“Clever too, the perfect package,” says Arthur. “Tommy, go and tell Hadley about your case. She might be able to help.”
I begin to shake my head, but Tommy hooks his arm in mine and leads me to another table. He goes into detail about a brawl he was recently involved in, but I’m distracted, constantly looking out the window for Grim. When I see his bike pull into the parking lot, I push down the urge to march out there and give him a piece of my mind for driving when he’s already been temporarily banned. “So, what do you think?” asks Tommy, pulling me back into the room.
“Well, really, it’s not up to me to say. Each solicitor has their own way of dealing with these things, and if you’re not satisfied with your representative, I’m happy for you to contact my firm and book an appointment.”
When I next look up, Grim is glaring down at me, and I suck in a breath. He looks hot as hell with a brooding expression. “You drove” is the first thing I mutter, and he nods. “Where did you go? I was worried.”
His eyes flick to Tommy and he scoffs. “Looks like it,” he says, then he stomps off towards the stairs. I frown in confusion, but it dawns on me he could have had a drink. I smile at Tommy and apologise. “Sorry, I have to . . .” I nod in the direction Grim went. “Call my office, I’d be happy to help.” I head upstairs in time to see him stepping out of Meli’s bedroom. “What are you doing?” I ask, and he looks up in surprise.
“What were you doing more like?” he snaps, marching past me and heading up the next flight of stairs to his room with me hot on his heels.
“Tommy was asking me for legal advice.”
“Sure,” he utters, sounding unconvinced.
“What’s wrong with you? You went to get breakfast and then you disappeared.”
“I don’t need a nagging wife, Hadley,” he drawls.
My mouth falls open. “I’m not nagging,” I mutter. “I was worried.”
“So, what were all the calls and the texts? Look, I’m tired,” he says, sighing. “Can we do this tomorrow?”
“Do what? I don’t know what we’re doing.” I almost yell.
Grim takes my arm and gently guides me towards the door. “Yah know, this is why I avoid this sort of thing. I hate having to answer to someone else. If I want to go off for the day, I can.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t . . . but you shouldn’t be driving and—”
“Night.” He closes the door in my face, and I stare at it for a few seconds, wondering if he’s joking. When it’s clear he isn’t, I head back to my room, trying to work out what the hell just happened.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GRIM
I lean back against my door and close my eyes. That will go down as one of the worst moments of my life, after watching my baby being aborted. I growl, balling my fists. What a fucking mess. How do I always fuck everything up? Mum appears in my mind, and I rip the bedroom door open and head for her room. She’s the reason I’m like this!
I unlock Mum’s door using the key hanging on the hook outside her room. She’s on the bed, shaking and sweating, and the stale air smells so bad, I almost gag. “Get up!” I yell, and she jumps with fright. “Get up! I want you out of here.”
She begins to slowly sit, but she’s not fast enough for my liking, so I haul her up by her arm. She flinches, and it pisses me off more. “I’m not like them!” I yell, pulling her towards the door. “Years I had to watch you flinch like that, and you have the nerve to do it around me when I always protected you? Always!”
She stumbles. “Hudson, please—”
“This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? To get out of here, so you can put more shit in your veins?”
“What’s happened?” she whispers. “Why are you so mad?”
I drag her down the stairs, not caring that she’s trying desperately to stay upright. “Because my life is a fucking mess and it’s all your fault. You made me like this. Everything I touch turns to fucking shit, and it’s your fault!”
Rylee rushes over and takes Mum’s other arm. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Mum’s leaving.”
Rylee looks around frantically for someone else to back her up. “I don’t think she’s ready to leave, Grim.”
“She’ll be fine. She’s spent years being fine.”
“But the doctor is really pleased with her progress. And she’s due her methadone shortly.”
“She doesn’t need it.” I stop and pull out my wallet, taking out a bunch of bank notes and stuffing them into her hand. “There, that should cover it.”
“Let me get Mav,” begins Rylee, but I’m already opening the door.
Mum stands in the doorway, then she slowly turns to face me. “What happened today, Hudson?” she asks quietly. I clench my jaw when I recognise that flicker of kindness. I saw it only a handful of times when I was small, but it’s been missing for a long time. “Someone’s upset you,” she continues, and she gently places a shaking hand on my cheek and smiles. “It’s okay to be mad, I deserve it, but it won’t make things better.”
“Don’t talk like you know me,” I hiss. “You have no idea!”
I feel Mav’s hand on my shoulder. “Wait in my office.”
“No,” I state, “I don’t need to talk about this.”
“I’m not asking, Grim. As your President, I’m telling you, go to my fucking office now.”
Biting my lip, I shake my head and storm off in the direction of his office. I hate it when he pulls rank like that, and he knows it. He joins me five minutes later. “Carol is back in her room, safe, where she belongs.” I glare at the floor. “Should we drink or hit the gym?” I ignore him. “You want me to choose? Good, cos I feel like beating your arse.” Mav opens his gym bag and throws a set of boxing gloves my way. “Let’s hit the basement, it’s closer.” The gloves land by my feet. “If you don’t come willingly, I’ll get some of the brothers to bring you. Then, I’ll make them hold you while I get a few shots in.”
I roll my eyes and grab the gloves. “You’ll wish they held me back by the time I’ve finished with you,” I declare, marching from the office and heading for the basement.
Boxing was how the men sorted things back in the days when Eagle was in charge. He loved a good fight, and it meant any dispute could be settled then and there. I never had to fight Mav, we hated all the bravado of the fight and usually avoided attending, but occasionally, Eagle would make sure we were there. These days, the only time we come down here is to spar.
Mav pulls out the pads, and I shake my head. “No way. You want to fight, get some gloves on.”
“I don’t want to fight. I want you to get some of that stress out and tell me what the fuck is going on in your head.”
“You don’t want to know.” I go in the bag and pull another set of gloves. I shove them in his chest, and he sighs before starting to put them on.