Page 8 of Unruly Defender

That last part is what I’m going for now, to relax in the sun while touching up my tan and let my mind trail off with the sounds of the water and the marina.

Finn is wearing his orange life jacket and happily humps his stuffed shark before he collapses into a peaceful sleep on his blanket next to me.

I love this boat. It’s not too big, not too small, and designed perfectly for my needs. Most times I just plaster myself on the pillows like I’m doing now while I have a bottle of wine in a holder and a glass in my hand.

I’m taking tiny sips and with each one I relax a bit more and feel my frustrations ebb away. I think I’m going to sleep here tonight. There’s a large double bed below and the tiny cabinets are stocked with food so I can easily whip up something if I get hungry.

I’m about to give my glass a refill and put some more sunscreen on when I hear people arguing.

I place my glass in the holder before I stand to see what the fuss is about.

Finn follows me as I stroll to the back of my boat and to my surprise, I see both Clemente and Henley standing in front of my boat getting in each other’s face.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” I snap. “Not to mention I came here to avoid you, Henley. And Clemente, I texted you about meeting somewhere later this week or the next to have lunch. So, I ask again, what are you two doing here?”

They both start to ramble simultaneously. My eyes hit the sky for an instant before I shush them and point at Clemente. “You first.”

Yes, I deliberately skipped Henley because I’m still pissed at him for what he said to me.

Clemente smirks and says, “I wanted to catch up with you but Travis told me you left and mentioned you were probably at the beach. Seeing I didn’t want to get sand in my shoes without knowing for sure if you were there, I located your phone through an app and saw you were at the marina.

Henley here followed me when I told him I wasn’t going to honor his request. Or make that a demand, whatever, it’s not going to happen. ”

At my mother’s funeral Clemente made me add him to an app so we could see where the other person was, just in case we were in trouble. At the time my mind wasn’t really processing but he was genuinely concerned about me. That’s why I mindlessly processed his request.

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine and I was trying to relax, but with the two of you arguing, my peace and quiet has come to an end.” I direct my attention to Henley. “Clemente wanted to catch up because I haven’t seen him in a long time, as for you...what are you doing here?”

“I need to speak with you, privately,” Henley growls.

“Or you can just say it with me standing here,” Clemente easily supplies. “He doesn’t want you anywhere near me. Which, by the way, is pretty damn hypocritical if you ask me.”

“No one is asking you,” Henley snaps.

“Between me and you, I’m the one who has all the rights to be here,” Clemente says in utter calmness.

His eyes meet mine and they soften before he says, “I’m your half-brother, Gracy.

I’ve had my suspicions since the day we met.

With us having the same eyes as my father, it wasn’t hard to make the connection when your mother and my father reconnected.

But when I took over my father’s business.

..it came with a lot of undisclosed secrets, including this one.

I wasn’t going to say anything but this asshole here thinks he can ban me from your life.

But instead it’s the other way around.” Clemente’s gaze swings sideways and his tone turns to ice as he says, “I won’t have you near my sister and let you drag her into the shit you’re wrapped in. ”

“What about the shit you’re wrapped in?” Henley fires back. “Are you going to stand here and ignore the fact you’re the head of one of the biggest—”

“Shut your mouth,” Clemente hisses.

My mind is boggling over the flow of information and these two idiots are going at each other as if they are the ones having issues. Okay, maybe they are, but all my mind is screaming at me is “What?” And it’s too insane to be true and they are dragging away my ability to process.

“Stop it!” I scream, making Finn bark along with me as both Clemente and Henley fall silent and stare at me.

“Hey, Finn. It’s okay, little man,” Henley says and shakes his head at me. “Did you really think it was necessary to add a shark fin to his life jacket?”

“Yes,” I hiss. “It came with a stuffed shark for him to hump, alright?”

The corner of his mouth twitches and his whole demeanor changes along with it. “Good to know. Can you bring him by my bungalow later tonight? He’s my dog too, remember? I’ll leave you guys to it, and Gracelynn...call me if you need me.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply but strolls away instead. A deep breath flows from my lungs and I rip my eyes away from Henley to address Clemente. “Don’t just stand there, climb on board and start explaining.”

I head to the front where I left my wineglass and sit down. Taking a few sips, I grab the bottle and refill my glass. Okay, I might have thrown back the whole glass in one go but really, I need it with the little tidbit Clemente just threw at me. My half-brother. Half or not, I have a brother.

“Do you have another glass?” Clemente asks.

I wave my hand in the direction where he can get his own glass. Clemente grabs one and hisses when Finn decides to give him a warm welcome by humping his leg.

I groan and grab the stuffed animal from his blanket and wave it in front of Finn. “Come on, Finny, stuffed buddies only.”

Finn happily hobbles my way and snatches the stuffed shark from my hands to give it special treatment on his blanket.

“Now I can see who the dog belongs to,” Clemente grumbles. “What’s the deal between you and the president of Unruly Defenders MC?”

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business. Please, Clemente, I think we have something more important to discuss than Henley.”

Clemente stares at me and I can see it in his eyes, he’s not going to let this go.

I huff and grumble, “Fine. He’s Maggie’s son and was released from prison a few days ago.

I’ve been working for Maggie ever since I left my father’s house the day of my mother’s funeral.

I was devastated and had nowhere to go and she found me on the beach, completely upset.

She offered me her home and a job. And no, there’s nothing going on between me and Henley other than him owning the estate I work in.

Or so it seems, because I didn’t know that little detail either until a few days ago.

Henley owns the estate, so Maggie isn’t my boss, he is.

Again, there’s nothing going on between us.

We agreed to be friends, nothing sexual.

And I only agreed because Maggie told me he could use a friend. ”

“Smart, hooking her convict son up with money,” Clemente mutters.

The wine almost sloshes over my glass as I dash up and get in his face.

“You take that back. Maggie isn’t like that.

She’s a sweet woman who was there for me when I needed someone and has been there ever since without asking for one damn thing in return.

So, yes, if she asks me to be a friend to her son, who has been betrayed by those who he trusted, then yes, I sure as hell will be there for him. ”

Clemente doesn’t seem impressed by my outburst at all. He’s as calm as the sea before a storm.

“Those who betrayed him are the ones who want him dead, Gracy. He’s dangerous and wrapped in things I don’t want you anywhere near.

If I knew you were in trouble I would have come.

You should have reached out to me or to my father.

I would have opened up my home for you too.

” There is no warmth in his voice, a hint of anger, maybe.

Though, I don’t feel as if it’s aimed at me, more at the circumstances he’s only now became aware of.

“I couldn’t think, Clemente. I wasn’t in my right mind the day of the funeral.

Then my father arranged some guy for me to fuck to get my mind off my mother’s death and I lost it.

I ran away and found myself walking down the beach until I was so tired I had to sit down.

I was lucky Maggie found me when she was walking Finn. ”

“That piece of scum isn’t your father,” Clemente hisses through his teeth. “Spencer is a disgrace and shouldn’t have been anywhere near you or your mother.”

My shoulders sag and I take a seat between the pillows, Clemente sits down next to me. Both of us are wrapped in silence as we both sip our wine.

“The day my father heard the news about the death of your mother is when he had his first heart attack,” Clemente states and my head swings toward him but he’s staring at the horizon.

“As you might know your mother and my father went to the same school growing up. They were in love but our world works differently. My father wanted to escape his responsibilities and run away with your mother. My grandfather found out about their plan and instantly moved back to Italy.”

“I know about the sudden move of your father, and,” I gasp and do a little headcount. “You’re telling me my mother was pregnant with me when your father left the US?”

“He didn’t know she was pregnant at the time.

If he knew, he would have found a way to get back.

But in our world, we have arranged marriages to forge bonds to expand the familia.

He knew about the woman he needed to marry; it was arranged when he was fourteen years old.

It messed up his future with your mother because when his arranged wife became of age, they would be wed.

It’s also the reason why I was born. The presentation of the bloody sheets.

The whole take the virgin bride, wedding night.

I don’t think I would have been born otherwise.

My father had enough respect for the familia but his responsibilities toward his wife and the familia ended that night.

My grandfather died six years later, that’s the day our father became the head of the family and moved back with me to the US.

Like I said, our world functions differently and marriages aren’t forged out of love, but my father only ever loved one woman. ”

I grab the bottle of wine and give both our glasses a refill. “What happened to your mom? You mentioned your dad taking you back to the US, did she stay in Italy?”

He gives me a sad smile. “She died giving birth to me.”

I lean against him and place my head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“Did you know your mother was forced to marry the asshole who pretended to be your father? Seems our families didn’t differ a lot when it came to arranged marriages.”

My head whips up and I stare at him. All of this sounds insane and yet at the same time it all falls into place.

The fights they had regularly, the things they used to throw at each other.

And when I look into Clemente’s eyes and recognize his familiar eyes I also see when I stare in the mirror.

..I know he speaks the truth. Not to mention the way my mother used to react when she left to visit her friend.

“Did...does...my father. Shit. I should probably be calling him Spencer now. Did...did Spencer know I’m not his biological daughter? Was he aware about your father and my mother, about me?” I ask.

“From what my father told me, Spencer should have known since she was pregnant when my dad left. When my father couldn’t stay away from your mother, he arranged to accidentally run into her and they stayed in close contact until she died.”

“I remember that, you and I were there too. It was one of the rare times I saw my mother smile her radiant smile. I still can’t believe she killed herself.

I mean, she could have gotten a divorce, right?

She wanted to, she already moved out of the house to create some distance because of all the fighting.

If your father and my mother...sorry, I’m thinking in fairytales. ”

“When Spencer found out she was seeing my father behind his back he tried to forbid her from seeing him, even if they weren’t living together anymore.

There’s a lot more at stake here than just people in love, ripped apart and both married, only to find each other after all those years, Gracy.

There are companies involved. A status to uphold and a whole lot of money thrown into the mix and that’s where things get dangerous. ”

“Again with the danger,” I mutter and lean back to take another sip of my wine.

Clemente leans back too and both of us watch the sunset as darkness wraps around us.

There’s so much more to say and talk about but there’s a lot already running through my head I need to process.

Besides, the wine is taking the edge off and I don’t think this is a good time to be sober, though it’s not a good time to get drunk either.

The mere thought of knowing who my biological father is, my mother’s past, and my father...Spencer’s reaction. I need more wine to let this settle and process. Come morning I will be able to wrap my head around it. Before he heads home Clemente and I decide to have dinner later this week.

I should head home too but I’ve had three glasses of wine and I shouldn’t be driving.

So, I decide to stay here instead. I shoot Henley a text to tell him I’ll drop Finn off tomorrow morning.

I open another bottle of wine and decide to have one more drink before going below deck to fix something to eat.