Chapter Nineteen

Tyson

“Someone has to go up there!” Eve looked between all of us, frustrated. Clearly she was worried; we all were worried. “She hasn’t left the house all week! And now look, another Monday and she hasn’t left for school!”

I think that was our first sign that something was wrong. Last Monday, Hannah didn’t go to school. In fact, she hadn’t left the bedroom apart from going to the bathroom. Mum kept leaving food at her door. We had all been talking to her through her closed and locked door.

And when she did make those breaks to the bathroom, it was quick and it didn’t give us enough time to get up there and see her before she disappeared into that bedroom of hers.

Yesterday I said I was going to knock it in which ended up with Dad just growling at me to leave her alone.

I told Dad it was his fault Hannah wasn’t leaving her room. And that was true—he had hit her, causing her to lock herself in there. But I was trying to get the point across that she wasn’t leaving the room because she knew he was home.

Like she was going to extra lengths to make sure she didn’t have to see him.

I suggested we tell her Dad wasn’t home to see if that got her out. And my idea was going to work till Eve snapped saying Hannah needs to face Dad before more time passes, and as if she knew what Hannah was thinking, Eve kept going on about how Hannah took time to think before making a decision and we needed to get her to see Dad before she made a decision.

“She may just be running late,” I finally said something. I couldn’t believe Hannah was missing school on purpose—that shit just didn’t happen.

Mum gave me a dirty look as if I was stupid. “It’s after twelve, Tyson. She isn’t running late. She simply isn’t going.”

“We’ll do what Tyson’s idea is. Tell her I’m out. At least that might get her out of the room.” Dad picked up his bike keys. “If it does get her out then tell me and I won’t come back. Give her space away from me.”

We all knew that was the last thing Dad wanted but if him being here was causing a problem for Hannah, then he would leave. He was hoping she would come down. But that didn’t happen.

Mum was still defensive about the whole thing and was still really pissed at Dad.

Eve wasn’t really talking to either of them, and when she did her voice had a bitchy tone to it.

Then there was me trying to keep a ruined puzzle together. The doorbell went off. I think everyone knew not to come to the house. It wouldn’t be a salesperson cause who the hell would think there was a mansion at the end of a dirt road behind a biker club.

We all looked at each other.

We had all pretty much stayed home apart from going out to get take away and usually it was always ones of Hannah’s favorites. We’d left the food at her door with hope she would open for it. But she hadn’t.

We had all had a conversation with her bedroom door. And not once had she spoken back to one of us.

The only one of us not to talk to her door was Dad. He knew better. The doorbell went off again and then suddenly they were banging.

“Something might have happened with the club,” I said to Dad. Because let’s face it, no one else would have the guts to come to the mother charter’s president’s house and bang on his door.

“Brad would just come in.” Dad’s eyes went to Mum. “Have you called your sister?”

There was this thick and tight tension between Mum and Dad, and what Dad just said had clearly just made that tension tighter. I sure as fuck didn’t want to be anywhere near them when the tension snapped.

Mum’s eyes sharpened. “You think Kim is here? You really think I need her to back me up?” Mum took a step toward Dad, uncrossing her arms.

Fuck. It looked like she was one second from lashing out all her anger on him.

“God, calm down you two!” I stepped in between them. I looked between them. “I’ll get the door.” I said as the thudding on the door got louder.

Whoever it was sure as hell would be regretting ever knocking on our door. And they were lucky I was the one answering the door and not my parents who were ready to kill at the slightest thing.

Layla

You know when your gut tells you something is off? When you just know something isn’t right? That is exactly what I was feeling when Hannah messaged me at the start of the week saying she had a bad case of gastro and wouldn’t be at school for the week.

She told me she’d rearranged her radiation appointments for the week and I believed her. So when she didn’t show this morning at school it just added to my concerns about her. But it was when I showed up at the hospital and she was a no-show and when wouldn’t pick up one of my calls that I got really worried. I asked the receptionist if Hannah’s appointment was still at eleven. She told me Hannah had ceased treatment as of last week.

I knew then I should have gone with my gut last week. I banged on the door again. Someone better bloody answer. It hadn’t slipped my notice that all Wilsons had disappeared off the face of the planet.

Eve wasn’t causing hell at school.

Then there was Tyson himself. If he was just blowing off school, I got that, but blowing off a monthly meeting that Brad had to head because Reaper was also a no show to the meeting? Cyrus was extremely pissed off that Reaper would blow off his business with the club. Took me hours to calm him down after that meeting with Brad.

And don’t get me started on fucking Brad. He sure as hell didn’t have his head in the meeting either. I could have just given them fake figures and he sure as fuck would have just signed them off.

Apart from the Wilsons’ disappearance and the Vice President of Satan’s Sons being not interested in club business, you would think everything was fine with the club.

So, realizing that all the Wilsons had gone underground along with Brad, who I knew had strong feelings for Hannah, it made me come to two possible conclusions.

One, Hannah had told her family about the breast cancer.

Two, her family had realized she was sick. The front she had been putting up had slipped.

I banged on the door again and finally it opened.

Tyson’s tight expression disappeared when he saw it was me who had been banging on his family’s door loud enough to wake up a small city.

“Look, Layla, now isn’t a good time.” Tyson jumped to the conclusion I was here to see him.

I scoffed. “Not here for you, Wilson.” I was hurt when he didn’t reach out to me at all after I gave him my number but that was last week’s news. “Hannah. Where is she?” I was waiting to hear what excuse he was going to come up with.

“Um.” He frowned, and then scratched the back of his neck. “She isn’t well. Like I said, it isn’t the best time.”

“Right. Gastro. When did she get it?” I crossed my arms. Come on Tyson, lie better.

“Over the weekend.” He did lie, badly.

I scoffed. For a Sergeant of Arms, he really needed to work on his poker face. I uncrossed my arms, acting like I’d accepted that as response. “Okay, no worries,” I lied perfectly. Well enough that his grip on the door was off and he went to actually say goodbye to me. I took the opportunity and pushed open the door and walked into the haunted mansion.

“For a Sergeant of Arms, you need to work on your ability to lie, Wilson.” I gave him some advice and I was heading for the stairs when I noticed all the Wilsons in the lounge room. What were they in the middle of? A family meeting?

“For a smart girl, you sure as hell don’t take a hint.” Tyson’s words were sharp but only reached my back. I had already headed up the stairs, not dwelling on why the Wilsons looked like they were having a meeting.

The one Wilson I wanted wasn’t there.

“Oi, Layla! You can’t just storm into our house!” Tyson was quick to follow me but I was ahead of him. I was the one who sprinted daily. He may be fit, but I was fitter.

I stopped at Hannah’s door, my hand going to the handle, twisting it. Locked.

“Layla! Get the fuck out! You aren’t welcome!” Tyson had caught up to me, looking as furious as a fighting pit bull. Pity for him I dealt with pit bulls all the time. He would have to physically drag me away from here for me to move.

I knocked on the door. “Hannah?” I tried to hide how pissed off I was with my best friend.

Silence followed. Tyson’s mouth actually shut when I called for Hannah’s attention. Then a few minutes passed and there was no reaction from inside the room.

Tyson sighed. “Look, Layla, can you go? Hannah isn’t well.” He wasn’t yelling at me now. “Just give her some space.” He was actually trying to give me advice—had Hannah told them the truth?

I looked at Tyson a bit harder. I think I needed a bit more information. “How long has she been in there for?” I wasn’t about to drop the cancer word in case Hannah hadn’t told them the truth.

“All week.” Tyson told me the truth; I could tell by his tone. He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sure she will call you when she is feeling better.”

I knew then. Right then that Hannah hadn’t told them to the truth. If they knew she had cancer they wouldn’t be letting her cease treatment or lock herself in her room for over a week.

I didn’t need Tyson to tell me another word. I knew something else had happened. I banged on Hannah’s door again, this time putting all my force into it.

“You have three seconds to open this door, Hannah, before I start screaming about your least favorite topic.” My words were loud enough to be heard through the whole house. Even if she had headphones on she would have heard that. But the threat I was giving was real and that could be heard in my tone.

I had just counted to three in my head when I heard the door unlock. I glanced at Tyson. “Just give us a few moments,” I said to him, his face covered with disbelief, and I twisted open her bedroom door and walked in, closing the door after me.

I scanned her up and down. Okay, well, she was still breathing and alive. So that ruled out her being dead as an excuse for not answering her phone this morning.

I saw her jaw and cheek. It was all deep blue and black with a yellow tint to the ends of the bruise. I crossed my arms, looking at my best friend. If she thought for a second hiding because she had a bruise was acceptable then she was wrong.

Should I shout at her about how stupid she was being? She wouldn’t look me in the eye; her eyes were glued on the carpet.

“So, who did it?” I walked toward her. Guess we should get the obvious out of the way.

“Dad.”

So this explained why all the Wilsons were currently in damage control mode. Hannah had a strong thing against violence. It was sort of weird considering what her dad was like, and we all knew her mum’s history. Then there was her brother—hell, even her twin was known for getting into a punch-up.

But Hannah had this rule when it came to her dad. If he ever hit her, she would leave. Yet it seemed she hadn’t.

“I made him.” She glanced at me for the first time since I’d walked in, her eyes locked with mine. “I coaxed him. Told him I was heading to an early grave and there was nothing he could do about it.”

I sighed. “Hannah, why?”

She shrugged.

Well, I knew there was an answer to my question and it wasn’t just a ‘shrug’ response.

“Did he notice something?” I took a guess and it would seem I had gotten close to the reason because she nodded her head.

“The no eating. He noticed that. Well, someone pointed it out to him but then he went into control overload mode. He was saying things like him taking a break from the club and putting me in the hospital.” Her words were coming out rushed. “And going to every appointment till I was better.”

That was Hannah’s biggest fear: her family but mainly her Dad being impacted by her health. I knew then why she had said what she’d said and I also knew why Reaper reacted like he had.

Though I bet right now he was regretting ever letting his temper get the better of him. Reaper would be hating himself right about now.

“Okay. Well, you did what you did.” I sat down beside her on the bed. No point trying to get a blood stain out of a white top. “You need to pull your shit together now.” I turned my head, locking my eyes with hers. “You went into meltdown mode. I get it. But ceasing your treatment, Hannah…that was fucking stupid.”

Immediately her eyes dropped. “I just needed a break.” Her words were honest and I got it—what she was facing was hard and scary and totally too much for any normal sixteen-year-old to deal with.

“Well, you have two options now. Tell them the truth or…”

Her eyes went back to mine. “Or?”

“Or you pull your shit together and move the fuck on. You have to deal with this, Hannah; it’s not something you can just turn your back on. Just like you can’t turn your back on your family.” No wonder they were all downstairs looking like they had done nothing but stress all week. “At the end of the day, you love your family, Hannah, so much so you won’t tell them how sick you are.”

She loved them that much that she couldn’t bear the thought of them suffering knowing she was sick.

She was silent, and I didn’t say anything because she needed to come to the conclusion herself.

“So what do I do?” She finally spoke and ran a hand through her hair. She looked exhausted.

“We have an appointment at one. After that we are going back to this illness not controlling your life but you controlling it.” I got up and went to her wardrobe. “You have never wanted your family to suffer but from all I saw downstairs, the four people you love the most are all worried sick and terrified what your next move is going to be.”

“Six.”

I turned around to look at Hannah. “Six what?”

“Six people I love the most have been suffering because of my actions over the last week.” She slightly smiled and got up. “Brad and you make the list too, you know.” She took the jeans from my hand.

I couldn’t stop the grin. “You know that boyfriend of yours was the dead giveaway that something was wrong with you.” I watched her eyes widen and my grin got bigger. “So you and Brad are a thing now?”

“Nope.” She took her top off and took the one I’d picked out. “We just have things to talk about.”

“Yeah, like when you’ll be losing your virginity to him.” I was only joking but her expression made me gasp and I whacked her immediately. “You bitch! You had sex with him and didn’t tell me!”

“Shut up!” she whisper-yelled at me. “My family do have ears and have currently been living at my bedroom door!”

I scoffed. “No wonder he didn’t give a fuck about my figures for the month.” I couldn’t believe it. Brad had crossed the line. My eyes lit up, looking at Hannah. “Does this mean he has stopped fighting the whole regretting it thing?”

She rolled her eyes and didn’t answer while putting on her jeans.

I gasped. “Does he know what your dad did?” I didn’t know Brad very well, but he lived up to the intimidating role as a Vice President. When he actually lets you see the real side to him then you know two things immediately: his love is hard to get unless you are an engine block and when he does love someone he protects them with his life.

“Dad has a bullet wound in his arm from one of Brad’s custom glock bullets. Does that answer your question?” Hannah gave me more than enough of an answer.

The drama of the event went quickly to my head. “Darn, I would love to be a fly on the wall when those two are alone together again.”

“I’m sure they’ve kissed and made up by now.”

“Nah, don’t think so. Reaper’s disappeared from the club eyes. Brad is running the show and keeping up the front that everything is fine. But it is sort of obvious it isn’t if you know your family.”

“What do you mean Dad’s disappeared from club eyes?” Hannah flung herself around, her eyes wide. “Has he left the club? What? Is Brad in charge? Why wouldn’t Dad be back at the club?”

“Woah, calm down, one question at a time,” I settled her. “Brad’s stepped up there, but as far as everyone knows, it’s temporary. And I think the reason your dad has taken a break is cause he punched his sixteen-year-old daughter who he loves the most and is scared to death if he leaves the house she is going to disappear.”

Hannah stared at me with wide eyes for a few more seconds. “God, if I wanted to go, I would have. Tatz was right there, offering to take me away.”

“Wait, you’ve seen Tatz?”

“Yeah, he was, well, he kind of was here when it happened. He sort of caused the problem by pointing out to Dad I wasn’t eating,” Hannah pouted. “Anyway, the point was, he gave me the opportunity to leave and I didn’t take it. I stayed.”

Suddenly, my concern for Tatz went up. “It was last weekend, yeah, that it happened?”

“Yeah, why?” Hannah had finished putting on her shoes.

“Tatz is trying to move a motion through the club. It’s not important.” I lied, it sure as fuck was important to our club and it would affect Reaper, and now it would seem I had found the reason our go-with-the-flow Tatz was on a manhunt to end our friendship with the Satan’s Sons brotherhood.

“Layla, I know you well enough to know when you are lying.” She crossed her arms and I knew by her expression she wasn’t going to budge till I told her what was really going on with Tatz.

I sighed. “He is using your dad as going underground as a sign that the Satan’s Sons don’t respect the Deadly Dozen. He’s pushing for us to fracture our brotherhood peace with them.” Well, that summed up Tatz’s angle quickly.

Tatz knew the real reason Reaper was underground at the moment. And it had nothing to do with disrespect for the Deadly Dozen. But Tatz had another motive to end our peace with Satan’s Sons. He hated men that hit women. His dad used to beat his mum and he grew up with family violence. I’m guessing if he witnessed Reaper hitting Hannah, he would think it was a regular thing.

Tatz also knew Rex was heading toward a release from prison. Rex was the only man living who would willingly go up against Reaper. If Tatz approached Rex and filled his head up that Reaper hit women and I had been spending time near the Reaper himself, my blood father would take it upon himself to end a problem that wasn’t a problem.

I needed to talk to Tatz before he did any more damage with his move to split the brotherhood.

“You need to tell Dad.” Hannah words came out quick. “I can’t talk to him right now, but you have to warn him, tell him to take his position as president again.”

“I can’t tell him what I just told you!” I looked at Hannah like she couldn’t be serious. “There is such a thing as club loyalty, Hannah. My loyalty is with Cyrus and the Deadly Dozen. I’m not about to tell another club what the inner thinking of our club is like at the moment.”

Her eyes hardened on me. “So, you are going to make me talk to him then? You and I both know Tatz is only doing this because of me and we both know Dad is taking a break from the club because of me. So, this is all my fault.” She crossed her arms, “You want it to be my fault that two clubs have a fall out?”

“Hannah, I can’t just tell your dad what the club is thinking of doing. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Fine, I’ll tell him.” She may have said it, but I knew she couldn’t go through with it.

How had she managed to grow up in the club but not understand club boundaries? “Fine,” I snapped, her hardened look getting the best of me. “I will warn your dad. On one condition.” I was doing something that went against everything I wanted, so now it was her turn to do something she didn’t want.

“Fine.” She gave in, she knew I had her.

“You are having tea tonight.”

“Okay.”

“With your family.” Her mouth dropped open but I wasn’t finished. “Before you even think of backing out, I should let you know that I will be there and it will give you the perfect opportunity to break down some of those walls you have built up against them before your birthday tomorrow.” Now I had somewhat higher ground on her.

I saw her expression. Did she really think I had forgotten about her birthday?

“You know you are having a party.” I grinned at her displeased expression. “A full charter party and, like, the whole school is crashing the club. Even the Deadly Dozen are coming.” It had been the subject of talk since Eve put up the event on Facebook. “So, you ready to make your one o’clock appointment?”

I had never seen Hannah more pissed off. “Fine,” she gritted out and picked up her purse and phone. “But there is nothing you can blackmail me with to get me at that party.”

“God, Hannah, I’m cruel but I’m not the devil,” I joked with her while I pushed her slightly out of the door, seeing as she suddenly had become a granny and couldn’t move.

She was standing at the top of the stairs and it looked like I had to go first. I rolled my eyes and started to head down. She was three steps behind me. When I hit the foyer, I saw all the Wilsons’ faces masked with shock when Hannah stood next to me.

“Hannah’s feeling better,” I smiled at them. Literally, all their eyes were on Hannah. “In fact, the whole gastro and no eating thing has made her starving, so we were thinking of having a feast?”

It was now that I needed one of them to switch out of shock. I looked at Abby, Tyson, Eve, and then Reaper. Had they not heard one word I had said?

“So, a feast tonight?” I questioned them, hoping one of them would snap out of their zombie-all-eyes-on-Hannah mode.

“Um, sure.” Tyson surprisingly was the one to answer and his eyes were off me and onto Hannah. “What should we get? Like anything you particularly want?”

I wanted to smile because he sounded so nervous, like I had just handed him a loaded gun with no safety on it.

“Um, I think the birthday girls can decide what we eat.” My eyes went to Hannah. “In fact, Hannah, why don’t you go and do a list with your mum and sister for tonight while I talk to your dad and brother.”

She knew right now I was doing what she wanted. Giving her dad a heads up on a problem he wasn’t aware of right now. It went against my loyalty to the club but at the same time I knew it was in both clubs’ interests if they started in a brotherhood peace.

“Hannah doesn’t have to; I can guess and Eve usually knows what she likes as well,” Abby said after a minute had passed and Hannah hadn’t budged.

I looked back at Hannah. The period of silence she had with her family was about to be broken; if not, I was going back on my end of the deal.

“No,” Hannah finally spoke and looked up at her family. “Eve will have us eating ice cream and chocolate chips for every course.”

I smiled; finally, she speaks!

I don’t think I’d ever seen a group of people look as delighted as the Wilson family looked just by hearing Hannah speak. Even Reaper had a smile on his face but the hurt and pain of what he had done was clear in his eyes which were locked on Hannah’s badly bruising jaw and cheek—hell, even down her neck was bruised.

Eve was quick to grab Hannah’s arm and was firing questions about what she wanted to eat, and how Eve thought she had turned into a corpus in the bedroom. Abby gave me the biggest smile; she didn’t need to say thank you, as it was clear by the expression she gave me. Then she turned and followed the girls.

Suddenly, what I had to do next hit me, putting a really bad taste in my mouth.

“If this is about Hannah…” Tyson started but I put my hand up for him to stop.

“Nothing to do with Hannah. Well, it is but isn’t at the same time.” I worded that really badly. I sighed. “It’s about Tatz.” I felt like a traitor just saying his name to them. “I just want to say that for the record this goes against all my beliefs and my loyalty to the club.” I pointed at them. I did not want anyone thinking I was a club traitor.

Tyson frowned but by Reaper’s expression he realized I was about to share something that was for the Deadly Dozen’s ears only.

“Tatz is pushing a move to end the brotherhood peace.” I hated myself for saying it—God, it was like I’d stabbed Cyrus in the back. My eyes went to Reaper. “He is using your disappearance as an excuse to say that you don’t respect them. We all know he knows the real reason why you aren’t at the club right now.” I thought I had to get that out there. “Regardless, they are voting this weekend on whether to end the peace.”

We all knew two biker clubs not at peace didn’t fit in any town together, no matter how big that town was.

“So I suggest, Reaper, that you put in some face time with Cyrus. He has a level of respect for you. But with Brad’s lack of effort in last week’s meeting and Tatz’s words of you not respecting the club—well, those are the two reasons he’s letting Tatz call a vote on the brotherhood move.”

Now I wished that was all I had to say on the subject but it wasn’t. I may have told them what the club’s view was but now it was time to share with them why Tatz was acting like this.

“Tatz obviously saw what you did to Hannah. He had a rough upbringing. He would be thinking that what you did to Hannah was normal and happens regularly.” I saw Reaper’s mouth go to open. So I was quick to add. “We all know it’s not. Hannah pushed you on purpose and you snapped. It was her fault, too, but Tatz doesn’t know that and I didn’t know Tatz had this angle on his reason to end the brotherhood.”

Now that I did, I could tell Tatz that what he had seen wasn’t normal behavior. I let the silence fall between the three of us. Reaper’s expression was unreadable.

“So, how much damage has Tatz badmouthing us caused?” Tyson asked and I heard the way he spat out the word ‘Tatz’.

“Don’t ask her that, Tyson. She has already told us more than she should have.” Reaper finally spoke and uncrossed his arms. “What you did for Hannah, getting her out of the room…”

“Not a big deal.” I cut him off. Reaper wasn’t the type of guy that said the words ‘thank you’, so I wasn’t expecting him to say them now. My eyes went to Tyson. While Reaper wasn’t expecting me to reply, I felt like I had to give them more of a heads up. This time it wasn’t because of Hannah—this time it was because I didn’t want Tyson going in blind.

“Enough damage has been done for Cyrus to call the meeting. Then, if the vote passes as a yes, a state meeting will be held to decide if the split from Satan’s Son is a state issue or just a town issue. Then, as you know, if it is a state issue, a country vote is called and then a national one.” I knew they knew the order of how these things worked, but they had to know how serious Tatz was about ending the peace.

“Told you to stay in the club’s eyes,” Tyson snapped at his father. “Now we have all this shit to deal with. After what I did the other week with them you know shit can turn bad if they turn to a warring club.” Tyson was letting his fury out on his dad. “When you want to fuck up, Dad, then you definitely make sure to do it from every possible angle!”

I didn’t need to know what he did the other week because I knew he was the Sergeant of Arms. He dealt with punishments. That was Tyson’s job. So it normally involved violence and blood.

“I think Hannah’s health comes before the club.” I spoke before Reaper ended up shouting back at his son. Both pair of eyes went to me. “Hannah isn’t well. You all know that now. But as for her disappearing, I can assure you that won’t be happening. So I think it’s best that things go back to normal till she finishes punishing herself.”

“Punishing herself?” Tyson repeated the words back to me, his hand going in Reaper’s direction. “He is the fuckhead that hit her in the first place. We all knew if Dad ever hit Hannah she was gone. You can’t stand here and say she won’t disappear and we all fucking know that’s the only thing she has been thinking about while being locked up in her room!”

I took a step toward Tyson. “Hannah baited and coaxed your father to a breaking point. Any man tested as he was would have snapped. Even you. Like I said, Hannah is punishing herself because she knows she is the reason she has that bruise on her face and is in a world of pain.” Was it unbelievable for Tyson to think maybe his dad wasn’t all to blame? “She won’t be disappearing because your dad broke his promise. He hit her because she asked for it. Simple. So if the promise isn’t broken, there is no reason for her to leave.”

Tyson’s expression dropped.

“Layla, it isn’t as black and white as that,” Reaper said and I could hear his own self-hate for what he’d done in that one sentence.

“I think you should focus on the core reason it happened in the first place.” My eyes went to Reaper. “Hannah isn’t well.” That was the reason of the fight. “That’s the core issue.” Just as I got those words out, our small gathering got larger when the girls returned.

I heard Eve telling her every detail of the party she was hosting. I even heard Hannah’s few disgusted remarks back to the ideas her twin was putting in place.

“Okay, you good to go, Hannah?” I asked, stepping away from Tyson and Reaper. As far as I was concerned, I’d held up my end of the bargain with Hannah. If anything, I overdid what was expected of me.

“Yep.” She came to a stop at Tyson’s side. “Can I have a word with Tyson for a second?”

I didn’t know why she would want to have a word with him. I personally didn’t want to have any more words with him. He clearly was blinded with what had happened between Hannah and their Dad.

Tyson was looking at her, completely stunned, when Hannah linked her hand with his and dragged him out the front door.

Great. Leaving me with three Wilsons who wouldn’t have got much sleep and were all sick to the stomach worrying about Hannah.

“Layla, I don’t know what you said to her, but thank you,” Eve said as soon as the front door shut. Like her dad, it didn’t seem right for Eve to be saying the words ‘thank you.’

“You have no idea how worried we were, Layla. For you to get Hannah out of the bedroom and speaking to us is a huge deal,” Abby added and took a step toward me. “It’s even more of a big deal because we know you know the situation.”

I could see it on Abby’s face; she hadn’t been sleeping, as she’d been spending every spare second she had fighting against the urge to rip Hannah’s door off its hinges.

“Like someone said, the situation isn’t black and white.” I glanced at Reaper, using his words on his wife, but not putting the blame so heavily on his side like he’d done. “Reaper reacted how any loving Dad would have when pushed to the breaking point.” I shrugged. “My dad would have reacted the same.” I wasn’t sticking up for family violence or saying it was acceptable; I was just explaining that, as Reaper had said, the situation wasn’t as black and white as some would think.

Abby glanced at Reaper and then nodded her head, her eyes returning to me. “Yeah, I think my dad would have done the same.” A small smile spread across her lips. “In fact, my dad wouldn’t put up with half the shit Kade has to put up with.”

“I know! What Hannah and Eve get away with is shocking. Like dragging Reaper into the cinema to watch chick flicks. My dad won’t look at the television unless it has a sports game on it. I literally took up an interest in sports so I could have a conversation with him about it.”

“Same! My father wouldn’t have let me leave the house wearing anything in Eve’s wardrobe!”

I laughed, nodding my head. “Good old Roach is old school.” I knew Abby’s dad better than she would properly know. “Yeah, the girls got lucky with Reaper.” I continued to smile at Abby. “Though, according to Roach, you and Kim got your way for your eighteenth party. He even mentioned something about his pub turning pink?”

Abby automatically rolled her eyes. “I had zero to do with that. Trust me, Eve takes after my sister! I had nothing to do with the pink bomb that went off in that pub. I actually spent the party in my bedroom.”

“Geez, now we know where Hannah gets it from.”

“Yeah well, Kade ended up showing up.” Abby smiled, and by the look on Reaper’s face, he had never been happier to hear his first name—which, if I remembered correctly, he hated being called by. Abby took a few steps to him and Reaper’s arms opened for her and she stepped into them.

It was like seeing a completed puzzle when you saw Abby and Reaper together. Neither of them was complete without the other.

“Maybe Kade can give Cyrus some tips on how to sit through a movie.” Abby looked at me as if she owed me something.

“Or maybe I can give the girls some tips on how to sit through a full game of sports without complaining.” The words just came off my lips. It was my automatic reaction to have my dad’s back, and it caused the always serious Reaper to laugh.

“Now that I would love to see. Eve and Hannah have some six senses when it comes to an important sports game. Sudden disaster is sure to occur.” Reaper spoke as if this happened every time he sat down to watch a game.

By the look Reaper was giving me, it was like I had gone up on some scale of respect or something.

Right now would be great timing for Tyson and Hannah to reappear but they didn’t.

“Well, there is a game on tonight, if I recall. Perfect practice for Hannah and Eve.” I shot Eve a grin, causing her to scoff. “Trust me, a football game is easier to watch than eighteen holes of golf. Or better yet, test cricket.”

“You watch golf?” Reaper asked, honestly sounding shocked.

“Yeah, I ended up taking it up; well, Alfie was too young and the boys went through a stage of refusing to go with Dad so I was dragged along. And before I knew it, I had a handicap.” I was sharing more about Cyrus’s and my relationship than I ever had. I wouldn’t lie, Cyrus was a great dad. The only dad I had ever wanted or needed.

I just usually didn’t share that we were that close with anyone.

“God, I’d rather eat carbs than play golf,” Eve scoffed. “Nothing is more boring than golf and the only good thing a golf club is for is as a murder weapon.”

“Trust me, a gun is a cheaper option.” Again it just came; it was the truth though. And it seemed me knowing that fact caused Reaper to laugh again.

The front door opened and Tyson and Hannah were back. Why was Hannah giving me that look? I narrowed my eyes at my best friend. It hadn’t occurred till now that her sudden need to see her brother had something to do with me.

Tyson casually walked in and then froze next to me, his eyes widening on his parents. What, had he never seen his dad hug his mum before? God, I would think he was used to seeing his parents all over each other.

“You ready to go, Hannah?” I twirled the keys in my hand. “We’re pushing it for time,” I reminded her.

“Yep.” She nodded her head, and then looked at Abby. “Mum, can you invite Brad and Andrea tonight?” Hannah’s words had nerves in them. “Maybe give them a better impression of what a dinner with us is like.” She glanced at her dad but then her eyes were focused back on her mum.

“Andrea and Brad broke up,” Abby spoke and I saw Hannah’s expression.

Well, what a surprise, Brad broke it off with his girlfriend. I wondered why. It took all my control to not roll my eyes and not give Hannah credit for causing it. Clearly Brad thought more of Hannah than he did his of his club girlfriend.

“Oh,” was all Hannah managed to say and honestly it did sound like that fact had surprised her. “Well, that’s no good. I really liked Andrea,” she added; well, at least she put effort into that. Because it generally did sound like she meant it.

Abby shrugged, like the reason to Brad’s actions was a mystery and it was a mystery. If a mystery was blonde with killer blue eyes and a perfectly shaped body.

“We should invite Layla’s family then,” Hannah spoke again, and this time my head snapped in her direction. Was she serious? Cyrus and Reaper weren’t on speaking terms at the moment.

My ability to mend things was only so good. I couldn’t force Cyrus to accept whatever reason Reaper was going to feed him.

“That’s a good idea,” Reaper spoke up. “I’ll make the call.” His eyes went to me, as if telling me everything was going to go smoothly. I wondered if Reaper had ever seen the side to my dad that wasn’t understanding? Because I knew that was how Cyrus was right now.

“Good, the parents will handle it. Let’s go.” Hannah pulled on my arm, and I didn’t know whether she suddenly wanted to run because her dad and her had agreed on something or if she really wanted to be on time for her appointment.

“Tyson and I are heading to school as well.” Eve suddenly wrapped her hand around Tyson’s arm. “We have missed a lot of school.”

“Are you insane? There’s like two hours left!” Tyson looked at his sister like she was a dumb blonde, but he was the dumb one because clearly Eve just wanted to give her parents the house to themselves. It took half a minute for Tyson to switch on. “Right, we should go.” Tyson finally caught onto Eve’s angle.

And just like that, Eve and Tyson were following Hannah and me out, leaving Abby and Reaper with some space to talk, because I’m just taking a stab in the dark and saying Abby didn’t take him hitting their daughter very well.

“Um, Layla?”

I was about to open my car door when Tyson’s words stopped me. I turned to look at him. “What, Wilson?” I noticed how he had picked the timing between Hannah getting in the car and Eve getting out of earshot.

“I really wanted to use your number.” He took a step closer. “Do you think we could convince our dads that you spending the night wouldn’t result in me crossing lines with you?”

Well, that was one hell of a bold angle to take. I was slightly impressed he had the balls to say that. As if I had already agreed.

“We wouldn’t have to convince them.” I leaned in closer to him. “Cause you aren’t crossing any lines with me.”

I think I’d made my point as I opened my car door and got in. My eyes went to Hannah, and suddenly her nickname of ‘Nice’ didn’t suit her. Maybe ‘Meddler’ suited her better.

***

It took half an hour and some bourbon to get Cyrus to agree to dinner but even when we pulled up out the front he didn’t want to go in. I think it hadn’t helped that Tatz had spent all weekend filling Cyrus’s ears up on the belief that Reaper was disrespecting him on purpose.

Cyrus said he was remaining sober in what Tatz had called a ‘possible trap’. I still hadn’t had a word with Tatz to explain what had happened. Reaper didn’t do family violence. He was a ruthless man but when it came to his family he protected them and he didn’t hurt them. That was obvious to me but yet not to everyone.

I guess the reputation that came with Reaper’s name was—well, you don’t rule off him being incapable of anything.

Mum got out of the car and so did Alfie but I waited. I knew Cyrus wanted to have a word with me.

“Well, get it off your chest,” I said as soon as Mum’s door shut and it was just Cyrus and I.

“If this turns sour then you need to see Creed, do you understand?” Cyrus’s words rung in my head.

Things weren’t turning sour. Things were going to be fine. But even if things were to turn out for the worst, and Cyrus ended up dead, then I still wouldn’t reach out to Creed. Creed was the Deadly Dozen’s mother charter’s President’s son and if Cyrus had it his way, then Creed and I would already be engaged.

I was thankful when we left the same state as him. Not because I didn’t like him but because I didn’t like relationships or being tied down. Being bound to a man that was being trained to fulfill a mother charter President role—well, it meant a relationship with him would come with a lot of strings and not just tying me down but gluing me down.

Cyrus got out of the car after I gave him a nod, agreeing to his wishes, even though I wouldn’t follow through with them. It just occurred to me that those same reasons why I ran from Creed, all those strings that came with him, were the same ones that would come with Tyson.

Holy fuck, how had I not realized that till now? But I wasn’t heading into a relationship with Tyson, was I?