laugh. "Arthur, you've been really nice to me, and I'm grateful for your concern, but I didn't even tell my best friend, what made you think I would tell you?"
"Because it's sometimes easier to talk to strangers. And your best friend, she knows. I've heard you both talking," he tells her.
"You're right she does, but I never told her.
She figured it out, and Mason accidentally then admitted it when she questioned me while he was there.
" She drops her head, and her shoulders rise as she takes a deep breath.
"It's not exactly something we wanted to tell people.
Mason and I, we agreed that we would keep it between us.
Our uncle said that nobody would ever believe us anyway, he said that if we told anyone they would separate us, and I couldn't lose Mason, he's all I have.
" Her voice breaks as she says the last part.
I lean forward, grabbing her and pulling her closer to me. "He's not all you've got, baby, you've got me," I tell her.
"You've got all of us," Nitro states as the rest of the guys call out their agreement.
She smiles at my brothers, then leans back into me. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
"Now, you're welcome to stay, but you should know that we have another club merging with ours, and the new members will start arriving tonight and tomorrow.
We'll be having a party tomorrow night to welcome them all," Nitro tells our guests.
"Nova, these parties can get a little wild, and while we will try to keep it tame, we can’t always promise that. Are you okay with that?" he asks her.
"Okay, as long as we can keep Mason away from the excitement," she says with a smile.
"Actually, I was thinking… Prez, if it’s okay with you that I'd take Nova and Mason up to my dad’s for a couple of days." As much as I should be here for the party, I'd rather she wasn't here, and I definitely don't want Mason here. "I know I should be here for the party—"
"It's a good idea, brother." Nitro cuts me off. And I'm grateful that he thinks it's a good idea, and not mad at me for suggesting it.
"Will it be safe?" she asks, nervous.
"Yes, baby, its' safe, I promise," I tell her.
"Tongue and Prospect will go with you," Nitro tells us, and I glance up at the table to Tongue, checking he's okay with the arrangement. He smiles and gives me a nod.
"I can also send a couple of men with you. They will ensure you are all safe," Arthur tells us, and I’m strangely grateful.
"What do you say, baby? You wanna come meet my dad?" I ask her, hopeful.
She looks up at me and smiles. "Yeah. I do."