A Broken Beautiful Beginning
Page 10
“I’m all good Hunt, don’t stress. Just don’t do it again, I don’t think Caleb will appreciate you feeling up his woman.” I tease trying to lighten the mood but his smile only fades at the mention of Caleb.
“Hey...” I place my hand on top of his shoulder as I stand up. “I’ll speak to him, don’t worry about it.” He gives me a small smile.
I head for the door. “Harley?” I open the door and turn to him.
“Yeah”
“That girl, Mira?” he looks down at his feet nervously, “I won’t hurt her. I mean… I won’t let anyone hurt her again… but if Owen thinks of laying a finger on her I won’t think twice about hurting him.” His tone turns serious at the mention of Owen. I give him a smile and a small nod. I don’t know what Hunter knows about Mira and I don’t know how he knows it, but I trust him when he says he won’t hurt her.
A little while after dealing with Hunter I walk down the street to the little pizzeria and I order a couple of pizza’s for dinner tonight, making sure to get an extra one.
When I handed Mira the pizza I bought her I swear the girl nearly cried. She held the box gently and whispered a thank you full of happiness… I swear I nearly cried when I saw her appreciation for a simple margarita pizza. When she walked out of the building that afternoon she had a little bounce in her step and a brilliant smile on her face.
I am welcomed with hugs and kisses from Willow when I get home. My grin immediately vanishes though when I see the scowl Caleb directs my way over Willow’s little shoulder. I frown at him and he shakes his head then drinks the rest of his beer he is holding in a tight grip.
I choose to ignore him as I spend some time with Willow, “How about we have some pizza while we watch some cartoons?” I smile at my daughter as I place my keys on the counter and pull my shoes off. Willow squeals with excitement and runs in the direction of the living room. I hate cartoons with a passion but I don’t mind watching them though if that’s what makes Willow happy.
I ignore Caleb’s awful glares as I take the pizza box and follow Willow into the lounge.
I don’t see Caleb the entire time I sit with Willow on the sofa chatting and laughing. I ask her about her day and she’s more than eager to ramble on. It’s already after seven by the time I help her to bathe and dress. She’s obviously exhausted because she can barely keep her eyes open enough to bath. I giggle as I dress her in her pyjamas. She’s lying on the bed fast asleep while I move her around to dress her, it’s exactly the way you would dress a baby.
I tuck her in and as I’m about to leave the room I bump into Caleb. He pushes past me without saying a word, sits on the small bed beside Willow then bends down and gives her a kiss on the forehead before whispering something I can’t make out. I leave him to it and head to the bathroom for a shower.
After getting dressed I walk into the bedroom to find a laptop sitting on the bed. My eyes are focused on the laptop, there on the screen is camera footage of Hunter pressed up against me. From the camera point of view it looks really intimate. My face can’t be seen but I bet if he could see my face he would notice how scared I was in that moment. The video plays in mute and I’m thankful he can’t hear what Hunter is saying to me, it would throw him into a wild rage. I watch the screen for the moment I push against Hunter, and continue to watch him sitting down on the bench with me knelt in front of him. It all plays out as if we are two people having a lovers quarrel. Even I know that it looks bad but surely Caleb knows that my relationship with Hunter is purely platonic.
“Imagine my surprise when I was chatting to Owen and this pops up on the screen?” I hear Caleb’s deep voice as he enters the room. He closes the door then sluggishly sits on the sofa in the corner, in his hand is another beer and all he is wearing is a pair of boxers.
“It’s not-” I push off the bed and walk up to him trying to explain myself but his hands come up gesturing for me not to touch him. He shakes his head and lets out a forced laugh as I stand there frozen.
“It’s not what it looks like?” He tilts his head to the side then takes another sip of beer before letting out a louder laugh. “You forget baby, I used those exact words before too.” He looks at the laptop on the bed then back at me. “I know exactly what it looks like.”
“No Caleb, it’s really not. I promise-” He interrupts me again by throwing the empty beer bottle across the room. It slams against the closet door with a loud shatter. I cover my ears with my trembling hands as I look at the broken glass.
“You don’t fucking get to promise me shit!” he leans forward then looks down at the ground, his shoulders moving with every deep breath he takes. I’m afraid he may have woken up Willow so I head for the door to check on her.
He stands up straight forcing me to look up at him and scowls as he points his finger. “Don’t you dare fucking move Harley!”
His stare makes me shiver as the words I want to say disappear out of fear. Memories of Jace and the angry fits he threw surface. Caleb opens the door and he saunters out.
I want to run away just like I used to when Raven would make an appearance.
I want to find some place safe where no one can find me but I can’t leave Willow here. I won’t leave without her.
When Caleb returns, he closes the door behind him so I’m guessing she’s still fast asleep. He falls back down onto the sofa and leans his head against the back of it as he lets out a deep breath, “How long has it been going on? How long have you been fucking him?”
I’m shocked by this sentence, my mouth hangs open and when he looks back up at me with those beautiful sad eyes I rush up to him, kneeling in front of him as I plead. “I’m not sleeping with him Caleb. It wasn’t like that at all please… let me explain.” He seems surprised by my confession, his eyebrows furrowing. He lifts his hand and visions of Jace slapping me resurface. I swivel back, away from him, covering my face with one hand as I use the other to slide away on the floor. When I hear him moving off the chair toward me, my movements freeze. My body is trembling, my breathing is heavy and when I feel liquid on my hands, I remove them from my face to look at the tears I wasn’t aware I was shedding.
What the hell is wrong with me? Caleb would never hurt me like that.
“Harlz…” I hear Caleb’s soft voice. My head is turned away from him but I can see his bare feet out of the corner of my eyes. I feel him moving the hair away from my face as he bends down.
“I’d never hit you baby…. No matter how mad I am, I’d never hit you.” He kneels in front of me and lifts my chin up. I look through my teary eyes into his pained expression.
“I di…didn’t cheat on you Caleb. I’d never cheat on you. It’s never been like that between Hunter and me. I love him but I love him as if he were my brother.” Caleb’s face drops, I sense his relief but I can tell he’s still a little confused by what he witnessed on the video. He pulls me on his lap and he holds me tight. He lets out a deep breath, “Thank God baby…thank god.” He whispers against my forehead.
I pull away from him, “Don’t you trust me Caleb? Have I ever made you doubt my trust?” I say seriously.
“No baby… I trust you, I swear it…. But when I saw the footage I was all kinds of fucked up. I didn’t know what to make of it. The only female besides Willow that he will tolerate being around is you and Anna, I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions Harley but what would you think if you saw me that way with someone? It doesn’t look like those people in that footage are…just friends.” He says seriously. “Can you explain to me exactly what happened?”
I move off his lap and start explaining every single detail that happened, leaving nothing out because I don’t want to keep anything from him. I can tell he’s getting angry when I get to the part about how afraid I was at one point so I climb back onto his lap. He holds me tightly and listens to all I have left to say. Once I get to the end of my explanation, I can tell he feels a little sorry for Hunter and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t see him as a threat anymore.
Standing on shaky legs I say, “I understand you were upset with me because of what you saw but you should have come to me as soon as you saw what you did. I would have told you exactly what happened. I don’t keep anything from you, you know that! Yet you still came in here ready to argue with me. I’ve never done anything to make you question my loyalty to you so don’t you dare ever treat me that way again! I don’t deserve that Caleb! I put up with Jace’s anger for so long; I won’t go through that again! And I swear to God, you throw a bottle at me again and I’ll throw one right back…and I won’t miss!” I point to the broken beer bottle on the floor. “Make sure that’s cleaned before Willow wakes up.”
I don’t wait for a response from him; instead I walk out the room leaving him sitting on the floor with a regretful look on his face. I’m pretty sure I scared the shit out of him with my words; I’ve never spoken to him in such a way. Maybe he finally realizes that he’s not the only one that changed during our four year separation. I’m no longer the eighteen year old girl who relies on her boyfriend for everything. I’m a grown woman who’s been through enough to know what I deserve and how I should be treated. I certainly won’t be sitting around quietly anymore when I’m being treated like shit.
I fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV, I know I haven’t been asleep for long when Caleb picks me up because I can hear the program I was watching still playing on the television. Caleb switches the TV off and walks up the stairs with me against his chest, every now and again I can feel his lips brushing against my forehead with whispers of how much he loves me.
He tucks me in bed and I continue to pretend I’m asleep. He pulls me into the crook of his arm and holds me close, and I take in the scent that is all Caleb. The skin of his chest is soft against my cheek and I really want to rub my face against it and purr like a content kitten but I don’t want him to see I’m awake.
“I love you so much Harley. I know it doesn’t seem like it when I do stupid shit like I did tonight but no matter what happens just know I do everything with you and Willow in mind. I never want to lose you…can’t live without you baby.” He whispers against my head.
Chapter 7
Over the next few days Caleb spoils me with flowers and chocolates, he won’t leave my side when we’re at home and with his constant apologising, things between us fall back to our normal routine.
As for the Gym, I’m making sure to always have food ready for Mira; making sure she has enough to eat three times a day. She always happily takes the food with a smile on her face, even if it is just plain peanut butter sandwiches. I once asked her if she’d like to come over for dinner with my family but she froze up like she usually did when she felt uncomfortable.
I’ve decided I’ll ask her again in a weeks’ time.
Her face has become brighter and she is working harder than any of my other employees. She seems livelier and full of energy and her body is already starting to gain weight, the healthy sight makes me proud.
I have spent a few restless nights worrying about her, wondering if her home life is safe but every time I try to ask her about it she closes off and goes back into her little shell.
I’ve decided to stay away from the topic for now, making sure she has everything she needs from a distance. I’ve caught Hunter in the security room a couple times though, staring at her on the screen with a blank expression.
It’s as if he’s afraid of her, afraid of being near her and even afraid of her seeing him. I’ve never seen Hunter so intrigued with something or someone before. Caleb told me that Hunter steers clear of her, avoiding her at all costs. Every now and then though he will catch him looking out for her and suddenly Hunter is now joining Caleb in his gym sessions every day since Mira had started working here.
There are a couple of young guys that come in regularly and the two of them together will train them simultaneously in one of the private rooms, the only room that doesn’t have a camera in. I didn’t think anything of it to begin with, but actually in hindsight I should start asking more questions and be a little nosier.
As for Owen… well Caleb has now got him working the early morning shift, he’s out of here by the time Mira gets in in the morning. I’m pretty sure Hunter has something to do with that though. Mira is oblivious to Hunter, she’s so focused on her work and trying to make everyone happy that I don’t think she even realizes how many of the clients and other male employees check her out during the day. The girl is so naïve and I don’t think she would even know what flirting is.
So here I am, sitting on the bed folding laundry when Caleb walks into the room. I can immediately sense by the expression on his face that I’m not going to like what he has to say.
“You okay?” I ask looking up from folding Willow’s little pink shirt. I put in it the clothing hamper and turn my attention on Caleb.
He sits down on the bed next to me, bending his one leg on the bed while the other rests on the floor, running his hands through his hair.
“We need to talk about some things.” He pauses before continuing. “Your father came to see me at the gym.” He says sounding out of breath.
“What did he want?” I ask wearily as I continue to fold the clothes. I don’t want to speak about my father; I still haven’t spoken to him since our last fallout. He’s tried calling me but a call isn’t good enough. If he doesn’t have time to stop by my house or even the gym to speak to me then I don’t have the time to answer his calls. I want him to know how betrayed I feel. How going behind my back and allowing Jace to see Willow without us knowing was completely unacceptable.
“He wants me in the club.” My hands freeze on the item I’m folding.
I shake my head. “It’s not happening Caleb.”
I move to stand up with the bucket of folded laundry in my hand but he stands and takes it from me placing it on the ground.
“Just listen to me...” he starts but I interrupt him.
“No, you listen to me Caleb. I’ve seen what goes on in that Club and I don’t want you part of it. It’s not happening, just drop it.” I say angrily picking up the bucket again.
He pulls the bucket from my hands and slides it along the wooden floor to the other side of the room. I sigh in irritation.
He places his hands on either side of my shoulders pushing me down to sit on the bed which only adds to my growing annoyance. Sitting down next to me and holding my hands in his, he watches me closely.
“I think I should consider it Harley.” He says seriously.
“Why the hell would you do that? You know how I feel about the club, I love Daddy, Anna and Hunter but I hate that fucking club. It’s just a bunch of men drinking, sleeping around, causing trouble and partying. I don’t want you part of that.” I grind out each word making sure he gets how serious I am.
“No baby, that’s not all it’s about. Yes, that’s all you’ve seen but there’s so much more going on. You’re father has made sure you don’t get to see the ugly stuff but the ugly stuff is happening Harley. I think it’ll be better and safer for you and Willow if I was part of the club. It’s only right I help your father. All the brothers are keen on me becoming a prospect, I’ve got to earn my way and I’m willing to do it. You and Willow already have protection since Grimm’s the president but what about my family Harley? I need to protect them too.” I raise my eyebrows at this.
“All the brothers… Protection… What the hell are you talking about! How often do you hang with Hunter and my father? Is that where you’ve been disappearing to during work? You’ve been going to that fucking club?” I ask him confused.
He drops his head and scratches his jaw but doesn’t answer me.
“You have! Why do you tell me you’re going for runs with Hunter then?” I stand up fr
om the bed and look down at him irritably.
He raises his hands in defeat as if that could possibly calm me down. “Wait baby please, hear me out. There’s a rival club that’s been sighted closing in on our territory. Two prospects have disappeared and a couple of your father’s warehouses have been broken into already. Your father thinks that this other Club is targeting Devils Grimm. They’ve even taken some of the women. We have an insider working for us over at the Stowaways compound saying that they’ve got them prostituting themselves out. They drag them down there on the basis that they will be made old ladies to some of the younger prospects, but instead they’re being drugged and forced into prostitution. You think you’re fathers club treats women badly, these men are forcing these women to do awful things!” He lets out a deep breath looking down at our entwined hands, I can tell just talking about it makes him angry.
“Word is that they want Grimm’s land and they’re going to do anything to take it. That means you and Willow are in danger. It means anyone that is close to any brothers will be in danger. My mother and brothers are in danger Harley. I won’t let anyone hurt you or take you from me but your father needs all the help he can get. He’s running low on resources and you know I have enough money to help him.” The words spill out his mouth. He sounds as if he’s already in this club, using words like our and us, I’m full of anger and confusion but worry is at the top of the list. I fear for our family’s safety.
“I...I don’t understand? My father’s warehouses? What exactly are in those warehouses Caleb? And where exactly do you get all this money that keeps popping up, I know your family is rich but when we were together you never wanted to spend their money?” I ask him feeling concerned.
He’s quiet for a moment as if he’s thinking of a way to break shit to me gently. I know the work my father does on the side is illegal, I just don’t know to what extent. The fact that Caleb seems so worried seriously concerns me.