A Broken Beautiful Beginning (11 page)

“I’m all good Hunt, don’t stress. Just don’t
do it again, I don’t think Caleb will appreciate you feeling up his woman.” I tease trying to lighten the mood but his smile only fades at the mention of Caleb.

“Hey
...” I place my hand on top of his shoulder as I stand up. “I’ll speak to him, don’t worry about it.” He gives me a small smile.

I head for the door. “Harley?” I open the door and turn to
him.

“Yeah
”

“That girl, Mira?” he looks down at his feet nervously, “I won’t hurt her. I mean… I won’t let anyone hurt her again… but if Owen thinks of laying a finger on her I won’t think twice about hurting him.” His tone turns serious a
t the mention of Owen. I give him a smile and a small nod. I don’t know what Hunter knows about Mira and I don’t know how he knows it, but I trust him when he says he won’t hurt her.

A little while after dealing with Hunter I walk down the street to the little pizzeria and I order a couple of pizza’s for dinner tonight, making sure to get an extra one.

When I handed Mira the pizza I bought her I swear the girl nearly cried. She held the box gently and whispered a thank you full of happiness… I swear
I nearly cried
when I saw her appreciation for a simple margarita pizza. When she walked out of the building that afternoon she had a little bounce in her step and a brilliant smile on her face.

I am welcomed with hugs and kisses from Willow when I get home. My grin immediately vanishes though when I see the scowl Caleb directs my way over Willow’s little shoulder. I frown at him and he shakes his head then drinks the rest of his beer he is holding in a tight grip.

I choose to ignore him as I spend some time with Willow, “How about we have some pizza while we watch
some cartoons?” I smile at my daughter as I place my keys on the counter and pull my shoes off. Willow squeals with excitement and runs in the direction of the living room. I hate cartoons with a passion but I don’t mind watching them though if that’s what makes Willow happy.

I ignore Caleb’s awful glares as I take the pizza box and follow Willow into the lounge.

I don’t see Caleb the entire time I sit with Willow on the sofa chatting and laughing. I ask her about her day and she’s more than eager to ramble on. It’s already after seven by the time I help her to bathe and dress. She’s obviously exhausted because she can barely keep her eyes open enough to bath. I giggle as I dress her in her pyjamas. She’s lying on the bed fast asleep while I move her around to dress her, it’s exactly the way you would dress a baby.

I tuck her in and as I’m about to leave the room I
bump into Caleb. He pushes past me without saying a word, sits on the small bed beside Willow then bends down and gives her a kiss on the forehead before whispering something I can’t make out. I leave him to it and head to the bathroom for a shower.

After getting dressed I walk into the bedroom to find a laptop sitting on the bed. My eyes are focused on the laptop, there on the screen is camera footage of Hunter pressed up against me. From the camera point of view it looks really intimate. My face can’t be seen but I bet if he could see my face he would notice how scared I was in that moment. The video plays in mute and I’m thankful he can’t hear what Hunter is saying to me, it would throw him into a wild rage. I watch the screen for the moment I push against Hunter, and continue to watch him sitting down on the bench with me knelt in front of him. It all plays out as if we are two people having a lovers quarrel. Even I know that it looks bad but surely Caleb knows that my relationship with Hunter is purely platonic.

“Imagine my surprise when I was chatting to Owen and this
pops up on the screen?” I hear Caleb’s deep voice as he enters the room. He closes the door then sluggishly sits on the sofa in the corner, in his hand is another beer and all he is wearing is a pair of boxers.

“It’s not-
” I push off the bed and walk up to him trying to explain myself but his hands come up gesturing for me not to touch him. He shakes his head and lets out a forced laugh as I stand there frozen.

“It’s not what it looks like?” He tilts his
head to the side then takes another sip of beer before letting out a louder laugh. “You forget baby, I used those exact words before too.” He looks at the laptop on the bed then back at me. “I know
exactly
what it looks like.”

“No Caleb, it’s really not. I promis
e-” He interrupts me again by throwing the empty beer bottle across the room. It slams against the closet door with a loud shatter. I cover my ears with my trembling hands as I look at the broken glass.

“You don’t fucking get to promise me shit!” he leans forward
then looks down at the ground, his shoulders moving with every deep breath he takes. I’m afraid he may have woken up Willow so I head for the door to check on her.

He stands up strai
ght forcing me to look up at him and scowls as he points his finger. “Don’t you dare fucking move Harley!”

His stare makes me shiver as the words I want to say disappear out of fear.
Memories of Jace and the angry fits he threw surface. Caleb opens the door and he saunters out.

I want to run away just like I used to
when Raven would make an appearance.

I want to find some place safe where no one can find me but I
can’t leave Willow here. I won’t leave without her.

When Caleb returns, he closes the door behind him
so I’m guessing she’s still fast asleep. He falls back down onto the sofa and leans his head against the back of it as he lets out a deep breath, “How long has it been going on? How long have you been fucking him?”

I’m shocked by this sentence, my mouth hangs open and when he looks back up at me with those beautiful sad eyes I rush up to him
, kneeling in front of him as I plead. “I’m not sleeping with him Caleb. It wasn’t like that at all please… let me explain.” He seems surprised by my confession, his eyebrows furrowing. He lifts his hand and visions of Jace slapping me resurface. I swivel back, away from him, covering my face with one hand as I use the other to slide away on the floor. When I hear him moving off the chair toward me, my movements freeze. My body is trembling, my breathing is heavy and when I feel liquid on my hands, I remove them from my face to look at the tears I wasn’t aware I was shedding.

What the hell is wrong with me? Caleb would never hurt me like that.

“Harlz…” I hear Caleb’s soft voice. My head is turned away from him but I can see his bare feet out of the corner of my eyes. I feel him moving the hair away from my face as he bends down.

“I’d never hit you baby…. No matter how mad I
am, I’d never hit you.” He kneels in front of me and lifts my chin up. I look through my teary eyes into his pained expression.

“I di…didn’t cheat on you Caleb. I’d never cheat on you. It’s never been like that between Hunter and
me. I love him but I love him as if he were my brother.” Caleb’s face drops, I sense his relief but I can tell he’s still a little confused by what he witnessed on the video. He pulls me on his lap and he holds me tight. He lets out a deep breath, “Thank God baby…thank god.” He whispers against my forehead.

I pull away from him, “Don’t you trust me Caleb? Have I ever made you doubt my trust?” I
say seriously.

“No baby… I trust you
, I swear it…. But when I saw the footage I was all kinds of fucked up. I didn’t know what to make of it. The only female besides Willow that he will tolerate being around is you and Anna, I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions Harley but what would
you
think if you saw me that way with someone? It doesn’t look like those people in that footage are…just friends.” He says seriously. “Can you explain to me exactly what happened?”

I move off his lap and start explaining every single detail that happened,
leaving nothing out because I don’t want to keep anything from him. I can tell he’s getting angry when I get to the part about how afraid I was at one point so I climb back onto his lap. He holds me tightly and listens to all I have left to say. Once I get to the end of my explanation, I can tell he feels a little sorry for Hunter and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t see him as a threat anymore.

As I sit there on his lap talking I can feel the anger start to bubble up inside me. I‘ve never seen him act that way and I don’t like his temper.
I move away from him still irritated, he tries to pull me back but I shove him off.

Standing on shaky legs I say,
“I understand you were upset with me because of what you saw but you should have come to me as soon as you saw what you did. I would have told you exactly what happened. I don’t keep anything from you, you know that! Yet you still came in here ready to argue with me. I’ve never done anything to make you question my loyalty to you so don’t you
dare
ever treat me that way again! I don’t deserve that Caleb! I put up with Jace’s anger for so long; I won’t go through that again! And I swear to God, you throw a bottle at me again and I’ll throw one right back…and I won’t miss!” I point to the broken beer bottle on the floor. “Make sure that’s cleaned before Willow wakes up.”

I don’t wait for a response from
him; instead I walk out the room leaving him sitting on the floor with a regretful look on his face. I’m pretty sure I scared the shit out of him with my words; I’ve never spoken to him in such a way. Maybe he finally realizes that he’s not the only one that changed during our four year separation. I’m no longer the eighteen year old girl who relies on her boyfriend for everything. I’m a grown woman who’s been through enough to know what I deserve and how I should be treated. I certainly won’t be sitting around quietly anymore when I’m being treated like shit.

I fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV, I know I haven’t been asleep for long when Caleb picks me up because I can hear the program I was watching still playing on the television. Caleb switches the TV off and walks up the stairs with me against his chest, every now and again I can feel his lips brushing against my forehead with whispers of how much he loves me.

He tucks me in bed and I continue to pretend I’m asleep. He pulls me into the crook of his arm
and holds me close, and I take in the scent that is all Caleb. The skin of his chest is soft against my cheek and I really want to rub my face against it and purr like a content kitten but I don’t want him to see I’m awake.

“I love you so much Harley. I know it doesn’t seem like it when I do stupid shit like I did tonight but no matter what happens just know I
do
everything
with you and Willow in mind. I never want to lose you…can’t live without you baby.” He whispers against my head.

Chapter 7

Over the next few days Caleb spoils me with flowers and chocolates, he won’t leave my side when we’re at home and with his constant apologising, things between us fall back to our normal routine.

As for the Gym, I’m making sure to always have food ready for Mira; making sure she has enough to eat three times a day. She always happily takes the food with a smile on her face, even if it is just plain peanut butter sandwiches. I once asked her if she’d like to come over for dinner with my family but she froze up like she usually did when she felt uncomfortable.

I’ve decided I’ll ask her again in a weeks’ time.

Her face has
become brighter and she is working harder than any of my other employees. She seems livelier and full of energy and her body is already starting to gain weight, the healthy sight makes me proud.

I have spent a few restless nights worrying about her, wondering if her home life is safe but every time I try to ask her about it she closes off and goes back into her little shell.

I’ve decided to stay away from the topic for now, making sure she has everything she needs from a distance. I’ve caught Hunter in the security room a couple times though, staring at her on the screen with a blank expression.

It’s as if he’s afraid of her, afraid of being near her and ev
en afraid of her seeing him. I’ve never seen Hunter so intrigued with something or someone before. Caleb told me that Hunter steers clear of her, avoiding her at all costs. Every now and then though he will catch him looking out for her and suddenly Hunter is now joining Caleb in his gym sessions every day since Mira had started working here.

There are a couple of young guys that come in regularly and the two of them together will train them simultaneously in one of the private rooms, the only room that doesn’t have a camera in. I didn’t think anything of it to begin with, but actually in hindsight I should start asking more questions and be a little nosier.

As for Owen… well Caleb has now got him working the early morning shift, he’s out of here by the time Mira gets in in the morning. I’m pretty sure Hunter has something to do with that though. Mira is oblivious to Hunter, she’s so focused on her work and trying to make everyone happy that I don’t think she even realizes how many of the clients and other male employees check her out during the day. The girl is so naïve and I don’t think she would even know what flirting is.

So here I am, sitting on the bed folding laundry when Caleb walks into the room. I can immediately sense by the expression on his face that I’m not going to like what he has to say.

“You okay?” I ask looking up from folding Willow
’s little pink shirt. I put in it the clothing hamper and turn my attention on Caleb.

He sits down on the bed next to me
, bending his one leg on the bed while the other rests on the floor, running his hands through his hair.

“
We need to talk about some things.” He pauses before continuing. “Your father came to see me at the gym.” He says sounding out of breath.

“What did he want?” I ask wearily
as I continue to fold the clothes. I don’t want to speak about my father; I still haven’t spoken to him since our last fallout. He’s tried calling me but a call isn’t good enough. If he doesn’t have time to stop by my house or even the gym to speak to me then I don’t have the time to answer his calls. I want him to know how betrayed I feel. How going behind my back and allowing Jace to see Willow without us knowing was completely unacceptable.

“
He wants me in the club.” My hands freeze on the item I’m folding.

I shake my head. “
It’s not happening Caleb.”

I move to stand up with the bucket of folded laundry in my hand but he stands and takes
it from me placing it on the ground.
“Just listen to me...” he starts but I interrupt him.

“
No,
you
listen to me Caleb. I’ve seen what goes on in that Club and I don’t want you part of it. It’s not happening, just drop it.” I say angrily picking up the bucket again.

He pulls the bucket from my hands and s
lides it along the wooden floor to the other side of the room. I sigh in irritation.

He places his hands on either side of my shoulders
pushing me down to sit on the bed which only adds to my growing annoyance. Sitting down next to me and holding my hands in his, he watches me closely.

“I think I should consider it Harley.” He says seriously.

“Why the hell would you do that? You know how I feel about the club, I love Daddy, Anna and Hunter but I hate that fucking club. It’s just a bunch of men drinking, sleeping around, causing trouble and partying. I don’t want you part of that.” I grind out each word making sure he gets how serious I am.

“No baby, that’s not all it’s about. Yes, that’s all you’ve seen but
there’s so much more going on. You’re father has made sure you don’t get to see the ugly stuff but the ugly stuff
is
happening Harley. I think it’ll be better and safer for you and Willow if I was part of the club. It’s only right I help your father. All the brothers are keen on me becoming a prospect, I’ve got to earn my way and I’m willing to do it. You and Willow already have protection since Grimm’s the president but what about
my
family Harley? I need to protect them too.” I raise my eyebrows at this.

“All the brothers… Protection…
What the hell are you talking about! How often do you hang with Hunter and my father? Is that where you’ve been disappearing to during work? You’ve been going to that fucking club?” I ask him confused.

He
drops his head and scratches his jaw but doesn’t answer me.

“You have!
Why do you tell me you’re going for runs with Hunter then?” I stand up from the bed and look down at him irritably.

He raises his hands in defeat as if that
could possibly calm me down. “Wait baby please, hear me out. There’s a rival club that’s been sighted closing in on our territory. Two prospects have disappeared and a couple of your father’s warehouses have been broken into already. Your father thinks that this other Club is targeting Devils Grimm. They’ve even taken some of the women. We have an insider working for us over at the Stowaways compound saying that they’ve got them prostituting themselves out. They drag them down there on the basis that they will be made old ladies to some of the younger prospects, but instead they’re being drugged and forced into prostitution. You think you’re fathers club treats women badly, these men are forcing these women to do awful things!” He lets out a deep breath looking down at our entwined hands, I can tell just talking about it makes him angry.

“
Word is that they want Grimm’s land and they’re going to do
anything
to take it. That means you and Willow are in danger. It means anyone that is close to any brothers will be in danger. My mother and brothers are in danger Harley. I won’t let anyone hurt you or take you from me but your father needs all the help he can get. He’s running low on resources and you know I have enough money to help him.” The words spill out his mouth. He sounds as if he’s already in this club, using words like
our and us
, I’m full of anger and confusion but worry is at the top of the list. I fear for our family’s safety.

“I...I don’t understand? My
father’s warehouses? What exactly are in
those
warehouses Caleb? And where exactly do you get all this money that keeps popping up, I know your family is rich but when we were together you never wanted to spend their money?” I ask him feeling concerned.

He’s quiet for a
moment as if he’s thinking of a way to break shit to me gently. I know the work my father does on the side is illegal, I just don’t know to what extent. The fact that Caleb seems so worried seriously concerns me.

“You father
has a lot of various investments; when his father was president of the club they dealt with weapons and drugs. The club stored away a shit load of money from these dealings but when your father took over he didn’t want the club to be associated with all the shit, he didn’t want the drugs in his town. He invested the clubs money and set up a couple illegal gambling houses in various warehouses instead. They all look like vacant buildings, everything is under the radar and only selected people are invited to the table. Grimm pays off the police and they’re so fucking money-hungry that they look past your father’s money laundering as long as Grimm keeps them on his payroll. You already know Jace and Hunter are the boys that do the collecting when people don’t pay up.” He moves a piece of my hair behind my ear. His explanation doesn’t ease my apprehension it only makes me more afraid.

“What the club does
is illegal
Caleb. Why would you want to be involved in that? I don’t understand. What happens if you get caught? What am I supposed to do if you get caught? What would you like me to tell Willow?” I swallow the tears away making sure to keep my brave front. I rest my face in my hands, “Shit Caleb... I don’t know what to do with all this information.”

“Baby
… I told you the cops in town are on your father’s payroll, I’m not going to get caught. As long as we keep the drugs out of town and the money rolling in their direction, the police won’t question you’re father. I have to do this Harley, Hunter tells me things, he tells me what he’s seeing and that a few of the guys are worried about the Club. Let me do this for our families’ baby.” He pleads with his eyes.

“And the money? Where did
you get the money from? All
this
money?” I gesture my hands around the room. I know his family is wealthy, they’ve always been wealthy and I just presumed that that’s where he got his money from but now I’m not so sure.

He looks down at his hands, “Baby... there’s a lot I still
need to tell you about what I was doing when we weren’t together. Those four years we were apart.” He mumbles.

“Mommy! Look what Hunt Hunt bought me!” Willow comes barrelling into my bedroom lifting my dark thoughts immediately by her bright happy smile.

She offers me some ice cream, “No thanks baby.”

Hunter strides into our room and looks at us both.
“Bad time? Want me to keep her busy?”
He mouths to me looking at Willow as she offers Caleb some ice cream and he takes a big bite.

I shake my head,
“
It’s cool.”
I mouth back with a smile.

“Bro
ther, Grimm’s holding a meeting tonight. You ready?” Hunter says. Caleb’s guilty eyes immediately meet mine. Caleb obviously didn’t come here to get my approval on the situation; he’s already made his mind up.

“Yeah, I’ll be right out. Let me fetch a jacket.” Caleb gives me a hard kiss and walks out with Willow in his arms as she
starts asking him where he’s going and if she can go too.

I look down at my hands, worried about
my family and their safety. I feel a warm hand on my shoulder before I even hear steps in my direction.

I look up to see Hunter
’s concerned face.

“It’s going to be okay Princess.” He says softly then turns to leave.

I stand up and grab his hand. “Look after him, okay?”

He smiles down at me and kisses my cheek, “Didn’t need to tell me that. Family
comes first, always.” He smiles again and as he walks out my bedroom door I say a little louder. “You too Hunter, you’re family too…” He freezes mid step then turns and salutes me using two fingers to his temple then leaves with a grin.

Caleb only arrives home the next morning, five minutes before I’m about to get Willow up and ready for Pre-school. He wraps his arms around me pulling me to his chest; I push him away because the smell coming from him immediately makes me claustrophobic. He smells like strong liquor mixed with cigarettes and cheap perfume. It’s the same smell Daddy’s club house has and it’s enough to make old memories surface.

This continues to happen every night
over the next week, every single time he says he has a meeting at the Club House. He thinks sending me a single red rose through our local florist to my office every morning is helping the situation, but now as I look at all seven of the roses sitting in a vase on my desk I’m only reminded of the club and what it’s doing to our family. I don’t see much of Caleb and Willow hardly gets to spend any time with him.

Willow is spending the night with Holly tonight because tonight is supposed to be our date night. It’s three o’clock in the morning and I’m pacing around the kitchen, Caleb left work at four o’clock this afternoon and he still isn’t back. He left me a box of chocolates and a bouquet of red roses on the kitchen table with a note saying that he might be late.

I’m seriously starting to fucking hate red roses… and for goodness sake! A girl can only eat so many chocolate
s!

We were supposed
to spend some time together tonight. We discussed it this morning when he came home from wherever the fuck he had been again. I’ve missed him and his presence around the house and I just want to spend time with him. I try calling him one last time on his phone but it just rings.