I dig my phone out of my pocket as it rings. "Hello," I answer the phone and walk back to the garden looking over at the guys to follow, as the door closes, I put the phone on speaker.
"Mr. Kane, I wanted to call to inform you that we had been called about a body which was found in an abandoned building, it's Dean, and I thought I would call to ask if you knew anything about it," Rafe tells me, and I turn around to convey the guys when they seem already invested in looking through their phones to see if there are any news on it.
"Don't know anything about it."
Now I will admit I haven't had time to talk things through with Brooklyn, and I'm not sure if the guys had a chance, but I think we need to tell her what the story is.
Rafe goes on about how his body was found, and if there is anything that we can help with.
"I was in a meeting, if you want the name and number, I can get that over to you," I look at Aiden, and he gives me a nod and walks away to call my alibi. That was one thing I made sure that I had before I made my move.
Rafe is still quiet, not sure what he wants to say, but I know he's working out if it's worth losing being able to come to the club.
"Can this person help brush this all away?" Rafe asks.
"Yes, I will talk to you later," I end the call, not wanting to talk over the phone about it too much. "What did she say?" I ask Aiden as he walks back over to us.
"She will fix it."
I needed everything on hand before I made a move, because I wasn't sure which side Rafe was going to be on, and I think it took him a while to figure out what his move was going to be.
"Dinner," I hear Beth behind me.
The three of us make our way back into the house and make our way to the table.
"How you feeling?" I ask Brooklyn as I pull out a chair for her.
"I'm good, happy to be home," she replies as I sit down next to her.
"Has the doctor been?" I asked Beth early this morning to call a doctor to check up on Brooklyn, she didn't want to go to the hospital, and if I am being honest, I wanted her back home where it was safe for her.
"He said that I'm good, and I need to keep as calm as I can," Brooklyn stops as Gino puts the plates on the table for us. "Thank you so much, Gino, this smells amazing." Brooklyn gives him a smile.
"Well, you kept telling me that you wanted fresh pizza," Gino gives her a wink, as she looks down at her pizza.
"Thank you," she says again.
Beth kicks me under the table, making me look over at her. She nods her head towards Brooklyn, but I have no idea what she wants me to ask Brooklyn, or even say to her. I have one thing to say to Brooklyn, but I want her to eat before I do because this is going to go two ways. A fight or a big fight, and either way she will not eat anything, so I'm holding myself off until I know that she has some food in her.
I listen to the conversation around me, the guys are talking about the club, we have some new clients that I need to talk to. Some staff have booked time off, a group of them are going away together. One of them working for us wants to leave as he has got engaged, and wants to start looking for a job somewhere that isn't here. He's not the first to go for marriage, and he won't be the last either, but I respect that.
"These pizzas are good, might have to get Gino to make them more often," Rhys pushes his empty plate to the side, as he finishes his beer. I look over at Brooklyn as she finishes up her dinner, I have to smile to myself seeing her so happy with the meal today. I clear my throat and finally talk.
"Brooklyn, the last few days, have been… I could have hurt you today and… Rhys will be taking you back home," I get off my chair and walk over to the kitchen.
"What? I'm not going anywhere," she tells me. You can hear the anger in her voice. "You-"
"My head is in one fucked up place-"
"I know, and I'm here too. You let Lucy-"
"I never got so fucked up with Lucy, this is the first time I've got so bad," I shout at her, she does not understand what I am trying to say to her. If I knew I could control myself, I wouldn't let her go, but I can't. I mean, I took a shot at one of my best friends.
"So it's me that makes you like this?" Brooklyn tries to fight back with me, and I take a quick glance over at the table where the three of them watch me.
"It's not you, it's…. I can't explain it." Still feeling like shit about what happened before in the kitchen, I need something to forget about it so I take some alcoholic courage and argue back "What if I hurt you?"
"I'm sure Aiden and Rhys won't leave until they know you're back to yourself." Brooklyn looks over her shoulder at them.
"We live here," Rhys jokes.
"There, so-"
"You're leaving,' I bit back, my tone coming out a lot louder to get my point across to her.
"Atlas, I don't want to go." Brooklyn goes to take a step closer to me but stops when I look over at her, and I have no idea what my eyes are telling her right now, but she stops. "Atlas am I that bad to be around?” The question comes out quiet, almost like she is scared to hear the answer.
"You're the only person who gives me some peace-"
"Then it's final, I'm staying," Brooklyn cuts me off again, and it's starting to piss me off now.
"Brooklyn, I'm not fucking around, as much as you bring me peace, I have that much fear in me of hurting you," I shout as I slam the glass on the counter, making her jump. "If I hurt-"
"You won't."
"Stop fucking interrupting me," I yell.
"Then fucking listen-" she stops when I push myself off the counter, I hate her using those words. I look at Brooklyn as fear runs through her, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.
I have to stop myself from walking over to her, and she sees that too.
"Rhys, take her home."
"I'm not leaving." She walks away from me, and my eyes follow her, she stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks over at me. "I will be in my room," she tells me and walks off.
I stand there not sure if I should be dragging her back down, throwing her in the car, or impressed that she is holding her ground. That's never happened before. Nobody has dared to defy me, not even Lucy.
I turn to the table when I hear the three of them laughing.
"If I remember right, Lucy never spoke to you like that,' Beth says as she continues to laugh.
She's right, Lucy didn't, and that's why I'm impressed with Brooklyn, she is fighting for something that she thinks is the right thing to do.
The risk of having her here is bigger than she knows, things can get fucked up, and I can't risk hurting her.
"That was entertaining to watch," Aiden says as he leans back in his chair.
"Rhys, take her home," I say without looking over to him.
"No, she's right. If anyone is going to help you, it's her. We won't let anything happen to her, so suck it up, she's staying." Rhys stands up and pats my shoulder. "Going to make my rounds in the club," he tells me, and Aiden follows him out, and I'm left with Beth, and I'm now going to have to listen to her tell me how wrong I am.