Page 70 of The Afterthought

"That’s what you burned down! How many people were inside, Grey?"

"I don't know, and I honestly don't care. They were closed. Every single person inside that building was associated with the Cobras in one way or another. Alec threatened you twice, Ava. That couldn't go without some sort of repercussions."

"I didn't ask you to burn down a building for me." A tear slips down my cheek. I'm not sure if I'm upset or happy that he did this for me.

"I would burn down the world for you. Anyone who gets in your way. Anyone who threatens you, touches you, or upsets you. I would burn it all."

I step back from him to create some distance. I need to process this. "I have to take Chloe to her friend's house. I'll most likely stay there with her."

"I'm just a call away if you need me," he tells me, standing up to gather the rest of his things so that he can leave when we do.

Chloe comes out of her room again, with Matt trailing close behind. He tells her goodbye, and we rush to the car to drive to her best friend's house. She's been surprisingly strong through all of this so far, and a part of me is relieved. However, I'm worried this may trigger her grief from losing her mom. When we get to Andrea's house, I grab her arm before she is able to get out of the car.

"I know you need to be there for your friend right now, but if at any point it gets overwhelming, just send me a text, and I'll be the bad guy. I'll tell them I'm making you leave."

She nods with a reassuring smile. "I'll be okay."

With that, the two of us head into the Wolfe household to spend the rest of the evening supporting her best friend and consoling the likely widowed Mrs. Wolfe.

Chapter 31

Greyson

The sheriff being inside Temptations when I burned it down was a lucky accident. They were able to confirm that he was, in fact, inside the club. A funeral for him and some of the others they suspect were inside is set for later this week.

Satisfaction courses through me, knowing that I'm the reason he won't be able to mess with our crew anymore. We secured the connections he set us up with. He knew too much and was always a means to an end. Now that he’s handled, I need to have a talk with Knox so we can try to piece together who was working with the sheriff. This won’t be completely over until we flush out the rat. I also need to talk with him about how I plan to move forward with the Crimson Rose.

Things between Ava and I are endgame. I know she never wanted to be a part of this life. The best thing I can do for her is to step away from it, at least as much as I can. I still owe Knox a favor, so that will need to be discussed, but it's time for my girl and I to begin our future together. I'm not going to let anything stand between us this time.

I’m sure we can all come up with some type of arrangement where I can accommodate both Knox and Ava. He may be the family I was born into, but Ava is the future I choose.

Today is Chloe's graduation, so this will all have to wait until later this week. I glance at my phone, notice the time, and realize I’m about to be late. Shit. My phone pings, pulling my attention back to it.

Knox: I need you at the garage. Now.

Me: What's going on?

Knox: Now, Greyson.

Me: Can this wait? I have prior commitments.

Knox: Crew always comes first. I don't care about your commitments.

Me: How long is this going to take? I promised Ava I wouldn't miss Chloe's graduation.

Knox: I don't care. Just get here.

Anger courses through me. How am I supposed to tell her that I have to drop the ball on this? She wanted me to be there with her, sitting there and holding her hand to give Chloe a good memory. She wanted people in the crowd to support her sister, and now I can't be one of them.

I can't bring myself to tell her that I won't be there, so I say nothing. I made a promise that I'm about to break. With her trust in me being so fresh again, I really hope that she will hear me out when I get back. I will have to explain how I chose the Crimson Rose over her… again.

Fuck. This is stupid. I should just text her and let her know what's going on. I'll deal with her being upset with me. I'm not a pussy. I can handle my girl. At least this way, she won't be waiting for me to show up. I pull my phone up to send her a message, but Kai's name crosses the screen instead.

"Hey?" I say, answering the phone.

"Did you hear from Knox?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the garage now."

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