Some Way

by Tiffany Jade

  "Aaaaand I'm out!" I hear Dax rush to the door and I feel Gray's smile against my lips.

  "I gotta cancel that meeting," he murmurs as his hands begin to run up and down my back. I shake my head at him and burrow into his chest, getting as close as I can. "Fuck I really missed you, Queen," his words come out husky and deep, making my body weak.

  My body molds to his as his lips find mine and he begins to work his magic on my senses. His hands find their way to my jaw and hold my face in place as he runs his tongue in a dance that draws out a shattered moan from the back of my throat. Encouraged, his hands slip down to my hips, tugging me closer to him, letting me feel just how much he had missed me.

  He pulls back slightly, but only to run those lips down my neck, nipping and licking a fiery trail. My hand finds itself tangled in his hair, holding him in place as he finds that one spot.

  "Bro, we gotta get this shit handled if we are gonna make that meeting in time." Daxon's voice breaks through the fog of Grayson in my mind. A sound, much like a growl, comes from deep inside Gray as he lifts his head.

  "I swear to fucking God Daxon, I am going to murder you in your sleep one night." I smile up at Gray as he curses his brother. But the smile is quickly wiped from my face as I see them meet eyes and Dax points down below us. The anger instantly appears back on Gray's face. He squeezes me again and then releases me.

  "You stay here, I will be right back." He doesn't even look at me as he barks out the command.

  "Where the hell are you going?" I ask, with not one intention of doing what he tells me.

  "We already told you Liv," Dax throws out an arm as I try to get to the door ahead of them. I duck under and stand in front of the handle. To Dean, they are still going for Dean.

  "No." Daxon tilts his head at me, but before I can say anything else, Grayson has picked me up and moved me away from the door. Daxon opens it.

  "Oh! Where we going?" The boys sidestep Nate and I crash into him on my way to follow them.

  "Watch her." Gray shoots the words over his shoulder as he storms down the hall. Nate's hands land on my arms.

  "Let. Me. Go." I glare, Nate smirks.

  "Where are they going in such a hurry?" he asks, glancing towards the retreating backs of two of the biggest pains in the ass I have ever met.

  "To kill Dean. Let me go!" I try to yank out his grip.

  "Oh shit, I wanna go too!" Nate grabs my hand and pulls me after him. I stop myself from rolling my eyes as we rush to catch up.

  We reach the stairwell as Gray and Dax reach the bottom step.

  "Take her back Nate," Daxon looks from Gray to his cousin. Nate grins at the look on Grayson's face. The rage is back. The fire in his eyes. The lock in his jaw.

  "Na, I don't think I want to miss this!"

  "Fucking idiots, all of you." I mumble as I book down the stairs. Grayson doesn't slow down a bit and as I hit the stairwell door, I catch a glimpse of his back as he disappears around a corner.

  "Get me there now Nate, Dean isn't the bad guy here." Nate's eyebrow shoots up.

  "I beg to differ there Liv. Dax told me he drugged you." I take a deep breath. This family is going to be the death of my sanity.

  "Get me there fast or I'm telling Grayson you touched my ass on the way to see him." I smile up at Nate as his grin falls.

  "That's fucking cold." He pushes me towards a door, "I think Gray was wrong about you."

  "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I ask as he leads me through a large room with a giant table and at least twenty chairs.

  A small smile curves up his lips, "You will fit in just fine around here." I shrug with a grin.

  We head out the door in the back of the room and come out at a hallway. Grayson and Daxon are back in my view. Heading right for my bedroom door.

  "Why the hell didn't we take that way the first time?" I smack Nate's arm as we jog.

  "That room has working cameras, you better hope my brother was paying attention and scrubbed the screen."

  "You that scared of Grayson?" Nate's lips turn up again.

  "When it comes to you?" He points up as Daxon pulls out a ring of keys out of his pocket. Gray rips it from him and swiftly unlocks my door, a terrifying smirk lights his face and he stalks in. "Fuck yeah I am."

  I break into a full run as I hear the crashing coming from the room.

  "STOP!" I yell as I enter to see Grayson with one hand on Dean's neck, pushed up against the wall. His other, balled into a fist and pulled back, ready to fly. Daxon stands at the side, observing.

  All three sets of eyes bounce to me. One of Dean's hands come up in a halfhearted wave.

  "Go with Nate, Liv." Grayson grinds out the words. His grip remaining strong on Dean.

  Now I do roll my eyes.

  "No." Grayson's eyebrow raises at the simple word. Nate chuckles behind me.

  "Yeah, she'll fit in just fine," he whispers to Dax who also lets out a small laugh. They both fall silent as Gray's eyes shoot venom at them.

  "He's clearly not fighting back," I motion toward Dean. "Take your hand off of him before you piss me off all over again Grayson." Nate steps out of the room as he snorts with laughter again.

  "Don't want him hurt Queen?" a bit of the coldness sneaks back into Grayson's voice as he flexes his fingers. I walk towards him and place my hand on his arm. Squeezing the tense muscle in a gentle massage, but giving him a firm look.

  "Don't start your shit again Demonte." I can see Daxon's eyes sparkle as Grayson takes a deep breath and releases Dean.

  Dean coughs and rubs his throat.

  "You okay?" I ask him as I hug Grayson's arm, offering comfort but also in an attempt to keep it away from Dean's face.

  "Fucking fabulous," he jokes as he heads for the couch. Gray watches his movements like an animal watching his pray. His muscles twitch.

  I reach out for Daxon's hand and latch onto Gray's. I pull them both in front of me.

  "Now, as I was saying before you two rudely stormed off, Dean is on our side." They both look at me, confusion on their face.

  "Liv, he drugged you." Daxon points out. I ignore him and walk toward the couch Dean is sitting on, rubbing the back of his neck and glaring at Gray.

  "Sit. Again." I motion towards the couch and once again only Daxon listens. I am starting to realize this is going to be a recurring theme in my relationship with Grayson. Daxon settles in as far away from Dean as possible. Grayson moves closer to me, placing himself between Dean and I.

  "He drugged you." He glares over his shoulder at Dean, who is smart enough to look a bit sheepish.

  "I think we have established that at this point." Grayson moves his glare to me.

  "You want me to forgive him for that?" I nod my head. Grayson sighs and runs his hand through his hair.

  "It really wasn't—" Dean begins to speak.

  "Not ready for your bullshit yet." Grayson snaps. Dean sits back on the couch, tipping his head back and closing his eyes to rest, clearly not in the mood to argue.

  "Nate!" Grayson barely raises his voice, but Nate steps into the room. "Take Dean to my office please." Dean's eyes pop open.

  "Gray." My voice is quiet, but a clear warning.

  "Nobody hurts him." Grayson says through gritted teeth.

  "Grayson." He shakes his head at me.

  "What Liv? I promise I won't have him hurt." Grayson wraps an arm around me and tucks me into his side. I look up at him and he tries to smile.

  "I know you won't," now he does smile, "because you all aren't having this conversation without me." Aaaand his smile is gone.

  I step to the side and face them all. "You all are done trying to protect me from whatever is going to happen this weekend. I'm in this." I look from Gray, to Dax, to Dean, to Nate. "We are doing this together or not at all. And since I don't think it’s possible for us to run away to some tropical island and forget that your families are crazy and power hungry, you guys are stuck with doing this together."

  "Queen,"
Gray steps forward, ready to start the argument.

  "No Grayson. I'm in this. All in. You're not getting rid of me or pushing me away anymore. So what babe? Are you in? Or am I doing this with them?" I wave behind me and Grayson looks to the men in the room, they all have grins on their face. He turns back to me.

  "Daxon, call Mom, get her in here and cancel the meeting. Nate, Luca needs to get here too, have him loop the cameras and grab Liam on his way. Dean, get your contact numbers written out and any other information I may need to know this weekend." The three of them step out into separate areas as they follow orders.

  "Liviana, come here." He uses the same commanding voice on me. I force myself not to melt into a puddle at his feet. That voice should be illegal.

  "Excuse me?" Instead of moving towards him I cross my arms and tilt my head.

  "I said, come here." He lowers his voice more, even more illegal. Now is not the time for this.

  "We should make one thing clear here Gray," I whisper, and stop myself from smirking as he steps closer to me. "I'm not one of your men." He chuckles darkly before he pulls me into him.

  "Oh trust me Queen, I know you aren't one of my men." I pause and try to catch my breath as he grins down at me. He places a light kiss on my lips. "And when I do tell you to do something, it's for your own safety. Not because I'm trying to be an ass." He wraps his arms around me. "If we are going to do this together, I need you to trust the fact that I grew up here. Everything I do is going to be to keep you protected. Everything." He places another kiss and grins as he sneaks in a quick squeeze to my ass. "I will try to ask you," he bites at my bottom lip, "but if I demand something, I need you to trust me and listen." He soothes away the bite with a gentle peck. "Deal?"

  Kissing me like he was he could have asked me for a new Tesla truck and I would have made it happen if he'd continue.

  "Deal. But if you are just being an ass I'm not going to listen and I'm going to let you know." I smile and he wraps me up again.

  "Oh I know Queen."

  A knock at the door has him turning and positioning me behind him. Daxon opens the door and my stomach drops as their mother enters the room.

  I had seen her waiting at the top of the stairs when we had arrived. With no introduction it was clear that she was their mother. Their matching eyes were the dead giveaway. Hers had been almost as icy cold as Grayson's when I had looked at her. She was an intimidating woman, even standing at her small stature.

  Daxon ushers her into the room, placing a kiss on her cheek. Nate quickly appears behind him, also kissing her. She glances over noticing Grayson and begins to head over. I squeeze Gray's hand and he squeezes back.

  "Mama," Grayson smiles at her as she reaches us and he bends down to place his own kiss on her cheek. He holds onto my hand and pulls me out from behind him. I meet his mother's icy gaze and to my complete surprise her face breaks into a warm smile. Grayson's smile matches hers.

  "Liviana I presume?" her voice has the hint of an Italian accent, and is just as warm as the smile she carries. "Or do you prefer to go by Queen?" she winks and giggles. Grayson chuckles beside me as I stand in shock. "So this is the woman who has stolen my little boy's heart hmm?"

  "Yes Mama, this is her." Grayson nods towards me, amused by what is probably fear showing in my eyes.

  "And you love my boy just as much as he loves you do you dear?" she focuses fully on me now. I stand up straight and smile back.

  "Yes ma'am, he's stubborn, and kind of a pain, and slightly bossy. But I love your boy with all of my heart." She gives me a surprised look before bursting out into a laugh. Grayson rubs his eyes.

  "Lovely, now she has back up," he shakes his head, "Mama, this is Liviana, Liv this is Mama, Mariella Demonte." I reach out to shake her hand but she pulls me into a hug. I hug her back instantly.

  "You are here for this fight bella?" she pulls back slightly, holding me at arm’s length. I nod my head. "You are here for my son?" I nod again. "You crazy, cheating, goldigger with horrible taste like Serafina?" I shake my head emphatically as Mariella laughs. "You here to love my boy, you call me Mama, you hear?" Grayson smiles bigger than I have ever seen. His mother's approval of me clearly making him happy.

  "Yes, ma'am" I wince as she gives me the mom look, "I mean yes Mama!" with another chuckle she pulls me into a hug again.

  "Luca." Grayson looks over my shoulder and I turn to see another large, intimidating man walk into the room. My God what do these boys eat? Luca heads for Mariella, greeting her first, he then shakes my hand silently and moves towards Nate.

  Mariella clears her throat and the boys all fall into complete silence. She glances around, making eye contact with all of us. The warm smile fades away.

  "Luca?" her voice takes on an even more commanding tone than Grayson. At least now I can see where he gets it from.

  "Weapons have been hidden in strategic locations throughout the premises. Cameras on a full loop, undetectable by those rookies you had hired last month." Mariella nods.

  "Nate?"

  "All of those who we know for sure are fighting with us have been informed of the timeline and everyone is in full agreement to what actions must be taken. Families not prepared to fight will be leaving tomorrow morning." Another nod.

  "Daxon?"

  "Serafina has been distracted all day by her pre wedding appointments. Gigi has a list of four more to go before the masquerade tonight so she will be off of the premises until then with Gigi and a full security team watching Gigi's back. Serafina's father has been fully enjoying his room service and has not left his room thanks to the mini bar that was provided to him when he arrived." Nod.

  "Grayson?"

  "Gio has been in meetings all day with new families who are trying to make a name for themselves. He currently is not wandering with any security, so it is safe to say our intel was right and he is fully immersed in Serafina's plan. The pictures we pulled from her cell phones were real, not altered." Grayson pauses as he looks at his mother. "I'm sorry Mama." he whispers, just for her. She shakes her head. They had found the pictures and videos Serafina had been talking about. They had figured it all out before I had even gotten here. Mariella was leading an army against her own husband. My heart breaks for her as all the pieces fall together.

  "No Son, no apologies. Luca, get with the boys and let them know where you have these weapons hid in case something happens that we have not accounted for." Mariela heads towards Luca and Nate as they listen to what else she needs from them.

  "Your mom is a bad ass." I whisper to Grayson as he begins to lead me towards Dax, Luca, Nate, and Dean.

  "Now you know why Nate says you're going to fit right in." Gray winks at me and my heart fills with hope. Maybe our odds aren't as bad as I thought.

  Chapter 29

  "You going to tell her?" Daxon throws himself down next to me as I move my glare from the security screens to the dipshit who just has to look like me.

  "I just got her back, can I have five minutes of pretending my life is not a complete shit show before I throw this one at her?"

  I move my attention back to the screens I had had Luca install in my room. They were direct lines to the house security feeds, so I could watch what security was seeing. But he had also left me with the real security footage so I could see what was actually happening.

  Damn he was good too, the looped cameras went live enough to show our new company out and about, but never went live at Liv's door. We'd have to get a few frames of her and Dean entering and leaving to make it better, but for now, perfect.

  "We are editing security footage to hide your girls' movements while we figure out how to stop our father from helping your psycho ex-girlfriend kill us." Daxon starts chuckling as I shove away from the desk holding the screens and move over to my closet. "Seems to me like telling her that Dean is our long lost little brother from our mother's hidden affair with a Russian mob boss is the least shit showy part of our life right now."

  My hands natur
ally begin rubbing my temples as I stare at the line of freshly pressed shirts in front of me. I was going to get permanent indents in the side of my head if the tension didn't dissipate just a fucking tad.

  The amount of lies that had become unraveled in the past few days were enough to consider taking Liv up on the whole run away to an island plan. The only thing stopping me was knowing if I wanted to keep my mom, Dax, Liv, my sisters, and my cousins safe, I had to put a stop to all of this. Once and for all. I roughly rip a poplin off of the rack.

  "Why couldn't this just have just been about drugs?!" I know...I'm bitching...but fuck.

  "She's going to be more mad if she finds out after him." Dax stands and brushes imaginary lint off of his pants. "And I feel like we've only seen the tip of Liv's mad attitude at this point, if you're planning on pissing her off this badly, please, let me run first."

  I shrug the shirt on and button it as Dax smirks. "Mom is telling him tonight. You better find a way to get to her at the masquerade, speaking of which," he flashes his phone screen at me, eight o'clock, "You better speed it up buttercup, Serafina is gonna come looking for you." He walks out of my room without giving me time to respond. I can't fucking stand him sometimes.

  Like when he's right.

  Fuck.

  I shoot Luca a text about the cams before heading back to my closet. I guess I should at least try to look nice for when Liv considers murdering me.

  "So Gigi helped me pick out this blood red color for my toenails, which was lovely, but then we got into a fight about how to do my fingernails. I wanted red to match but of course Gigi wanted to me to go with the classic French GRAYSON!"

  She had been rambling since we entered the ballroom. She only did that when she was trying to distract me from something. I honestly expected better of her, she should know by now that I know her tells, I know when she has something up her sleeve. But she continued on with the minute details about every second of her earlier appointments.