“Grace!”
Beck and Sam rushed down the steps of the clubhouse and pulled Grace into their arms.
“We were so worried about you,” Sam said. Kytten and Aspen stood on the porch watching, Aspen holding on to Diesel, who looked like he was ready to tear her arm off.
The dog was growling and snarling.
“Aspen, take him inside,” I ordered.
“I can’t, King. If I move, he’ll bolt and I’ll lose my hold.”
“Beck, take Grace up to my room.”
“No, I want to go to my room,” Grace argued.
I turned her to face me, my hands resting on her shoulders as I dipped down to look in her eyes. “Nothing has changed.” She closed her eyes, and I knew she was trying to hide her tears. “Go up and take a shower. I’ll be down here for a while dealing with this shit. Take a nap. When I come up, we’ll talk.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Then we’ll lie on the bed, and I’ll hold you in my arms until you do. Nothing has changed.” I kissed her forehead and sent her upstairs with Beck and Sam, Kytten following closely behind them.
I walked over to Aspen as she struggled to contain her beast. Morpheus hadn’t moved, but he didn’t look worried. He stood at the bottom of the stairs staring at Aspen, his head tilted to the side.
Aspen stared at him, then looked at me. “Is he...?”
“Yes, can you go get your mother?” I asked her, reaching over to grab Diesel’s collar.
“Are you sure?”
“Fuck no. But if possible, can you try to keep your father inside?” I asked, knowing it was unlikely. Aspen just laughed at me as she let go of the dog and walked inside.
“Who is she?” Morpheus asked.
I blew out a hard breath. “I’m gonna need you to control yourself.”
“Who the fuck is she?” he bellowed.
“She’s my daughter.”
Morpheus’ head snapped around at the sound of his sister’s voice. He didn’t move a muscle; he just stared at Rhea as she slowly descended the stairs. Diesel was still snarling until Banshee walked over and growled, “Enough!”
The fucking dog sat at my feet, but his growl didn’t stop. It dropped to a low rumble. He was still alert. Diesel knew Morpheus was a threat to almost everyone here.
A few of the Bastards walked over, and there was no question that the man who stood on Morpheus’ side was the father of my tech expert. Cerberus was an older, identical version of Nav.
“Gabby?” Morpheus finally whispered. His voice was a harsh rasp.
“Hello, Kane.”
“Where the fuck have you been?” Morpheus growled, and Diesel stood again. I looked down at the dog, wondering if he had any real allegiance or if he just protected whoever he thought needed it. I wasn’t sure which would be better.
Rhea crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her brother. Kronos stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Zeus and his men had surrounded his parents and the group ofonlookers was growing to numbers that if a fight broke out, three clubs might be decimated in a matter of moments.
“Why don’t we move inside? You can talk in church,” I offered, then noticed a black SUV pulling into the lot. Every head turned except for Morpheus and Rhea. The siblings continued to glare at each other.
When the vehicle stopped and the passenger side opened, I groaned.
“Fuck my life!”
