Page 1 of Navy

PROLOGUE

GIANNA (GIA)

Age 4

My heart was beating ten to the dozen as Julian, my stepbrother, threw me into the cupboard.

“This is where you belong. I hope you suffocate,” he smiled at me gleefully.

Ignoring my whimpers, he shut the door and locked it, leaving me in the dark. I knocked on the door for a long time, but nobody heard me. This was a little used room in the house. It was hours before one of the servants found me and got me out. This wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this, and it wasn’t the last.

It was around this time that I stopped trusting my mother. When I told her what he’d done, she just laughed and said he’d been playing. As young as I was, I knew he hadn’t been playing. Especially with him smirking at me across the table at her words.

He was fifteen, nearly sixteen to my four. I tried to stay away from him as much as I could. But that didn’t stop him from ripping the heads off my dolls and lying about just about everything he could get away with so that I could get punished.

Getting punished was actually preferable for me as I didn’t mind being sent to my room; it was my safe space, and I didn’t mind my own company.

That’s how it was for years. Then, when my brother was born a few months after my mother married my stepfather, I got to spend time with him and his nanny. Because I was quiet and didn’t cause trouble, she didn’t mind me spending time with them and would often hide me when Julian came looking. His grandmother was another safe person for me. She was the only one who believed me and had stepped in several times with her son and my mother to defend me against his lies.

I thought that I’d escaped when I left home at eighteen, and I did for a quite few years until my mother and stepfather died.

CHAPTER 1

NAVY

October 2012

I was going to be dragging the entire MC out to a charity event in London run by my family. Snickering silently at the looks on their faces as I handed out the invitations. Their confusion was comical. The only ones not surprised were Hawk, Reaper, and Abby. Abby had always known about my background because Reaper had asked me if he could tell her when I first joined.

It wasn't that I kept my background a secret on purpose, it was just not something I considered important. This was the only event my cousin ever wanted me to be involved in and as I loved him and his wife, I did as asked. It was always a boring night for me, but I could put on airs and graces when I chose, and I could press the flesh with the best of them. My grandmother had taught me well. I didn’t enjoy the fakeness of it all, but I'd do it. Just like I’d done most years since my cousin had taken my place. For my family, I'd don a tux for the evening and be seen.

I'd known the ladies of the MC would enjoy it but my brothers not so much. I figured if I was going to suffer an evening of boredom, then they could join me. That's what brothers were for! Wasn't it?

I’d had to disclose my family background as I handed out all the invites and explained what they were for.

“So let me get this straight. You are from one of the wealthiest families in the country. You had a Title but gave it away. Yet your family still insists you attend this ball every year. Why?” Bull questioned with a stunned look on his face. Bull was still hurting from the loss of his wife, but with the support of all of us and Noni having him go to Zambia earlier this year for months had helped. He was slowly losing that haunted look and coming back to being himself.

Shrugging a little, I let the fakeness of my other persona come through when I snapped out in very proper English, “I will have you know, Samuel. My family is amazing, and I love them. I’ll hear nothing bad about them. They don’t ask for much except this.” I let the fake persona drop because it was exhausting to keep it up.

Continuing to explain, “My cousin and his wife are good people. I kind of forced them to take on the role because I didn't want it. He still insists on giving me updates on the estate and quarterly financial reports. He doesn't have to do that because I removed myself. He's a good man. This charity is important to them, and it’s the only one they ask me to attend, so I do when I can. I don’t always manage to go every year because I’ve had other commitments. Now, I know it will be boring for us men, but I thought the women would enjoy it.”

Turning to Bev, I smiled, “And Maura will be there with Thor. I know you have met up since she got back, but as she normally doesn’t come to this event, I got in touch and extended an invite. She'll be sitting with us.”

“Thank you, Navy,” Bev beamed, blowing a kiss at me, making Gunny growl. He scowled at me for good measure. I winked at her, knowing it would piss him off more.

“What about dresses?” Abby muttered, a panicked look in her eye. “We'll need gowns, you guys will need tuxes.”

I could see her panic start to spread through the room. There was no need for it, I had everything in hand. Standing up, I walked around the table and rested my hand on her shoulder giving it a slight squeeze.

“Relax, Abby, I have it organised. Next Tuesday, you ladies all have fittings with a designer my cousin’s wife Hope uses. The dresses are my treat for all that you ladies have done for me over the years. The brothers are coming with me to get fitted for tuxes.”

At that news, the women were off. I gave Avy Hope's number to set everything up. They didn't even wait for Reaper to close Church; they all left in a hurry, voices raised in excitement.

Reaper rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

“Jesus, Navy, I've known you for ten years and this is the first time you've mentioned any of this,” Rogue says, and I hear the slightly hurt tone in his voice.

“Rogue, brother, it wasn’t intentional. It just isn't that important to me. The last couple of years have been rough for all of us and I thought this was something the women would enjoy, otherwise I probably would have continued to not say anything. The people here in this room and the rest of my MC family are what are important to me, not a title that doesn't belong to me. But I love my cousin and his family too, and this is important to them.”

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