Page 35 of Bruiser's Reckoning

I know precisely who he’s talking about and nod my gratitude.

No sooner than I take my seat next to Gwyneth, the door is thrown open, and not only do both Grady men and Angie come rushing in, but a woman who looks so much like Angie, I knew it was her mother. The four of them set their sights on Gwyneth. The men’s expressions were stormy, the women’s filled with concern.

Gwyneth gets to her feet, and I follow suit, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, holding her, and giving her the warmth and strength she needs.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” the older woman rushes Gwyneth, pulling her out of my arms.

I take a step back as the others surround her. Seeing the way, they’d taken her into their family hits a part of me, and I know she deserves every bit of what they’re giving her. The love of a family that should have always been, rather than the one she grew up with. Losing Simon, her only blood relation hit her hard, and I know it.

“It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart,” Grady murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his gaze coming to mine.

I give him a curt nod, giving them some space, but not taking her away from them.

After a few moments, Gwyneth steps back, and I’m there to wrap an arm around her. I’ll do what I can to give to her right now. Later on, I’ll take care of her in other ways, but for now, this’ll have to do until after I meet with my brothers and find out what the game plan is going to be.

My thought . . . go to the damn source of it all. Confront the woman who allowed all of this to happen in the first damn place. I wonder if Gwyneth’s parents even know about the death of their son. Hell, I wonder if the father even knows any of this.

The way Gwyneth and Simon made it seem is that he’s oblivious to it all. Materialistic, just as the mother.

Maybe it’s time to give him a visit on top of dealing with his wife in the process.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

GWYNETH

The thought of my brother being gone leaves an ache in my chest that won’t go away. I never thought I’d lose him like this. Never in my life did I think I would have to deal with my brother’s death. I get we all die at some point in our lives . . . it’s that he’s gone at such a young age. It’s hard to fathom.

I keep wondering what his last thoughts were. Did he see it coming? Was he scared? Did he feel pain? Or was it a slow death?

I know I need to come to terms with this and that I’ll never have answers to any of my questions, but it doesn’t make the pain go away.

“Princess, why don’t you sit down,” Bruiser murmurs, squeezing my shoulder.

I nod and let him guide me back to where we’d been sitting before Angie and her family got here. I couldn’t be more grateful to the Gradys for coming and the club for letting them. With everything going on, I didn’t think they’d allow them on the property, but they did. And with what Hammer shared with me about his brother, I sense more than ever he knows exactly what I’m feeling. Just as Bruiser does, considering his mother passed away. But it’s different in so many ways. She wasn’t killed. Simon was.

“Bruiser,” Hammer shouts from across the room, and I glance in the direction to find him motioning for Bruiser to join them.

“I’ll be back, baby,” Bruiser says, grips my chin, and forces me to meet his gaze. “Stay here, or if you want, go to my room.” He places a key in my hand. “Just don’t go outside. You need me. I’ll be in church, but all you gotta do is knock on the door, and someone will open it.”

“Okay,” I whisper, nodding, not wanting him to leave me. Having his arm around me makes me feel safe and secure, losing them will leave me cold, but I know they’ve got to talk.

Bruiser gets directly in my face, nose pressed into mine. “Seriously, Gwyneth, you need me, knock, and I’ll come out. I don’t want to leave you alone, but know this, Princess, you’re not alone. You’ve got your best friend and her family here with you. You got the ol’ ladies watching you like they want to wrap you in bubble wrap and shield you from the world.”

“I’ll be okay, Bruiser, I promise,” I tell him, reaching up to touch his cheek. “If I need you, I’ll come get you.” Though I won’t, he doesn’t need me to bother him when he needs to focus. Plus, I have Angie here, her and the rest of her family.

“All right, baby.” He presses a kiss to my lips and straightens. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Leaving me, I watch him until he disappears into the room with his brothers following suit.

“I like him,” Mrs. Grady announces.

“Of course you do, Mom.” Angie giggles and rolls her eyes before focusing on me as she takes my hand. “I’m really sorry about Simon, Gwenny. I wish I could do something for you.”

“I know you do, and I wish you could.” My breath hitches in my chest. It’s hard to breathe from the pain of the loss.

“Sweetheart,” my captain calls, reaching across the table to take my hand in his and squeezes. “There’s no taking the pain away, darlin’, but in time it’ll ease. It’s not like with the job. In our field of work, you know we deal with death, but we lock it away and keep going. We don’t think about it again. That’s what we tell each other, though, the memory never goes away, we just keep truckin’, knowing we’ll do everything we can to save the next one. Unfortunately, when you lose someone close to you, a sibling, a daughter, a son, or a parent, it’s never the same. What you need to remember is Simon loved you, Gwyneth. He loved you as any brother could. All he wanted to do was protect you.”

Tears stream down my face as I nod, my lip trembling. “Has . . . has anyone told our parents?”

“I don’t think so, but I’m sure they’re going too,” he answers, giving my hand another squeeze. “You don’t think about them right now. Just worry about you and you alone.”

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