Greyson_A Hell's Harlem Novel

by J. M. Walker

  The bike suddenly came to a stop.

  I lifted my head, looking around, and found that we were at a graveyard.

  Greyson turned off the bike and removed his helmet. “My brother’s buried here.”

  My chest tightened. “How did he die?”

  “We were at a bar. One thing led to another and he got shot. We thought he was fine. He made it through surgery but things took a turn for the worse.” Greyson let out a shaky sigh.

  I pushed off the bike and removed my own helmet before placing it on the seat.

  He did the same, propping the bike up with the kickstand. “I haven’t been here since we buried him. I remember my stepsister losing it.”

  “I’m so sorry, Greyson,” I whispered, taking his hand.

  He gave it a gentle kiss. “I miss him. I miss all of them.” The muscle in his jaw ticked.

  “Did you need a moment? I can wait here,” I offered.

  “No.” He shook his head. “I need you to come with me.”

  “Okay.” I turned toward the gravesites, not exactly sure what I was looking for.

  “The ex-vice-president is buried here as well,” Greyson said as we walked in between the rows of tombstones.

  “Really? How long has Catch been VP?”

  “Not long. Carter Jones.” He shook his head. “He was a nasty fucker. I can’t say that I’m sorry he’s gone. As much as that makes me more of an asshole. Catch and I work well together. You need that in the line of work we do.”

  “I get it.” I hugged his arm. “Did Sarge mention anything else?” I blurted, curiosity getting the better of me.

  Grey went stiff. “Yeah. He told me to be careful.”

  “Of me?” I stopped. “Really?”

  He pushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. I want to see my brother and pay my respects.”

  My eyes moved over his face. He looked everywhere but at me. He was lying. I didn’t mean to blurt my question but it was driving me crazy that we hadn’t talked about our meeting with his friend yet.

  “Fine.” I moved past him when he grabbed my arm.

  “Don’t do this.” His mouth brushed over my ear. “Please. Not right now.”

  “I know it’s not the right time but we need to talk about what Sarge said. You have to tell me and I … I need to read my file.”

  Greyson sighed and placed a soft peck on my cheek. “I’ll make this quick.”

  (Greyson)

  Anywhere but where I was kneeling would have been better. Guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders. It ate at my soul, forcing my heart to thump hard behind the walls of my rib cage. “Oh, Benny.” I stared at the tombstone, wondering where I had gone wrong. He had been in the military. I had been shady. Both of us were equally trained to handle this shit even though mine was the illegal way.

  But we had been caught off guard, only to find out the fucker who shot him went after others I loved and ended up dying in the end. Good riddance to him.

  “Tell me about him.” Eve’s soft voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  I cupped her hand that was on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Benny was the oldest. His parents had a thing for the letter B so they named their kids Benny, Brox, Blake and …” I swallowed hard. “Brogan.” God, it had been so long since I said her name out loud. Clearing my throat, I went on, “Brox and Blake are twins. They’ve been traveling the world together from what I’ve been told. My connection isn’t always forthcoming with that information.”

  “You’re having them watched?”

  I met Eve’s wide stare. “Of course. With the shit we’ve done and been through, I have to make sure they’re safe. My guys are always around whether you see them or not.”

  “But they see us,” she added.

  “Exactly.” I kissed her forehead.

  “Do they know they’re being followed?”

  “Probably. Although they don’t know everything that I’ve done, they’re not stupid. I’m a biker.” My chest tightened. I missed them. I missed everyone.

  “They’re protected.” Eve chewed her bottom lip.

  “Yes. So are you. Wherever you go, someone will be following. I have a lot of bastards who want me dead.” I shrugged. “It only seemed fair that I do everything I can to keep my family safe.”

  “Family.” Eve tested that word on her tongue. “I don’t have a family.”

  “You do now.” I swiped my arm out in front of me. “Anyone who has been in Hell’s Harlem is buried here. Their spouses, kids, their fucking dog, doesn’t matter. Everyone is here. We fight together, we die together. That includes you, Eve.” Even if we didn’t work out, she would always be protected. Especially now after finding out she had a shady past as well.

  “Tell me more about your brother.”

  “Changing the subject?” When she didn’t respond, I took a deep breath and continued, “The military was his life. But he ended up losing his leg while on a mission so he was medically discharged. It never stopped him, though.” It just forced him to drink, but that was a story for a different day.

  “I can imagine that would be tough.” Eve brushed a hand over the tombstone with Benny’s name on it.

  Benjamin Gary Tapp

  Beloved brother and soldier

  “I am sorry for your loss,” Eve said gently, taking my hand in hers. “And I’m sorry he lost his leg. I’m sorry …” Her eyes welled, her chin quivering.

  “Hey.” I cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at me. “What’s up?”

  “I …” Eve sniffed. “I just feel bad for him. For you. Your siblings. He died so young.”

  I frowned, cocking my head to the side. “Are you sure that’s it?”

  “Yeah.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I think so.”

  “Have you been taking your pills?” I didn’t know why I asked that question but something was suddenly off with her.

  “Yes.” She pulled back. “Why? Are you accusing me of not taking them so I would trap you?”

  “Whoa there, my feisty girl.” I pinched her chin. “I’m only asking because I think they’re fucking you up.”

  “Oh.” Her cheeks reddened. “Maybe?”

  “Let’s get you home and we’ll ask Trixie to take a look at you.”

  “Maybe we should go to the hospital.” Eve rose to her full height. “We probably should have done that in the beginning.”

  “Yeah.” Heat creeped up the back of my neck. “That’s my fault.”

  “No.” She reached out for me. “I could have said something too.”

  I took her hand, letting her help me up. “Well, I haven’t been thinking straight.” I said a silent goodbye to Benny, making a mental note to visit more often. My heart felt lighter, the heavy weight no longer resting firmly on my shoulders. It wasn’t enough but it was a start.

  (Eve)

  Once we reached the hospital a couple of towns over, I was ready to just go back to Greyson’s place and curl up beside him in bed. I didn’t want to be poked and prodded. I didn’t want the judgmental eyes asking us why we never went to the hospital in the first place. But as much as I was worried that would happen, it didn’t. Instead, we were rushed right into another room.

  Greyson paced back and forth.

  “Please stop doing that.” I patted the spot beside me. I had been sitting on the edge of the bed for the past hour and we still hadn’t been seen. “Come here.”

  “I should have brought you here right when you showed up.”

  “You had Trixie check me out,” I reminded him. “She said I was fine.”

  “She told me I still should have brought you to the hospital but I didn’t listen.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “The doctor’s going to kick my ass.”

  “There will be no ass kicking today,” a younger man in a white lab coat said. He came further into the room and shut the door behind him. He sized up Greyson. “I couldn’t kick your ass anyway.”

  I laughed.

 
; Greyson let out a rough sigh. “I still should have brought her here.”

  “Yes, you should have but if you had another doctor see her, I’ll take your word for it. I’m Doctor Greuel.” He held his hand out.

  Greyson returned the handshake. “Greyson and this is …”

  “Marlowe Rhodes but you can call me Eve. I don’t know myself as Marlowe yet.” My cheeks burned. “I don’t know anything actually.”

  “Well, let’s get you checked out.” He stepped in front of me, pulling a penlight from his pocket. “Follow the light.” He flashed it in my eyes and I did as I was told.

  After being put through hours of tests, I felt like a lab rat but I had to give it to Greyson. He didn’t leave my side. At all. Even after the doctor and nurses asked him to. He grunted and leaned against the wall but that was it. They couldn’t make him leave.

  “How have you been feeling physically?” Dr. Greuel asked me after checking my blood pressure.

  “Fine,” I told him. “I’ve been feeling a little off today, though. More emotional.”

  “Makes sense. I highly expect you to be more emotional over the next few months with the pregnancy and all.”

  “Yeah.” My head whipped around.

  “What the fuck did you just say?” Greyson demanded, coming to my side.

  “The pregnancy.” Dr. Greuel looked between us both. “You didn’t know?”

  “How the fuck would we know?” Greyson grabbed the collar of the doctor’s jacket and shoved him up against the wall. “Run the test again.”

  “It was a blood test.” Dr. Greuel struggled but he was a few inches smaller and at least fifty pounds lighter. “It was accurate.”

  “I don’t give a shit,” Greyson snarled. “Run it again.”

  “Grey,” I whispered, my heart racing.

  “Run it.” Greyson released him roughly, stomping to the other side of the room.

  My chest tightened at the distance he was putting between us. “Come here.” I needed him. His touch. His words telling me that this was all a big misunderstanding.

  Dr. Greuel drew more blood but all I could focus on was the man standing a few feet away from me.

  The back of my eyes pricked with unshed tears. My nose burned.

  “I’ll run this again.” Dr. Greuel patted my hand and left the room.

  “Please talk to me,” I pleaded, looking down at my hands in my lap.

  “Don’t.”

  My head snapped up that time.

  “Don’t look away from me.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I just … I need time to process this.”

  I nodded, understanding his inner turmoil. If I was pregnant, there was a high possibility that the baby wasn’t even his. That bothered me more than the pregnancy itself because I didn’t know if Greyson would want to raise another man’s baby.

  AS SOON AS the words “you’re pregnant” left the doctor’s mouth, Greyson fell within himself. The man I had been sleeping with since I arrived at his club shut me out like it was my fault. Everything was my fault.

  “Sorry it took so long.” The doctor gently closed the door, glancing between us. “Are you going to try and kick my ass again?” he asked Greyson.

  “Just tell us what we already know,” he demanded.

  “Go ahead,” I told the doctor softly.

  “You are pregnant.” The doctor waited. When Greyson didn’t charge for him that time, he continued. “I’ll do a vaginal ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy.”

  All I could do was nod while the man I started to have feelings for became distant and withdrawn.

  While Dr. Greuel set everything up, I laid back on the bed thinking about what my life could have been like before I passed out in Greyson’s arms. Was I married? Did I already have a family of my own? Did I get out of the shady shit and find a good job?

  “Okay.” The doctor smiled. “This is going to be cold.” He inserted the wand. “Your baby looks healthy.” He pointed at a tiny dot on the screen. “See this?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s your baby.”

  My eyes widened as the picture moved.

  “How far along am I?” I asked, unable to take my eyes away from the little being growing inside me.

  “I’d say that you’re around nine weeks.”

  “Fuck me.” Greyson charged out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “Thank you,” I told the doctor once we were alone. My eyes brimmed with unshed tears, but I refused to cry. It wasn’t my fault. None of this was my fault. I needed Greyson to see that.

  “If you need anything. Counseling or …” Dr. Greuel met my gaze that time. “Help. Please—”

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  He nodded, removing the wand from my body.

  I sat up, pulling the thin sheet around me.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Dr. Greuel placed his hand on my arm. “Anything you need, I’m here.”

  I looked down at his hand touching me. “If Greyson were in this room, you wouldn’t have your hands on me. So, why touch me now?”

  The doctor pulled his hand back like I had burnt him and quickly left the room.

  I rose from the bed and got dressed.

  Once I left the room, I found Greyson leaning against the wall.

  His hands were in his pockets, his head bowed.

  “Let’s go,” I said, walking past him and not waiting to see if he was following me. I just wanted a hot bath and to curl up with a good book. But I would prefer to curl up in Greyson’s arms.

  So many questions bounced around in my head, all of them unanswered. Who was the other man? Why the hell was no one looking for me? If I had been running through the woods for God knows how long, how come I wasn’t followed?

  Nothing made sense. And now the fact that I was pregnant didn’t help. At all.

  (Greyson)

  Eve was pregnant. With some bastard’s kid too. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I knew that. But the fact someone else got to her before I did, didn’t sit well with me. What would I have done if the baby was mine? Would I have been excited? Elated? Mother fucking happy for once? No. Probably not. I was an asshole and no matter what, I would probably always be that way.

  Eve’s arms wrapped tighter around my waist as I drove us home on my bike. Home. I bit back a scoff.

  After all of these years, it still didn’t feel like home to me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t find that special something to make it that.

  Pregnant.

  Fucking hell.

  I was racking my brain, trying to think of who was the father of Eve’s baby.

  Was she married? Had she been committing adultery this whole time?

  Once we reached the clubhouse, I shut off the bike and waited for Eve to slide off the seat behind me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, handing me the helmet.

  “Yup,” I grunted, removing my own helmet, and locked them both away. Without waiting for her to follow me, I headed into the house.

  The main area was packed with people. While my name was called out repeatedly, I ignored them and made my way to my office. Once I was behind my desk, I dialed Sarge.

  “Greyson. Miss me already?”

  “I need you to find out if Eve is married,” I told him, ignoring his poor attempt at a joke.

  “It would say it in her file.” He paused. “Have you even looked at her file yet?”

  I swallowed a curse. “She’s pregnant.”

  “Shit. I’m assuming it’s not yours?”

  “I wouldn’t be calling you if it were.”

  “Fine. I’ll see what else I can dig up.” Sarge hung up.

  Heading to the door, I was greeted by Eve with her hand raised.

  “Oh.” She startled. “I was coming to see … Well … we should probably look at this.” She handed me her file.

  I took it from her, stepping back to allow her room to enter.

  “I’ve never bee
n in here.” Eve walked to the bookshelves, letting her fingers graze over the spines.

  “This is my favorite room,” I told her.

  She looked at me over her shoulder. “I still can’t believe you’ve read all of these.”

  I gave her a small smile. I read anything. Even romance. If the story captured me, I didn’t care what the genre was.

  “I’m nervous about my file.” Eve sat on the couch, patting the spot beside her.

  “Just look at it like a book. Like you’re reading a story about someone’s life.” I wanted to make her feel better. To let her know that I was there for her no matter what. Even though I didn’t react the way I should have, I would still do anything to protect her and keep her safe.

  I sat beside her, opening the file between us.

  “Before we start, I need you to know that I really don’t remember anything. I don’t know if I’m married. I don’t know who the father is. I don’t know anything, Greyson.” Her breath hitched. “I promise you that I really don’t know.”

  “Let’s just get this over with,” I mumbled.

  “Fine.” She crossed her legs in front of her, grazing her fingers down the pictures of her. “I wonder who I was smiling at.”

  “Sarge said you could be a sociopath,” I blurted.

  “What?” Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  Fuck. That was not how I should have told her. “I mean. Shit.” I rubbed my nape. “He said that you didn’t react the way most would have when he showed you your file.”

  “I don’t … He’s right. I don’t react the way I should. The way I know I should. I told you that in the beginning. I don’t remember anything. The only time I’m scared is when I wake up from those damn nightmares but other than that, it’s like I was given a fresh start. The only thing I don’t have to worry about is learning to talk and walk again.” She shrugged. “Maybe I did something horrible and was given a second chance.”

  “I don’t give a shit about what happened before,” I confessed, turning toward her. “All I care about is now.”