Page 43 of Going Home

"She's pregnant, right? How old is she?"

"Sixteen."

Her hands stretch out in front of her as she arches her back and leans forward. "Oh, yeah. Gracie."

"You know her?"

Scrunching her nose, she avoids looking at him. "I knowofher. She's been getting a lot of shit at school because of her situation. Poor girl."

This perks Gavin up, and he's suddenly very interested. Gracie hasn't mentioned anything about anyone saying a thing to her about it. "She has?"

"She hasn't told you?"

"No, she hasn't said a word. She's good at keeping secrets these days."

"Don't tell her I told you. If she didn't tell you, she had a reason."

The idea of his sister—as annoying as he finds her at times—getting bullied at school pisses him off. "Probably because she knows I’ll go on a rampage."

"You gotta be careful. You're an adult and will be tried as one. And it would be a little weird to beat up a fifteen-year-old girl as an eighteen-year-old dude."

"I just wish I knew who knocked her up. They'll never find his body."

Hailey's eyebrows lift. "You don't know?"

"You do?"

"I've... heard things. I doubt they're true, though. She really hasn't told anyone?"

"Nope."

Something about the look on her face makes Gavin uneasy. "Don't press her. It's probably for the best."

Whatever Hailey knows, or thinks she knows, isn't something she'll share, and Gavin doesn't want to talk about his sister anymore. When he does, he can't help but wonder if what happened to her wasn't entirely her choice. Which, if that's the case, he really will murder the guy who touched her.

"You in there?" Hailey asks, pulling him from his concerns about who the father of the baby is.

"Sorry, yeah. You said you wanted to talk about Lex and Colt?"

She smiles, and he's thankful she doesn't press him on what he's thinking. "Just for the record, your sister doesn't seem like the type of girl who sleeps around. She's not out there getting naked with the football team or anything."

"Well, that's good to know."

"So, um... What do you know about the crazy people who took me and my brother in?"

His eyes narrow at the question. "A lot. You gotta narrow down what you're asking about."

Her hands fiddle together in her lap, and she stares at them instead of him. "Like, what kind of people are they? Because in my life, people don't just give you shit out of the goodness of their heart. There's always something they want in return, but they're not giving me a solid read on what they'll ask for down the road. Besides free babysitting, which was all Lucas. I just... I need to know what they're going to expect."

"They don't expect anything. Hell, if you said you didn't want to watch the kids for free anymore, they'd either pay you or find another person to watch them. But they won't throw you to the curb for it or anything like that."

"Tell me about them."

"Um, well, they're my parents' best friends. Well, were. They're good people, which says something considering we're a motorcycle club family. They'd die for anyone they consider family without hesitation."

Rolling her eyes, Hailey scoffs. "Their kids, sure, but not others."

"Lex almost died for Gracie. Took a bullet for her. Then she almost died saving both of us from a crazed ex-Prospect and rival club members. Oh, she also took on a car for her sister-in-law before she and Colt were married. Got herself kidnapped to save both herself and the President of the Black Valley's wife. I'm sure there's more I don't know about."

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