Page 32 of Little Fury

“What if you were wrong? What if I froze or something went wrong? It's a fucking pool area shit is slippery!”I yell at him, and my anger begins to rise again.

“I was there. I was outside the pool area from the moment they arrived. I would never have let anything happen to you, Ava,”he tells me.

“And Marcus? Was he part of this?”

‘No, he just looked for you when you weren't in your room. He tried to get into the pool area as soon as he saw what was happening. But I stopped him and explained the situation. He wasn't happy about it, but we slipped into the pool area, so we were closer to you. The rest, you know.”

I look at him.“Well, I hope you and her feel like you’ve got your money's worth from me.” I sneer at him,“Fuck you, Harry.”I leave his room just in time to see room service knocking on my door.

He follows me into the hall, the waiter looking between us. I’m in my bathrobe, and the Red-haired giant behind me is only in a pair of sweats. The waiter looks at me silently, asking if I need help.“Thank you," I tell him and sign for my food. “My dad and I were just having an argument about what it means to have someone’s back,”I inform the poorman. Opening my door, he pushes the cart inside, still looking very uncertain despite my reassurances that I’m ok.

I realize how it must look. I’m a teenager in a bathrobe with a huge welt on my cheek. And I come barreling out of this grown man's room who you can clearly see is not my father. And there is just the imposing figure Harry is. He’s 6’3 with red hair and a beard; he’s a bloody monster of a man. Old or not, Harry is in shape and scary if you don't know him.

The waiter accepts my answer that all was fine and heads to the elevator. Marcus pokes his head out of his room.“You guys good?"He asks.

“You know what? Fuck you too, Marcus! Fuck both of you. And neither of you fucking talk to me until we’re back at the ranch.”

“Not sure how Beth would feel about all the f-bombs coming out of your mouth” Harry says to me. I swing around on him and take a couple of steps towards him.

“Trust me, Harry, your relationship with her may be close, but that woman has raised me like I am her own. She is going to fucking flay you over this.”I glare at him.“But go ahead, tell her what you told me, that you’re just doing your job, that my birth mother requested it. I’m sure she'll be good with that.”

I turn away, ignoring him when he calls my name. I step into my room and slam the door.

The trip back to the ranch is very quiet, neither guy was willing to risk my wrath on the plane. I sit in the back on the drive to the ranch, and the guys sit upfront talking quietly to each other.

It’s not lost on me that the music is predominantly mine playing during the 3-hour drive.“Girl from the North Country”by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash is playing. I always like this drive. Montana is beautiful in any season. But spring is on another level. Everything is turning green; flowers are blooming everywhere. I love the way Montana smells in the spring.

After the NEW YORK incident,yes, it sure fucking was an incident. Things are a little tense on the ranch. Beth didn't speak to Harry for a week when she saw me and heard the story. Harry just threw his hands up and stormed out. He didn't come to dinner that week either. Marcus and I went to school and continued training like we always did. But Harry was less involved. He was there watching us but was not ashands-on as usual. The ranch and everyone on it are tense, and a few people are chilly when they speak to Harry. Theo and Wes, especially. Both held nothing back in the ring with him.

By Sunday, Harry was done with the“shite”(his words, not mine)he was taking. He called an all-hands meeting in the mess hall before dinner.

“This week has been rough. And that stops now. This is my job. This ranch is mine. You all are here because I allow you to train, or I hired you to do a job. This will be the one and only time I will say something like this to any of you. If, after today, you still have a problem with me or how I choose to run the business or train people, you are free to leave. Is that clear?”

He waits to let people nod or say yes before he continues.

“What happened in New York with Ava is not something that hasn't happened to every single person who has been trained at this ranch since my father started this place. Every single one of you who works for me has had this kind of test administered to you, correct? "Again, he pauses to let everyone nod or say yes.

“While Ava is younger than any of you were when this test occurred in your training she was just as prepared. I would never put her or anyone in my care into a situation if I weren’t 100% certain they would prevail. I will not apologize for what occurred. And I owe none of you any explanation.

“Ava and Marcus are here under very different circumstances than any of you were or are. Ava and Marcus both have people I must answer to about them. While I think it's shite that I answer to anyone about anything, I gladly took the two of them because I believed this was their best chance. You all know the reality of their situations, so please tell me what you think was a better option.”

There are a few murmurs in the room, but Harry talksover them.“I will say this one time and one time only. How I train my students is my business. If you have an issue with something, my door is always open, and I will hear you out, but my decision is final, and you will accept it, or you will move on to a different place of employment. Are we clear?”

“ARE WE CLEAR!”He shouts. Everyone in the room says yes.

“OK then, is anyone leaving? Cause now is the time to move along. I’m hungry, and the chefs have made us a huge family dinner.”

I walk over to Harry, giving him a nod. It dawned on me at that moment, something I had never realized before. My mum is part of this life. She trained here. She learned all the things I've learned and will learn here. I shake my head at myself, blown away at the fact that it never once occurred to me that my birth mom had been here before me.

You can feel the room take a deep breath, waiting to see what I'm going to do.“Well, let’s fucking eat then,”I say loud enough for the room to hear me, leaning in and kissing the red haired asshole on the cheek. Beth shakes her finger at me but smiles. And just like that, the bubble that the ranch was encased in all week pops, and everything feels right again. The food is brought out and served family-style on the tables, and everyone digs in.

The sound system plays“Night Moves”by Bob Segar, followed by“Crazy Train”by Ozzy Osborne. I look over at Parker. “Is this your playlist? “

“No. Why?" He asks.

“It's a little interesting?”

“Hey! It's mine. What the fuck is wrong with it?”I turn my head to see Sebastian looking at me with what I think is real hurt on his face.

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