Let Go (15 page)

A week later
Greylan is on his way into Juno’s. He starts in on Christina as
soon as he rounds the bar, teasing her. She looks pointedly at him
but he continues in his assault, “How many dates again? One, it
only took one and you let him get into your pants. I knew you were
easy but come on, Christina.”

She smiles
refusing to give in to his harassment. She’s already reasoned the
six years prior that she was in a relationship with Jonathan as
well as the fact that she made him wait six months the first time
around. But she still second guesses whether they are moving too
fast this time. She fears he’ll leave her again for something
better. Greylan keeps telling her that there isn’t anything better
out there. She laughs at his words most of the time because they
are so out of character for a big muscular guy like him who likes
to fight more than anything else.

“Hey
Christina, is the cooler stocked?”

“Um, sorry,
not sure.”

“You okay? You
know I’m just ribbing you about Jonathan. Right?”

She nods
knowing full well. She remembers the night Greylan met Jonathan a
week ago as the bar was closing. Jonathan came to pick her up for
their ‘date’ and Greylan laid down the law, like she would imagine,
her dad would have done if he were still here. Greylan told him
that if he so much as thinks about screwing her over again, He’d
beat his ass. In Greylan talk, that is heartfelt.

“I know. I’m
still so unsure though. What if…”

Greylan cuts
her off, “There are no what ifs. He would be crazy to leave you
again. How many times do I have to tell you that Christina?”

She smiles
deciding to end the conversation, “No more sentimental shit, go
stock the coolers.”

Greylan
diverts his attention to the walk-in satisfied that Christina is
okay for the moment. He knows she is questioning her decision but
he’s seen the way Jonathan looks at her. He’s in it for the long
haul this time. Maybe time will help her believe what he’s been
telling her for the past week.

The night
drags on with the same routine. Most of the regulars have accepted
Greylan as a more permanent fixture in the bar. He took Christina’s
advice months ago and listens to the monotonous drone of the
patrons and their petty problems. He never shares anything personal
just the customary responses to the alcohol loosening their
tongues.

An hour before
closing Greylan is wiping down the bar. It’s still fairly full, a
few chairs here and there open but generally he is still busy.
Christina passes behind him playfully grabbing his ass. She
whispers close to his ear, “Hey rookie, the couple on the end
requested that you serve them.”

He frowns in
the direction she points and spots pure beauty. Her long red hair
hangs in rivulets down the front of her cream colored sweater. When
she glances toward him, his breath hitches causing his heart to
speed up. Recognition passes through his mind,
Red
, but more
grown up. Her pink lips turn up in a smile as their eyes meet.
Greylan can’t move. It’s as if she has caught him in her stare. He
wants to return her smile but confusion forms in his mind as
Christina’s words playback in his head, the couple at the end want
you to serve them. He searches for someone else, a different couple
but she continues to stare at him. A hand squeezes his arm and
Christina’s voice brings him out of the trance.

“Hey there,
you okay?”

He shakes his
head and looks to her clear concerned face.

“Um yeah, I’m
good.”

He looks back
up to the red head and his heart stops. She is looking at another
figure sliding into the bar stool beside her. His long dark hair is
combed to the side covering his forehead and part of his face but
Greylan knows who it is. He’s filled out a little. His arms are
bulkier than the last time he saw him on the night of the accident.
Red is speaking to him, a smile permanently on her lips.
Christina’s hand is still on Greylan’s arm. She squeezes again and
leans into him. Her hand darts up and turns his face to meet her
now worried gaze, “Grey, you look like you just saw a ghost, do you
need a break? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m, I’m
still good.”

He takes a
deep breath and moves out of her grasp. The walk down the bar seems
to take forever. His heart is beating double time as he thinks
about what he should say. Anger pulses through him and sadness. As
Greylan nears the edge of the counter the man looks up. A huge
sloppy grin crosses his face as he recognizes Greylan. He exclaims
holding his hand out in a brotherly shake, “Greylan, it’s been too
long buddy.”

Greylan holds
his hand out robotically and replies, “Meyer, yeah too long.”

Mixed emotions
tumble over one another as Greylan looks at his old childhood
friend. They’ve known each other for most of their lives. They
climbed trees together and fished in the pond. In high school they
even went after the same girls but standing here facing his oldest
friend, none of their past seems to matter. He hasn’t seen him in
over five years and it drills into him that he really doesn’t know
this other person. Meyer is a stranger, someone he knows nothing
about anymore. His blood runs through his veins heating him up. His
fists clench unconsciously at the words that were never spoken
between them after the accident. He stands a moment staring into
Meyer’s guiltless expression and wonders how he could ever show his
face around here again.

A smooth crisp
voice brings him out of his thoughts, “Hi Greylan, It’s nice to see
you again, I’m Mollie.”

Inwardly he is
struggling with Meyer being here but as soon as he looks to Red,
who he thinks about often beside him, every other thought flees
from his mind. His breathing shallows but not from anger but
because he forgot how fucking beautiful she is. He holds her hand
within his large palm, the warmth surging through his skin. A pink
blush surfaces in her cheeks before she looks away shyly. He
remembers the first time he saw her in the parking lot after his
fight. The same blush colored her cheeks.

Meyer’s voice
diverts his attention, “Hey bro, aren’t you gonna ask why we’re
here?”

A snide remark
is on the tip of his tongue but a hand encircles his arm from
behind before he can say anything. He wants to tell Meyer exactly
where he can go but he fears the bar would lose half its light if
the angel beside him left. Christina’s cool voice draws him out of
his thoughts.

“Hey, I’m
Christina; I’m guessing you know our Greylan here.”

Meyer looks
from Christina and back to Greylan before a snide smile spreads. He
laughs, “Yeah, you could say that. Nice to meet you Christina. I
never thought I’d see the day.”

Greylan frowns
at his remark realizing that Meyer thinks he’s with Christina. His
brow furrows as he glances to Mollie. She looks intently at
Christina the whole time, a slight glare forming in the corners of
her eyes. He likes seeing it there.

Christina
pours them both a short glass of whiskey. She looks to Greylan. He
doesn’t move his gaze from Meyer but nods. He’s pissed because his
attitude hasn’t changed. He still acts as if everything is a game.
Nothing bad can ever happen. Greylan knows more than anyone that
life is anything but a game. He glares at his old friend having no
patience for him.

Christina
never misses a beat, “You were about to tell us why you’re here,
bro.” Her sarcastic tone spits out the words as if they taste bad.
She raises her glass and places Greylan’s in his hand. He lifts it
in a long draw before a toast can be made.

Meyer
dismisses her meaning, taking a sip of his own drink and exclaims,
“I like this one, Grey.”

Greylan winces
at his nickname coming from Meyer.

Meyer looks to
Red and places his arm around the back of her chair. The expression
on her face is a myriad of emotions. She seems sad but strong as if
she would put up a fierce fight if needed. Greylan notices her body
lean slightly away as Meyer moves closer. He looks back to Greylan
as he tells them, “We came to see you fight, dude. I heard you are
on your way back up. Just here to support an old friend.”

Greylan glares
at his old friend in response, not really trusting him. He looks
back over at Red as she lifts the glass of clear, cold liquid to
her lips. She swallows slowly and he feels his own reaction to that
small movement in places he shouldn’t be. Thoughts about this woman
in that way shouldn’t even cross his mind at this point. He looks
away hoping the tightness in his pants goes away but he knows as
long as he’s in her presence that is the last thing that will
happen.

Meyer’s pitchy
voice is starting to annoy him, “Anyway, we are staying down the
road at the Breaker. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow. Fight’s at
seven, right?”

He grips his
glass and swallows the remaining contents. His hand gently grabs
Mollie’s arm and encourages her out of the chair. She stands
looking up to meet Greylan’s gaze. A tilt in his lip forms at how
petite and perfect she is. She slowly moves her arm from Meyer’s
grasp and states, “It was a pleasure seeing you again Greylan. I’m
looking forward to seeing your fight tomorrow.”

She nods to
Christina. Greylan can see the scowl across Christina’s face out of
the corner of his eye. As soon as the door closes behind them
Christina loses it, “What the hell Grey? I think there might be
some things you never shared with me. The air in this place was so
thick, I could have cut it with a knife.”

A patron on
the other end of the bar calls out to Christina trying to get her
attention. She turns to Greylan before walking the length, “We
aren’t finished with this. Don’t go anywhere tonight, we need to
talk.”

More than
anything, he wants to leave, to lose himself at Jackson’s. To find
the repetitive push of his muscles to forget but Jax doesn’t keep
the gym open at night and a drink might be more effective in
helping him forget. Seeing Meyer hammers home how the past is never
out of reach, it’s always just a few steps behind. As much as he
tries to outrun everything, it always catches up.

He pours
another drink and slams it back hoping the warmth that spreads down
his throat has his desired affect and takes all this shit away.

After the last
customer leaves Christina locks the door and starts in on him,
“Please be truthful with me, Grey. I can see how affected you were
by that couple. Tell me why they’re here and why you’re upset.”

Greylan shakes
his head sinking into a chair at the bar as Christina rounds the
counter and sets two glasses on the smooth wood. She fills each
with ice and pours a generous amount of whiskey in them. Greylan
immediately lifts his and downs the entire contents. Christina
fills his glass a second time. He throws it back before admitting,
“That was Meyer Hansen, my old childhood friend.”

“Call me crazy
but I didn’t really feel any friend vibes from that encounter.”

Greylan smiles
and gestures to his empty glass. She pours again before downing her
own drink.

“Christina,
the night I killed that man, it was Mollie, that woman here with
Meyer, the guy was forcing himself on her.”

Christina
frowns as she listens to his explanation.

“I’m not
exactly following you. Where was Meyer? Why didn’t he keep track of
her if she was his girl?”

Greylan rests
his head in his hand and shrugs, “I don’t know what was going
through his head that night. He never showed up to the police
station. He apologized over and over for not being around when it
happened in a letter six months later. I didn’t bother relying to
ask him where he had been. It didn’t matter. That night was the
last time I saw him or talked to him until tonight.”

“In that
letter he claimed it was too much for him. He’s always handled
things, differently I guess. Maybe he felt guilty that I went
away.”

Greylan takes
a long drink from his glass and adds, “I knew if I ever saw him
again, it’d be like this, on his terms. When he felt like showing
his face again.”

Christina’s
voice is unbelieving, “What an ass!”

Greylan
chuckles at her reaction.

“I mean Grey,
what the hell kind of friend leaves you to rot in jail and never
supports you? Especially one where you stepped up and did what he
should have done all along. Actually if he was taking care of his
girl, it probably never would have happened.”

“It doesn’t
matter anymore. What happened is done. As much as I’d like to, I
can’t turn back time.”

Christina
comes around the bar and scoots in beside him. She places her hand
over his and asks, “What about the chick that was with him tonight?
She was the girl that night?”

Mollie’s
bright face flashes through his thoughts. Those eyes that seem to
tell a thousand stories yet are so secretive. His body tenses just
thinking about her. He shakes his head in response.

“Grey, you
there?”

“If I didn’t
know any better, I’d think you might have feelings for this girl.
But that would be crazy because you don’t believe in that love
shit.”

He looks over
to her taunting smile and shakes his head mumbling, “No, it doesn’t
work like that. No such thing. Don’t even fucking go there
Christina.”

He adds as an
afterthought, “She’s with Meyer.”

Christina
downs her drink and encourages, “Drink up Champ, you have a fight
tomorrow and you don’t need any of this junk messing with you. I
think we need a few more drinks but not here. Let’s go down the
road, Mark stays open most of the night.”