Page 36 of Blade

“I have to go home.” She sighs.

“Not yet. Let’s give it time.”

“Ryan’s not going to chase me out of my home,” Emmy replies. I love that she has fight in her, but I’m not comfortable with her going home alone.

“If Guard is calling a meeting, then something’s up. I’d rather not have you on the road just in case it’s serious. Babe, please, wait for me.” I give her my best puppy dog eyes, and she returns a shy smile. That’s when I know I’ve got her.

“Okay.”

“Swear.”

Emryn crosses her fingers over her heart. “I promise.”

I’m the last one into the room. Guard is already standing and ready to start. He doesn’t look happy. I follow his gaze, and it lands on Aaron and Owen. Aaron is resting in a chair, and Owen is standing beside him. Aaron looks better but still pretty rough. The bruising is turning black and blue and hopefully will fade soon. Owen stands sentry over his friend.

Guard gets right to it. “Jaws is holed up in Texas. A sister club spotted him at a titty bar. He’s obviously aware that his newfound club has been disbanded, and he’s lying low. I don’t usually give markers, but for a brother that’s been wronged”—he looks at Aaron—“I will. The Feared Justice club is keeping an eye on him until our men can pick him up. I’d like Demon, War, and Blade to go get him.”

Damn! I want to stay close for Emryn’s benefit, but there’s no way out of this. If Guard makes a call, we obey.

“When?” Demon asks.

“First thing in the morning,” Guard responds. “The Justice brothers will be expecting you. You take no chances and stop to sleep and eat. Once you have him, you bring him back to me in one piece. Aaron and Owen have the right to be present for his punishment.”

“I can’t promise that I won’t take a few swipes at him before we get back.” War’s voice rumbles around the room.

“Do your best,” Guard replies with a wry grin. “We have another situation that needs our attention.” Guard looks right at me and waits for me to nod. I don’t like sharing Emryn’s business, but in light of the fact that I’m not going to be here, I need my brothers to keep watch. Guard says, “Emryn’s brother is in town, and he has a knack for leaving trouble behind when he leaves. It’s caused Emryn to move several times, and since she’s now one of us…” Guard stops speaking and turns to me to ask, “She is one of us, right?”

It’s a big deal to declare a woman is your old lady. It protects her within the club, but it’s much more than that. It’s essentially a commitment, and before a brother makes that move, they have to take a good hard look at their lives to decide whether the woman they choose is worth it.

“Yes, sir,” I declare. Shit, that feels good. Emryn’s always been mine, but to state it out loud feels damn good. I feel a hand on my shoulder. It’s Wildcard’s.

“Happy for you, man,” he says quietly. Charlotte, or, as we call her, Charli, has been a calming influence on Wildcard. My brother needed a woman who made him feel the love of a good woman, and essentially, Noah, Charli’s brother, and Charli gave Wildcard a home.

“Orion, you want to fill us in on the Ellington clan.” It may have sounded like a request, but it was definitely an order from Guard.

“The Ellingtons are old money, and Daddy Ellington’s main purpose in life is to make more money and stay on top of the social ladder. He does that very well and married the supermodel of his day to acquire prestige and power. Ken and Deidra Ellington are the talk of New York and Europe. They have two children, one, their son, Ryan, is a model like his mother and has been in the limelight since he was twelve. Their daughter is a bookworm and is not seen or heard of often, and only occasionally attends gatherings.” Orion is reading off the sheet of paper in his hand. “That’s what the society pages report.”

“I’ll give the dirty version,” Wildcard says. “Ken is a workaholic and he’s not happy that his daughter took off to start her own business without his help. He’s the kind of man who insists you do it his way or he wants no part of it. This has caused considerable strain, and Emryn was left to go out on her own. Mommy’s and Daddy’s egos had them come up with the story that Emryn is in Europe traveling. He’s made it seem like he’s fronting the bill for a prolonged vacation for his daughter.” He snorts. “We know that’s bullshit. Deidra has uninvited her daughter from social events. The talk among their circle of friends is that Emryn isn’t the glamour girl Deidra wanted for a daughter, and her mother basically ignores her.” He takes a breath before continuing, “They messed up Ryan pretty good. His father isn’t happy that he didn’t go to a posh university and then into the family business, so therefore, he isn’t worth his time. Mommy dearest has built his ego up so much that Ryan is falling hard as the fashion world moves on to the younger and hotter guys for their ads. Ryan’s not into drugs or alcohol, but he lives the good life, and money’s not coming in as fast as it once was. He spends more than he earns. In the last two years, Emryn’s given him over twenty grand. That’s a shit ton of money for Emryn.”

Orion nods. “Yeah, one woman from the last town she lived in felt sorry for Emryn and volunteered what she knew. Emryn was working days in an office and taking as many photography gigs as she could, but the money she earned from her day job mostly went to Ryan, or to the people he conned out of their money. Emryn paid every one of them back,” Orion says. “Thing is, Ryan’s lost. He’s just as much a victim as Emryn.”

“He’s a grown-ass man!” I protest. “Ryan has choices, and the decision to mooch off his kid sister is wrong. Plain fucking wrong. Laying on the guilt, making her feel like shit, that ain’t right.”

“Agreed,” Guard adds firmly. Then, in a calmer tone, he says, “However, he’s not the first man to lose his way. Unfortunately for Ryan, he’s not ready to change.”

The next question one might ask is How do you know? But we know Guard, and we accept that he knows what he’s talking about.

“This has to stop. His actions are upsetting Emryn. Ryan has problems, then fine, when he’s ready, I’m all in to help him, but for now, Emryn is my priority.” I make that clear.

I catch a glimpse of Priest and see that he’s struggling with what’s happening. When he was a kid, he was fed lie upon lie about his sister Camille. He was manipulated at every turn by his mother. While Camille was suffering at the hands of their older brother and parents, he was convinced that his sister was rolling in money and didn’t want to help her family. Priest bought their crap, hook, line and sinker, until he saw with his own eyes the physical and mental anguish his mother caused. Priest still lives with the guilt of treating his sister like crap, but in essence, he was a victim too, which is why he’s thinking what he is about Ryan.

I want to say something to Priest, but I can’t. Emryn is the woman I love, and she takes precedence over Ryan. It seems that I don’t have to say a word, because Guard goes to Priest and clasps a hand on his shoulder.

“When he’s ready, we’ll be here. You will be the man he’ll need most. Save what you’re thinking for when the time comes,” Guard tells him.

Twenty

This Is It

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