Hyde: Northern Grizzlies MC Next Generation Book 1, page 3
During practice, he received a text from his mother’s number, letting him know that the cable and internet went down and asking him to run home to let the tech in.
Because what teenage boy wants to go without those necessities? Let alone stop to consider that his mom’s number came up without her typical picture.
While I was able to spoof her number, I didn’t want to full out steal her identity. Someone in law enforcement might take it as a challenge if the job looked too good.
No, I just wanted him to head home at a time I knew we’d have some privacy. I get there earlier and disconnect all of the relevant wires, then wait for him to show up.
The kid really made it easy for me, he left practice without showering, so was pulling off his sweat soaked shirt as he walked into the house. Coming up behind him, I get him into a headlock that Royce would be proud of and after a few seconds of him struggling, the kid starts tapping my arm.
Like he thinks we’re just sparring and I’m going to release him?
When his legs buckle under him, I get him into a chair and secure him with zip-ties.
In the moments it takes him to come around, I select a paring knife from a wooden block in the kitchen and stand over him.
I’m dressed in black, head to toe, with a mask over my face and sunglasses covering my eyes. Squatting down in front of him, he starts sputtering all kinds of threats out almost immediately and I realize my mistake.
Looking around, I spot a dishcloth and stuff it in his mouth. I almost grin when I see that his nose is slightly crooked and the tell-tale yellow circle of a bruise remains near his eye. Way to go, Le-Lee, I think.
“I heard you like to grab tits. Is that what gets you off? Humiliating girls?” I ask and his eyes darken with a trace of fear for the first time since he came to. “I’m here to make sure, that for the rest of your life, you think long and hard about touching anything without the owner’s express permission.”
Holding the knife up in front of his face sets him off, and he tries his damnedest to break free as the towel muffles his words.
I had the thought last week that nurses practice giving injections on oranges, so I started practicing how to slice a nipple off by cutting the ends off of oranges. It made today’s task easier than I expected.
Once I’m done and I’m holding his severed flesh in my hand, I almost start to vomit. Confirming what I’ve long known: that I don’t have the stomach for this line of work. Turning, I take deep breaths as I start opening drawers.
Sticking his nipple in a baggie, I grab plastic wrap and another dishcloth—a clean one this time. Placing it against his chest, I secure it by wrapping the plastic tightly around his torso.
“God, that was awful,” I exclaim, still taking deep breaths through my nostrils when I clap him on his shoulder. “Now, look at me Dustin, because this next part is really important.”
Once he looks up, I lean down so my masked face is no more than a foot away from his pale, sweaty countenance.
“I want you to remember this: you have another nipple. Today, at least.” With those words, I straighten up, cut the tie on one of his wrists, grab the baggie from the counter, and head out the way I came in.
The Taphers can sort out their new cable and internet issues on their own.
*
When I pull up to Gunner and Riley’s house, I realize that tomorrow’s dinner will be a cakewalk compared to what tonight will be like.
Leslee has sought me out since she could walk, and I’ve always had a soft spot for her—she was articulate at such a young age, and while her one-liners always cracked me up, she also had the ability to be still at times. Riley would give her coding assignments and she’d come into the security room to work on them, occasionally asking Wrench or me for help.
Knowing I have to steel myself against her emotions tonight, I take an extra moment, putzing around with my bike.
Xander opens the door and walks out to join me.
“Leslee won’t come out of her room,” he says quietly. “She’s been in there since the parents told her this is your going away dinner.”
I grunt, reaching out to rub his mop of hair. “Christ, kid, you’ll be taller than I am by the time I get back.”
“Did you hear? Aunt Emma and Mom are going to home school us, starting next week,” he tells me, his eyes shifting to the door of their house.
“Spit it out.” I laugh, this kid’s always up to something.
“I’ve been talking to the others.” And I know he’s talking about the kids who have all grown up around the MC. “About half of them want to be home schooled with us, we just have to figure out how to work their parents.”
“Forget just being taller than me, you’re going for straight-up world domination, ain’t ya?” I smile and grab him behind the neck, giving him a friendly shake. “I’m sure that’ll keep you busy, but watch out for Leslee, alright?”
“Did you take care of that asshole?” he asks me in a voice that makes it hard to remember he’s still in grammar school.
Without another word, I turn and head inside the house. That ain’t business for kids.
Inside, Riley is noticeably upset even as she finishes up dinner and I hear the undertones of Gunner’s voice coming from the back of the house.
“Oh, Hyde,” Riley says, crossing to me and giving me a quick hug. “We’re just a mess tonight.”
“You do remember we’re nearly the same age, don’t you? I don’t need everything to be perfect, just want to enjoy some family time before I take my trip.”
“Would you try talking to Leslee? She won’t leave her room and I know it’s driving Gunner out of his mind,” she quietly makes the request.
I nod and walk down the hall to where the kids’ rooms are. “Hey, brother.”
“Leslee, honey? Hyde is here, will you come talk to him?” Gunner nods at me but is still trying to coax his girl out of her room.
“I HATE HIM!” Leslee shrieks and I don’t understand why those words feel like a knife is cutting me wide open.
Gunner presses his head against her door, bracing his hands on the top of the door frame and lets out a deep breath.
“Leslee,” I start, only to be cut off.
“Go away!”
“Okay. I wanted to see you before my trip but if that’s what you want…”
She yanks her door open and shoves past her father, right into my arms. “It isn’t a trip. People know when they’re coming back from trips and you… Don’t go, Joey.”
There’s barely room in the hallway but I take a seat with my back against the opposite wall and tug her down in front of me, holding her soft hands in my rough ones. “I’ll be back, Leslee, don’t know when exactly, but I suspect Gunner will call me in for extra security when you find someone you want to date.”
“I love you,” she whispers so softly I can barely make out the words. Looking defiantly at her dad before she turns back to me, she speaks louder. “I love you. You won’t have to worry about that.”
Gunner grunts, but Leslee pulls her hands out of mine and reaches behind her neck, removing her chain.
“Gram gave me this before she died and I’ve never taken it off. I want you to wear it every day. Promise?” she asks me, tears streaming down her face.
“Promise. Until you ask for it back,” I hesitantly say after getting a nod from her father, and I let her fasten it around my neck.
“How will I know where you are?” she asks, pulling her legs up against her chest as she sits across from me. “Dad won’t let me get a cell phone yet.”
“I’ll send you postcards,” I say after a moment, remembering how Bree would always send postcards to her niblings. “Every time I hit a new town. How does that sound?”
She nods before ducking her head down into her knees and sobbing again. “Sure. The cards will stop coming when you’ve forgotten about me.”
“Christ!” Gunner mumbles and I tilt my head just enough to see his hands fisted at his sides.
Getting to one knee, I lean over and kiss the top of her head before standing up.
Back in the main room, Riley looks up at us hopefully and Gunner motions down the hall. She nods before going to where Leslee is still sitting in the hallway and he walks over to pour us a couple of whiskeys before turning and walking to his den.
Drinking in silence, I’m nearly done with the beverage before he speaks.
“When Leslee was six years old, she told us she was going to be your Ol’ Lady. I know it’s been a while, but it happened back when you dated Trinity, long enough that you brought her as a date to Anvil’s wedding?”
“Shit, don’t fucking remind me,” I grunt.
“She cried for days afterwards,” he whispers. “The other night when she came in all upset, and she went from my arms to yours? I was relieved you wanted to hit the road. She needs to get some space from this idea she’s had, because she’s as stubborn as her parents. Nothing can come from it, I know that, but maybe with you gone...”
“The postcards?” I ask, torn between breaking a promise to a kid or acting with respect toward my brother.
“Send them, when you think of it. Let them fade off at some point, and we’ll deal with it. No hard feelings,” Gunner says. “That being said, you’re going to be missed around here. Not just in the MC, I mean.”
“Oh, I handled that other thing,” I say, pulling the baggie out of my pocket and tossing it to him. “That boy and me, we had a little talk about touching things that don’t belong to him.”
“Fuck, you didn’t mess around.” The grin on his face would worry most men, but the light in his eyes shows his appreciation.
Throwing back his drink, we head to join the others around the dining table. And I hate that I was right, tonight’s dinner isn’t like the hundreds I’ve eaten here over the years.
It turns out that the only thing worse than being around Bree when she’s on the edge of tears, is when Leslee is in the same condition.
One of the times she’s looking over her shoulder, trying to wipe her eyes without me noticing, I lean over and drop a spoonful of peas on her plate.
Gunner and Xander exchange a quick glance, but Riley misses it altogether.
I ignore Leslee’s intake of breath when she turns back and notices that I’ve polluted her dinner.
“What in the unholy hell is this?”
I look over at her, keeping my eyes averted from her plate, and raise an eyebrow in question. Riley’s snort gives no doubt where she’s placing the blame.
Leslee’s dislike of peas is as legendary as it is unexplainable. Her mom is hands down the best cook around, and when she serves peas they are perfect. I can understand disliking mushy, overcooked peas, but it’s like Riley only steams them for a moment. They’re always a little crunchy and warm.
“Don’t think I don’t know how these abominations appeared on my plate!” She grounds out each word, picking the little pellets up and throwing them at me, one by one.
She might be making a big ole mess, but at least the fire is back in her bright, amber eyes. I look up at her mom to see that her matching amber eyes are filled with relief, and love.
“Le-Lee, have you ever seen me give up any food? Especially food that your mom cooked?” I ask, scooping up more of my peas to take a mouthful and moaning in contentment.
“Dad, you said you’d kill anyone who hurt me.” Leslee’s eyes take on a gleeful glint, never leaving my face as she tries to call in Gunner for reinforcement.
“Yeah, sweet angel, just not over peas,” he deadpans in between bites of his own meal.
“Especially not today,” Xander mutters and I glare at him. It’s when he reaches up to scratch at his nipple that my eyes cut over to Gunner.
“Xander! Outside. Now.” Gunner abruptly stands and turns to the door, not doubting that his son will follow him.
Damn, they have their hands full with that one, I think as I start stabbing the peas that landed on the table in front of me. I Give Leslee a teasing wink before eating those also.
Chapter 4
Hyde
The next day I take for myself, using it to say goodbye to my favorite parts of this town.
As I’m about to head back to my parents’ house, I get a text from Molly.
Trinity is here with her daughter. She left her boyfriend. I’m sending Royce and the ‘monsters’ to dinner, but I need to stay home. Come to the bakery before you leave. Or else.
Fucking Trinity and her never ending drama.
Christ that woman has the worst timing. I used to pant after her something fierce, from the time she moved here, there was never a family party at the clubhouse that she didn’t come dressed to thrill.
But it was all look and don’t touch, with her. I wasn’t the only one chasing after her, but I was the first one Trinity agreed to go out with.
I thought we had something special, at least until the day Molly came to see me—unable to lift her red-brimmed eyes up to mine. I knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.
Turns out, Trinity had been hooking up with one of her professors at her university. The guy’s wife had caught wind of it and not only alerted the school, but called Trinity’s father, back in Indiana, as well as Molly.
When her professor begged his wife’s forgiveness and stayed with her, Trinity announced she was pregnant. She effectively hammered the final nail into that man’s marriage.
To this day, when I actually stop to say a prayer, I’m thankful that the DNA test proved I wasn’t the baby’s father. Because, yeah, the sniveling bastard tried to avoid his duties by pulling not only me, but an undergrad frat boy she was also fucking, in for the paternity test.
The problem with that kind of betrayal when you live in a clubhouse? You never have a second to mourn your first love. I had to shrug it off and party with my brothers, without missing a beat.
God only knows what road name I would have been saddled with if I hadn’t.
While Molly and I were tight before that episode, the way she came and talked to me directly was what solidified our relationship in my mind. Trinity is her blood, the cousin she helped to raise. Me? I’m just a stray that Molly’s biological father happened to take under his wing.
That day, Molly showed me that our pseudo-sibling relationship was something she valued and didn’t want jeopardized because of what Trinity was doing, behind both of our backs.
Later on, when Royce shows up to dinner that night, not only are his four sons with him, but his mom and step-dad.
While the shock of his long-single mother hooking up with a grizzled old guy like Mack, originally threw Royce for a loop, there’s no denying how happy those two are together.
“Mack-Daddy, Mack-Daddy,” Royce’s youngest, Sean, is chanting as they enter.
Bree, Flint, and I aren’t in on the joke but there’s no mistaking the mischievous looks across the faces of Royce’s brood.
“Mack-Daddy, you gonna make me regret letting you drive the kids over?” Royce asks, raising an eyebrow as he tries to keep a stern look on his face.
“Okay, shoes off or Granny will withhold dessert!” Flint growls out the emptiest threat, ever.
“I have to say, your timing is impeccable,” Royce’s mother, Colleen, says to me when we get a moment alone. “I’d hate to see you get tied up with that girl again.”
“Ma! We talked about this,” Royce mumbles under his breath.
“No, you told me to leave it be. That doesn’t mean I agreed.” Colleen corrects him. “I understand Molly loves her, but Trinity only cares about Trinity, and Joe deserves better than that.”
The grunt that Flint lets out from where he’s taken his seat half-way across the room tells me there’s nothing wrong with his hearing.
Suddenly I feel like I’m under a microscope by every other adult in the room, and I throw my hands up in the air.
“Need some help dishing up dinner, Mom?” I call out to Bree. She’s peeking out of the kitchen but by the look on her face, I know she was waiting to see if I needed a life raft.
“Please, I’ve never been much good at cutting the ham,” she easily lies, and I eagerly accept the help she offers me.
“It’s easy, you give me half of it and slice it really thin for everyone else.”
My teasing gets various replies from everyone gathered and while I had invited them to be a buffer from Mom, I can see that backfiring now.
“I talked to Riley this morning,” Bree says, stacking the plates beside me. “She felt bad about how difficult dinner was last night.”
“Yeah, you know I love those kids, and seeing Leslee that upset tore my heart up,” I admit, as always, saying things to Bree that I’d never say to anyone else.
“Nice idea about the postcards,” she says, hip checking me when I shrug.
“I’m lucky Gunner won’t let her have a cell phone yet, she probably would have suggested a tracking app.” I chuckle with a shake of my head.
“You saved the night with the peas,” Bree counters with a laugh of her own. “Remember when she was little and you’d pick the peas out of the veggie blend for her?”
I give Mom a sideways glance, not realizing she knew about that and she rolls her eyes at me.
“You’ve always had the kindest heart,” she whispers.
“You better take that to the grave with you,” I respond as I finish up slicing the ham.
“You’re not eating the ham in there, are you, Hyde?” Flint calls out just as I’m chewing on an odd-shaped piece.
“Granny, remember the time you let Liam and me eat dessert first?” Sean asks, running into the kitchen with his cheeks all red like he’s trying to hold onto his temper. “Finn and Aiden said I’m making it up.”
Holding her finger over her lips, Bree stops what she’s doing to break a brownie in half and gives it to him as she whispers in his ear. As the treat disappears, his eyes widen and he looks guilty. “I forgot.”
He turns to run back to the great room. “Never mind. I was wrong,” he calls out around the sweet in his mouth.
