We all wait outside while Doc is in with Meli. Mum stares at the ground, and Grim paces. I can’t help but think he’s upset because it’s another thing he didn’t see, just like when he missed Ripper. Mum decides to make us each a cup of tea and disappears. “Do you still like her?” I blurt out. Grim stops pacing to stare at me. “I know you used to—”
“No, Hadley, I don’t. How can you ask me that?”
“It’s just hard to turn off feelings.”
“What do you take me for? You think I’d fuck you but love your twin?”
I feel the blush creep up my cheeks. I don’t want us to fight anymore. I don’t even know why I asked cos now’s not the time to make shit about me just because I feel insecure. Grim holds out his hand, and I take it so he can pull me to my feet. He pushes me against the wall, caging me in with a hand at either side of my head. “It’s you, Hads. It’s always gonna be you, no matter what.” And then, he kisses me. He pours everything into that kiss, taking my breath away, and when he pulls back, I smile. That’s all I needed to know.
I crawl up Grim’s body and lay my head against his chest. We’re both out of breath from another lovemaking session, our second today. Meli wanted to be left alone, and I guess she’s avoiding questions that Mum and I both have. Grim draws lazy circles on my back. “I was thinking,” he murmurs, placing a kiss on my head. “We should continue to keep this between us for now. Meli’s going through enough, and if you’re right and she really does hate me, she won’t want to deal with the news of us right now.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same. I don’t want to ram my happiness down her throat when she’s so fragile.”
“Who’d ya think the father is?”
I scoff. “Who knows. She’s been keeping so much from me lately, I don’t feel like I know her at all.”
“Maybe he wasn’t important.”
“Maybe he was an arse who got my sister pregnant and left her alone to deal with it.”
“Do you think she knows who he is? She’s been going out a lot lately with Rosey, and who knows what they get up to.”
I shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready. And when I find out, I’m gonna kill him.”
Grim tips my head back to look at him. “You’re too nice for that.”
“No one messes with my twin and gets away with it,” I say, grinning. He kisses me on the nose and wraps me in his arms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
GRIM
“How the hell do we end up doing Arthur’s shit?” I hiss in Mav’s ear. We’re crammed in the back of a van on the way to one of Nick Cambridge’s casinos.
“It’s a good money-maker.”
“What happened to getting clean, Mav?”
“Pres,” he corrects me, “and it’s a little late raising your concerns now when all the plans are set. Maybe if you’d have turned up to church last week when we first discussed this, I’d have listened.”
“I had shit to do.”
“Always your excuse. It pisses me the fuck off you’re doubting me. Have I made a bad decision yet?”
“Yes,” Ghost chips in. “You made him VP.”
Everyone chuckles, and I stick my middle finger up at him. “It’s easy money, in and out. The security guard will let us in the side door, the cameras are going down at midnight, and we’ll have three minutes to grab the cash and run,” Mav explains again.
And that’s exactly what we do. We fill our bags with bundles of cash and walk out the back door like nothing happened. Nick Cambridge’s problem is he doesn’t expect anyone to mess with him. He certainly isn’t expecting three of his biggest casinos to be hit at exactly the same time. Arthur is leading the other hits, and provided they went well, we’re all a little richer this evening.
We all meet back at the clubhouse as planned. Arthur chucks some bags in the centre of the table, and Mav adds ours. Arthur holds up his mobile as it rings and he smiles smugly before saying, “Right on time.” He answers, putting the call on speaker for us all to hear. “Mr. Cambridge, what can I do for you?”
“Arthur, I’ve been done over!” yells Nick Cambridge.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate? It’s a lot more that fucking unfortunate! I want my money found.”
“I know where your money is, Nick. Calm the fuck down.” I glance at Mav, confused. “Before I return it to you, we’ll need to talk.”
“You’ve got it?”
“You need to call off the hit on the VP from The Perished Riders.”
“No way! He put me in hospital and took my wife and child!”
“Talking of which, you’ll need to let that divorce of yours go through smoothly.”
“What’s this?”
“I’ll let you think over those terms and get back to me. Don’t take too long, I’m not a patient man.”
“Bu—”
“Good. Speak soon.” Arthur disconnects the call and places the mobile back in his pocket. “Let’s hope he comes to his senses.”
“What’s to stop him calling the police?” asks Ghost.
“Nothing really, but I’ve gotten to know him pretty well and he’s not one to snitch. If he was, your VP would be in prison already.”
“So, all this was about helping the club?” I ask.
“It’s about helping you, brother. Which, again, you’d know if you attended church when we were making plans. I can’t have you walking around with a target on your back. It puts Hadley in danger.” Mav smirks, and I feel the other brothers looking at me for an explanation.
“It was supposed to stay a secret for a little longer,” I mutter, and the room erupts into cheers.
“About fucking time,” says Copper, smacking me on the back. “Your dad would be over the moon.”
“I think he’d be as surprised as me,” I point out, and he laughs. “Guys, I’m serious, this isn’t common knowledge, and Hadley doesn’t want anyone to know just yet, so keep quiet for a bit longer.”
After church, I head up to Meli’s room. I tap lightly on the door and step in. She’s watching television, but she pauses it and glares at me. “What?”
“I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“Fine.”
I close the door and take a seat. “Amelia, stop being such a bitch. I’m checking in to see how you’re doing and to say I’ve been worried.”
She sighs. “Sorry. I’m tired and I don’t know how I feel. Messed up mainly.”
“Yeah, I can’t get it out of my head either. If it was the right thing to do, why does it feel like shit?”
She shrugs. “It’ll get easier. Just give it time, I guess.”
“Do you regret it?”
For a second, I think she might cry, but eventually, she shakes her head. “No.”
“Your brother’s been trying to set me up with Hadley,” I say, changing the subject. I want to try and change her mind on the whole thing, and I think if she knows Maverick is on side, she’ll eventually come around to the idea.