Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

GRIZ

I was supposed to protect my family. Keeping them safe was my main goal in life. It was all I wanted. Deanna, Swan, Nickolas, and the club.

But how the fuck do I protect my daughter from this?

My heart goddamn shattered when I saw a gun aimed at her and then fired.

The kid just acted and stepped in front of her.

He protected her and lost his life in the process.

Fuck me.

My gut twisted.

He’d protected my daughter.

Now it was my turn to protect again, and I was in the fucking unknown of how to keep her safe from the terror that happened right in front of her.

She’d been standing in my arms with her face pressed to my chest, but as soon as I sat her down on a chair, when she couldn’t hold herself up, she stared down at Lockland’s body lying close by with a tablecloth over him as we waited for the cops to show.

Christ.

Motherfucking Christ.

This shit wasn’t fair.

This shit was crushing.

My girl had gone numb.

Gone into her mind.

I clenched my jaw as tears filled my damn eyes.

My daughter was covered in his blood. I’d wiped away what I could, but it still covered her.

I clasped the back of her neck, trying to bring her back from the numbness with touch. I had a feeling that no matter what I did or said, nothing would register.

And I didn’t want to tell her it’d be all right.

It wouldn’t be for a fucking long time.

Not after she’d witnessed that.

Fuck me.

I wanted to hurt someone. To kill.

I’d even shoot the bitch that caused all this in the head right then and there if I had a chance. It’d been lucky the brothers had taken her out of there, or I would have.

Most of all, I wanted a way to take Swan’s pain away.

To ease the utter devastation that poured from her.

“Griz, you hear me?” Lan said.

I blinked and nodded. “Yeah, got it. We stay for the cops. Tell them you and Parker have the cunt in cuffs and are on the way to the station.”

Lan and Parker were private investigators as well as detectives. Shit had slowed in the PI business, so they went back on the force and only took jobs that didn’t give their man Easton a hernia.

“She’ll be at Vi’s for however long we can keep her. We’ll get answers.”

“You damn better.”

There wasn’t any way that this was just some random crazed fan happening along Lockland and Swan. She’d been sent, and the proof was in the recording I’d gotten. She’d said, “They told me.” I wanted to know who “they” were because I had a feeling all this was just to get rid of my daughter.

I ground my teeth and stretched my neck.

I needed to know.

And I’d find out. One way or another.

Then, once I did, I’d fucking go hunting, because whoever organised this knew that the bitch was a crazed fan. A fan that would do anything to get her way. She’d even murdered Lockland’s security out in their car. How she’d managed that fucking confused me.

That cunt was gonna pay, but she wouldn’t be the only one.

When the cops arrived, they tried to push Swan for answers, but she just sat in a chair staring over at the floor where Lockland had been. Even though I’d moved us away and thrown another few tablecloths over the spot, she couldn’t look away from the area.

“Fuckin’ enough,” I warned, moving my hand from the back of Swan’s neck to her shoulder. “Give her damn time to process, and she’ll have answers. For now, you’ve got enough witnesses to understand what went down.”

The cop stood, glaring at me. There were a lot of them on the force who didn’t like anyone who wore a patch. This guy was obviously one of them from the way his upper lip rose.

“I think it’s best we take this down to the station. We still need your statement on how you happened along here at the right time.”

And he’d never know how we got notified as soon as the crazed bitch stepped onto the street with a gun. A civilian, who’d the club had helped before, had followed her while he was on the phone to a brother. She’d kept repeating the restaurant’s name over and over.

“I told you about the call to my daughter. I told you what I overheard and recorded, which is more fuckin’ proof that my daughter is the victim and not a suspect.”

“I want to hear it all again at the station.”

“I think fuckin’ not.” I pulled out my phone and found the number as I squeezed Swan’s shoulder.

“Put the phone away,” the cop ordered, hand going to the gun on his belt.

I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hey. … Yeah. … No, they want to take us to the station. Swan ain’t ready to talk, and no one is pushing this, hear me? … Yeah, and while you’re at it, can you explain what we were doin’ in the area.”

I handed the phone out to the cop, who took it. I heard Parker’s rough and hard tone but not his words. Still, whatever Parker said had the cop stiffening and clenching his jaw.

“Yes, Detective.” He ended the call and threw the phone my way. I caught it. “You’re free to go, but we expect you at the station in the morning.”

I grunted and crouched next to my girl. I touched her chin and gently moved her gaze to me. She stared back blankly.

“Sweetheart, we’re going home.”

Nothing.

“Swan?”

My gut twisted.

I held her elbow with one hand, and the other I placed to her back. Slowly, I guided her to her feet. “Come on, sweetheart.”

Without a word or a sound, I led her out of the restaurant. Talon had left me a car, so I headed to it and helped her in. She didn’t move to put her seat belt on, so I reached over her and snapped it into place.

What did I do?

What did I say now?

She lost the man she’d always loved. How the fuck was I supposed to handle a situation like this for my daughter?

Clenching my jaw, I closed her door and started around the car as my phone rang.

“Princess,” I answered, voice tight.

“Bring her home, Grady. Bring our girl home, and we’ll help her get through this.”

I dropped my head back and blinked the damn tears away at the sky.

Clearing my throat, I told her, “We’re on our way.”

Fuck me.

Fucking hell.

Jesus Christ.

My poor baby girl.

My poor Swan.

We’ll get her through this.

We will.

We had to.

Grinding my teeth together, I sucked in a deep breath and got in behind the wheel. I started the car and took her hand in mine.

“Love you, sweetheart.”

She shook her head and made a noise in the back of her throat.

I pulled out into traffic and drove us home, knowing she wasn’t far away from breaking and letting that tragic scene destroy her. I had a feeling she was holding on until she was home.

* * *

As soon as we hit the driveway, the front door was thrown open, and Deanna raced out. Close behind her was Nick. Then Talon, Zara, Maya, Texas, Drake, and Ruby followed him out onto the porch. All wore the mask of devastation.

I undid my belt and then Swan’s.

“Mum’s coming, sweetheart. We’re all here for you.” I turned towards her and cupped the back of her neck. A pained sound dropped from her lips. I unlocked my jaw to tell her, “You can let go, baby girl, and we’ll catch you.”

Deanna was at her door. She opened it and crouched. “I’m here. I’m here, sweetheart. Mum’s here. I’m so sorry this happened to?—”

Swan threw her head back and bellowed, the anguish ripping through her.

“I know, baby. I know,” Deanna said, her eyes filling like mine at seeing our girl in pain.

Swan fell sideways and into Deanna’s arms, crying, whimpering, howling as she gripped at her mother like she wanted Deanna to hold her together.

I got out of the car and walked around to them.

Together, Deanna and I helped Swan stand.

When her legs gave out, I swept her up into my arms, and she buried her head into my shoulder, clawing at my tee, trying to dig herself in to hide.

“We’ve got you, baby girl. We’re here,” I told her, looking to my woman, whose bottom lip trembled. I tipped my chin towards the house. “She needs a shower.”

“I’ll get it started.” She rushed off, Zara following her inside. Glad that my Dee would have her girl at her back. I walked to the porch and saw Maya crying in Texas’s arms. Talon held his youngest daughter as she bawled. Hell, even Talon’s eyes were misted like mine. As were Dragon’s, and they were glued to my girl in my arms.

I grunted my thanks for their support before taking her inside.

In the bathroom, Deanna had the shower running already, and she stepped out of Zara’s arms when she saw us enter.

I placed Swan on her feet, but she didn’t want to let go of my tee. She started whimpering louder.

Deanna stepped up behind her and covered Swan’s hand with hers. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you in the shower.” She blinked, and her tears ran down her cheeks. Swan let out a pained moan and shook her head. Zara got close and brushed a hand over Swan’s long locks.

Deanna tried again. “Baby girl, let your dad go, and we can take care of you, yeah?”

I kissed Swan’s temple. “I’ll be right outside the bathroom. I won’t go far.”

There was the sound of her swallowing over and over as she slowly unglued her fingers from my tee. When I stepped back, Deanna moved in to hold onto her.

“We’re here. We’ve got you.” She kissed our daughter’s temple.

Swan whimpered, shaking uncontrollably. Zara helped support her.

Deanna drew in a shuddering breath. “Life is fucking cruel to take him from you like this, my sweet girl.”

I stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door just as Swan’s tortured scream slammed through the walls.

“That’s it, my girl. Let it out. Let us have it,” I heard my woman say as I thumped my forehead to the wall beside the door.

“Fuck,” I uttered. “ Fuck .”

I wanted to take her anguish, her horror. I wanted to store it inside me and be the one to carry it all.

No one deserved this type of pain.

Another bellow of sorrow from my daughter forced me to close my eyes and grip at my chest.

My poor baby girl.

This was cruel.

A hand gripped my shoulder. “She’ll get through this,” Talon said.

I shook my head, forehead still pressed to the wall, listening to my daughter’s sobs from within the room.

“Brother, I have answers.”

Clenching my jaw, I straightened. “Tell me.”

“His mother and agent told the girl where he would be. Told the girl Lockland was in love with the wrong woman. That they wanted Mary as his, not Swan.”

“The mother and the agent?” Surely I heard wrong. Surely they wouldn’t be so fucking scared of Swan, they felt the fucking urge to set a psycho onto her.

“Yes.”

I took a step close to him. “Bring them in. I want them in the club shitting bricks as they wait for me.”

“The mother’s very remorseful?—”

“So fuckin’ what?” I snarled low, glancing to the bathroom.

“Brother, I ain’t sayin’ we take it easy on her. I’m just telling you she’s already in a state, and the brothers who nab her will be glad to make her in a worse one while waitin’ for you.”

Clenching my jaw, I nodded. “No disrespect, Prez?—”

“Fuck off,” he clipped. “You know I don’t care how you talk to me. But fuck me, brother, this heartache you’re feeling for your girl will ride you and your actions for some damn time. Just know I’ll have your back. I’ll cover whatever I need to, to make sure you do what you want to get your daughter justice. But also, Lockland.”

My throat thickened. I slammed my eyes closed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

“Fuck,” I bit out. “He was a good kid.”

“He was.”

I dropped my hand and opened my watery eyes. “I shouldn’t have stopped them from being around each other.”

“No one could have predicted this, and you were just lookin’ out for Swan.”

“He didn’t deserve to lose his damn life.”

“He did it protectin’ the one woman he loved.”

Thinning my lips, I ground my teeth together and nodded.

He saved my girl.

“I should’a done it.”

“What?” Talon asked.

“I should’a been the one to stand in front of her so she’d still have him.”

“You think that’d make her feel less pain? You’re her dad, Griz. She’d be just as lost as she is now if it was you.”

“They could’ve had a future together.”

“From where I stood, you weren’t close enough, brother. Fate is a fucking cunt sometimes. There’s a reason it wasn’t you, and him instead. Not sure what the hell it is, but we just gotta ride this nightmare until we figure it out.”

Please, whatever you have in mind for my girl, let this be the only terror she’s witness to.