Chapter Six.
Grace
I n worried apprehension, I stared at the sight that confronted me. The old ladies were dashing around the clubhouse’s corner, chased by the brothers. I followed, knowing something terrible had happened.
“Shit, this is… how the fuck are… holy crap,” Texas muttered as he glared over everyone’s head.
“How the hell did you manage this?” Phoe demanded loudly as I pushed my way to the front.
“Quite easily, Mama Phoe. We warned them against jumping, but they still did. You can’t blame us,” Eddie replied as I finally saw, and my jaw dropped.
The Princesses had set up and filled what appeared to be an old swimming pool. Well, I imagined it was the girls; they all seemed proud of themselves, including my two.
“Can’t blame you?” Phoe whispered in that deadly mommy’s voice I recognised.
“Nope. We said you can’t go in; they did. Not our fault,” Eddie reiterated.
“Because you knew that whatever you told them to do, they’d do the opposite, Eddie! Shut it, Dante, right now. Somehow, I’ve no doubt you deserve this,” Phoe snapped at her frozen son as he opened his mouth.
“How the hell did you manage this?” Lindsey demanded, confronting Davy. “I was watching you and Eddie the whole time.”
“Well, duh. We asked Tye to put it up so we girls could have our own swimming pool. Then Daisy, Amelia, Harper, and Aria—because she’s the quietest, and you’d all be watching Alyssa—helped. Oh, and Isla and Nokomis lent a hand in stirring the plaster,” Davy replied.
Despairingly, I shook my head at the disaster we all faced. At least eight little boys were all covered in plaster of París. For several of them, it ranged from their neck down to their toes. Three remained stiffened in the pool while the other five were lying or standing frozen in position in the grass.
“Eddie,” Drake growled.
“Yeah?”
“Was this your plan?”
“Of course, Daddy. The Legacies made Aria and Alyssa cry earlier, and Nashoba pushed Nokomis over, and he shouldn’t be mean. They’re twins. So they needed punishment. Plus, they did put worms in our beds last week,” Eddie explained.
I stared at the calm child and wondered what was happening in her head and why she wasn’t locked up.
“Eddie,” Drake growled out, and Eddie shrugged.
“Yes, Daddy?” Eddie sighed. “Okay, we found the old pool, cleaned it up, and got Tye to put it up for us. Tye’s my big brother, so he didn’t think I was up to anything. Then we filled it with water, and Tye left. Once Tye was gone, we emptied some and returned to the front so you wouldn’t miss us.”
“While you watched us, the others put in plaster of París and stirred it in. They added some quick hardening stuff to it, and then Harper gave us the thumbs up,” Davy continued.
“And then we whispered about the secret pool, and within minutes, Dante and his band of fools had taken over it. So, it serves them right. Not only did they upset my sisters, but they were going to try and take something that was ours,” Alyssa finished.
“Then the plaster began hardening with them in. Don’t worry; we put the blow-up life jackets over their heads when they couldn’t move their legs. And then we popped them so they could breathe when the plaster hardened. That was Eddie’s idea,” Bonnie explained. “Eddie said even though we don’t like them, you wouldn’t forgive us if we suffocated them. Not sure why not. It would be a lot quieter around here.”
I blinked in disbelief at their words.
“What were you thinking?” Phoe thundered. “Somebody could seriously have been hurt!”
“No, Mama Phoe. Look, we had backup if we needed it.” Eddie pointed to a pile of hammers the girls had believed they would use to smash the boys out of the cast.
I shook my head.
“And what brought this on?” Fish demanded as he studied Maverick. “Could we leave Mav like this for a bit longer?” he asked Marsha, who glared, and Fish winced.
Drake chuckled.
Fish shrugged. “It was a thought.”
“You told us to stand together, that we are family. Family doesn’t allow anyone to shit on them,” Eddie stated calmly.
Phoe’s eyes narrowed. “Those boys are family, too. And mind your language.”
“If you say so, Mama. But as Daddy says, they’ll be in the club one day, and it’s brothers first, bros before hoes.”
Phoe choked at Eddie’s words.
She continued, “So, if they’re going to be all brothers, blah, blah, then we are the same as sisters. We’re sisters before dicks. Or is it because we don’t have penises, we’re subservient to them? Because I tell you, Mama Phoe, we’ve got the bigger balls. Plus, they’re Legacies; we all know what that means.”
Stunned, I couldn’t speak. I was so dumbstruck at Eddie’s statement that I turned to Phoe wide-eyed.
“Drake!” Phoe snarled.
Drake immediately looked guilty. “I did not use bros before hoes in front of the kids!”
“No?” Phoe snapped, seething.
“No?” Drake answered with clear hope.
“Wait a minute. What do you mean, Eddie, about the Legacies?” Phoe demanded, turning back to her child.
“It means Daddy and his brothers think they’re more important than us. They will take over because they have penises. They’re not Legacies on merit. Girls aren’t allowed in the club because they believe we’re not as strong as them.” Eddie’s eyes narrowed on Drake and his fellow men. “You will regret that one day, thinking they are worth more than us. Because every time they do something, we will pay them back even worse. Mama Phoe says, ‘You’ll need us one day, and we won’t be there.’ That goes for the Princesses, too!”
My mouth opened in shock at Eddie’s thoughts. Surely kids didn’t think like that? However, it seemed that these children did.
Phoe’s eyes narrowed, and she placed her hands on her hips. Drake appeared horrified, as did the other adults.
“Is that what you are all thinking?” Artemis asked Nova.
“Truthfully, Mom, I could kill any man here. But Rage remains a man’s world. Female worth is valued by how many kids we can give them,” Nova answered.
Spellbound by this drama, I noted it was Ace’s turn to look appalled now.
“Very clever, Eddie. Turning this into a battle of the sexes, but you’re not getting out of this one so easily,” Phoe said, her narrowed gaze on Eddie.
Disappointment flashed in Eddie’s eyes, and Phoe let out a wordless noise of frustration.
“Drake Michaelson! Deal with your children. That child gets her cunning from you!” Phoe shrieked and turned on her heel.
Wow, all that had been part of Eddie’s plot to escape punishment. I watched as Eddie swapped annoyed looks with Davy and wondered at the mentality of these kids. They were all batshit crazy. Eddie had a B plan as she moved forward towards a plaster child.
“Oh, they’re easy to break out, Daddy!” Eddie said and shoved the closet boy, who had his arms raised as if to strangle her. The kid screamed as Eddie pushed him over, and he fell sideways. There was a loud cracking noise, and Eddie peered down at the youngster, who I recognised as Dante.
Drake strolled over to his son, cursing Eddie at the top of his lungs.
“Shut it. You deserved this. Punishment will be forthcoming for everyone involved.” Drake bent down and peeled a piece of plaster off Dante. He had to exert some effort to crack it.
“Sorry, Daddy, we added some shi—stuff to strengthen it,” Eddie admitted.
“President or serial killer, only two ways Eddie’s going,” Axel muttered to Rock loudly, who nodded while he glared at his daughter Bonnie.
“I wasn’t involved, Daddy,” Bonnie said sweetly.
Rock raised an eyebrow.
“I’m telling the truth. Plus, I was the distraction alongside Davy and Eddie,” Bonnie replied with a shrug.
“Well, these kids are brutally honest,” I mumbled to nobody in particular, even while eying Harper and Isla. I didn’t know if I should cheer because they had been so naughty for the first time in forever. On the other hand, they’d immobilised the boys, which was unbelievable.
“Oh, they’re always honest and proud of what they accomplished,” Savage said, appearing behind me.
“Do you really think like that?” I heard Artemis say to Nova as I glanced up at Savage. My stomach fluttered; now his mere presence was causing butterflies. The look of sheer amusement on his face nearly had me chuckling.
“Yes, Mom. The men here have more value for the boys than girls,” Nova replied as Ace loudly denied that, but my attention was on Savage.
“That’s ingenious,” Savage continued. “One of the best Eddie’s pulled off.”
“I’m unsure how to handle Harper and Isla; they can’t behave like this,” I said, still dumbstruck that they’d been involved.
“Leave the discipline to Drake. He’ll come up with something creative.”
“Excuse me, it’s not for Drake to punish my girls,” I snapped. My defences and motherly feelings rose to the fore.
“Drake will make it a collective punishment. And it’ll happen now. Grace, none of us spank, harm, or scold a child. Drake might not give them dessert or will make them clear the tables, or even ban them from movie night. But the punishment will make them think about what they’ve done,” Savage explained.
A blush crept up my neck as I felt several pairs of eyes on me.
“Grace, I’ll never hurt a kid,” Drake said, turning. “But those girls did this and should pay the piper together.”
“Fine,” I snapped, turned on my heel, and walked away. None of this sat comfortably on my shoulders, and I spun back around to grab the girls.
Savage blocked my way.
“Grace, come with me,” he murmured gently.
“Savage, I’m not leaving my kids,” I replied, suspicion present in my voice.
“I swear on my life, they will be fine. Look, Lindsey, Silvie, Autumn, Vivie, and Nova are still here,” Savage said, trying to calm me.
Panic was swirling in my gut as I gazed at Savage and Drake, full of fear and doubts.
“It’s been three years since they acted like their old selves. I don’t want that progress ruined,” I whispered.
Understanding lit Drake’s eyes, and he nodded as he rubbed his chin.
“I’ll make them clean the mess up as we chip the Legacies free. Then all of them can pick up every piece of plaster,” Drake said, eyeing the children.
The youngsters looked delighted until Drake continued.
“And you will use chopsticks to pick up the small pieces.”
“Aw shit, Eddie,” her twin complained.
“Worth it,” the girls chorused, including my two.
As I tried to decide what to do, Savage placed a hand under my shoulder and pulled me away.
“Trust us,” Savage murmured as he walked me from the clubhouse and towards the far end of the land.
I was vaguely surprised at how big it was. “The club owns this?”
“Yeah, we bought the surrounding buildings, tore them down, and made it safe here for the kids. The previous land we had was dangerous, and one of the youngsters nearly got hit by a car. I know we’re in the middle of town, but this is ours and a great space for the children,” he replied.
Savage sat me on a bench, but I immediately rose to my feet.
“No, I can’t see the kids,” I blurted wildly.
“They are fine. What happened to you?” Savage asked bluntly.
I froze on the spot, my eyes widening in denial, and Savage shook his head.
“Pretty obvious how you react around people and the girls, Grace. Nobody here will judge you for anything. I’m reaching out as a friend,” Savage stated.
“A friend doesn’t kiss you like you did,” I mumbled.
Savage let a smug smile but didn’t allow me to distract him. He reached out and grasped my hand, his thumb idly rubbing my wrist.
“Tell me,” he murmured.
“I’m Grace Neville,” I stated.
Savage cocked his head in confusion.
“The Leg of Lamb Lady Killer,” I said. That hit home.
Savage’s eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly. “Grace Neville?”
“Well, I go by my maiden name now, but Neville was my married name.”
“Damn,” Savage grumbled.
“That’s it?” I asked, surprised.
“What do you mean?”
“No comments, no rushing to warn your friends, no questions?” I demanded defensively.
“Grace, Rage has had enough dealings with the press to know not to believe everything printed. I’m sure the papers missed out a shit load of information.”
I began pacing back and forth.
“Really? No judgement? Everyone has a damn opinion. From I should have killed him to I should have turned the other cheek. Then there’s how the hell I didn’t know I was being drugged?”
“It’s your story, Grace. You know the truth, not me or anyone else. But the little knowledge I have certainly explains a lot, especially why you’re so protective of the girls.”
“It’s not something I ever expected to happen. Garry and I had been together a long time, and then wham, Garry’s knocking boots with my neighbour. Who was also a good friend. I keep asking myself, what if I hadn’t figured it out? Garry would have locked me up and divorced me, and the hospital would have claimed success when I regained my facilities.”
“That was a bad situation,” Savage agreed.
“No, Savage, bad isn’t the word. This is the truth. Garry and I worked together, but I had more talent, so I was moving up the ladder quicker than he liked. Then he and Lin started their affair, and Garry devised his plan. Because Lin worked at a private hospital, it was easy to get the drugs needed. Lin billed other patients for them and hid the theft. Bitch received a longer sentence for that than for assaulting me.
“They intended to keep me drugged and muddled. Garry had already convinced me to sign off sick. Eventually, they’d planned to lock me up. Garry would divorce me, steal my job, custody of the girls, and marry Lin. Except I discovered the remains of a dinner I’d made thrown in a bin. Dinners that Lin claimed she’d cooked for the kids. It was enough to raise suspicion. Garry said that I hadn’t been cooking; instead, he’d hired Lin. But I knew I’d made the children their meals.
“I checked the bins and found the leftovers. So, I confronted Garry, and he sent me upstairs, where I was so angry it had cleared a lot of the drug fog away. I sat by the window, trying to understand what was happening. That’s when I heard Lin and Garry discussing their plans, and I had enough presence of mind to record them. I was still trying to figure things out when I walked downstairs.”
I dragged in a deep breath, and Savage sat and watched me.
“If it’s too traumatic, you don’t have to go on.”
“No. When I approached the living room, I heard Garry explaining I was very bad that day, and he was apologising in advance. He and Lin had planned to drug me through dinner, so my former client, who was joining us, would report back on how severe I was. Then Garry would get my job permanently. Instead, I saw the leg of lamb, grabbed it and calmly smashed Garry around the head, knocking him out.
“Dwayne, the client, freaked out. I told Dwayne he could call the police, but would he please listen to what I’d recorded? I informed Dwayne if I was mad, he could lock me up, but if I was innocent, would he help as we’d been close friends before I took ill? Dwayne was scared I might hurt him and stayed away and kept his phone out, but he listened. When Dwayne heard everything, he called the police, and I assumed he was going to lock me up for being crazy.
“Garry woke up and started yelling, and then Dwayne confronted him. Once I realised Dwayne believed me, I whacked Garry twice and knocked him the hell out. The cops arrested me for assault, but Dwayne managed to transfer the recorded message to his mobile, so there were two copies of it. Once locked up, I began to go through withdrawal, and I was accused of being a druggie who’d attacked her husband.
“Meanwhile, Dwayne had contacted my boss. They engaged the company lawyers, who turned up and forced the police to get me to the hospital. Of course, I tested positive for what Lin had drugged me with. But the company supported me and pushed for answers. Still, that didn’t stop the media frenzy—or the stories. I was portrayed as a lunatic with the leg of lamb, and they gave me that God-awful nickname.”
“It’s pretty slick. But you were married, not a lady killer,” Savage stated.
“They only picked lady because I was female. And they thought I wanted to kill Garry. I only intended to shut the lying bastard up. However, they persisted until the truth surfaced. Public opinion had been decided by then, so the court case was pretty shocking for the media. Garry was sent down for thirty years for various offences and Lin twenty. But I was living a life sentence in my hometown.
“I tried to return to work; people kept staring and talking behind their hands. Ultimately, I was let go with a very generous severance package. See, the company was also guilty of believing what Garry had said and had helped him inadvertently carry out his plan. But I hadn’t sued them, so they were very kind.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re waitressing,” Savage pointed out.
“Because I applied for several other jobs. The Leg of Lamb Lady Killer followed me. When I did take a couple of jobs, they didn’t last long because I wasn’t there for my worth as a professional. No. I was there because companies knew I’d bring in clients out of morbid curiosity. I didn’t need that reputation following me. Everywhere I went, people stared and pointed. Here? Nobody is expecting Grace Neville, Leg of Lamb Lady Killer, in RC, to work as a waitress.” I sighed.
“Can’t you get a job with your maiden name?”
“No. Because they’ll want my work background and references, and the Leg of Lamb Lady Killer fiasco will start all over again.”
“Why are you working such long hours? You said you got a good severance.”
“I got more than that. I divorced Garry, and the judge awarded me the house and three-quarters of our investments and savings. The building sold to a fan for double its worth. The dining room was cordoned off and used as a centrepiece. Freaking weirdos. I suppose I’m well off between the pay and everything else. But I locked most of the money away for the kids to get them through college and to help them buy a home and car. I kept a percentage back for emergencies and bought my house and vehicle here in cash.
“I want Harper and Isla to understand the meaning of hard work. But Angela messed that up. It seems I can’t do anything right. And they’ve changed. I didn’t notice at first, but Lin and Garry had been slowly repressing the girl’s boisterous personalities. Those rat bastards had used my illness to control the children.”
“Do you have to work?” Savage asked.
“Not really; even the percentage I kept back would see us living comfortably for years,” I admitted.
“Then why are you slaving so hard?”
“To show the girls what an honest day’s work looks like.”
“Grace, do you think Harper and Isla don’t already know that? I think you’d be better off at home doing what you want. And be honest, you want to be that stay-at-home mother, don’t you? I’ve seen the look on your face when you watch the kids; they’re your world.”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“So stay at home and be their mom. Work when they attend college. Or go part-time. But stop trying to prove something you don’t need to,” Savage suggested.
A noise behind me made me spin around, and I saw Lindsey, Artemis, Casey, and Autumn standing there.
“I’ve bashed Ace with a frying pan,” Artemis declared, and I choked on a laugh. “Then I held a gun on him once when I thought he was an asshole. Then again, Ace is a bastard constantly. Maybe I should have shot Ace before we got back together.”
My eyes widened even while I tried not to chuckle. Artemis was talking in such a conversationalist tone.
“I dropped Mac and beat him with a baseball bat. Mac still covers his nuts when I make a sudden move,” Casey confessed.
Savage laughed at that.
“I’ve done some shit to Lowrider, but a leg of lamb. Girl, you’re my hero,” Lindsey admitted, nodding furiously.
“Yeah, that’s just so badass. It had to hit like a sledgehammer,” Autumn stated.
“It does. After I read Grace’s story, I tried it out on one of those crash dummies. Fuck, it broke the thing in half,” Artemis mused.
“You never invited us?” Autumn demanded, sounding quite wounded.
“Hey, I’ll get a load of them. The prospects can set them up, and we’ll all go buy a leg of lamb and try it,” Artemis offered.
“Welcome to our crazy,” Lindsey said as she linked arms with me. “Now, tell me, did you full-on swing? Was it a club dropping on his head, or did you merely tap him, and the pussy went down?”
I stared wide-eyed at Lindsey and then burst into laughter. Damn, who’d have thought I’d laugh about the fiasco?