Page 46 of Tye

“We gotta leave, Pops,” I whispered.

“What?”

“We’re not safe. They don’t trust us and never will. They blame our family for everything Fury does. We need to go now,” I stated a little louder.

Drake was standing talking to Ice while Dylan and his friend Davies joined them, and they all seemed to be arguing. Ice was waving his hands around, and Davies was pointing at him. Then someone said something that made Ice stiffen, and this time, his words reached us.

“You can all go fuck yourselves! I claimed Demi, and if that’s not good enough for you, then take my cut and shove it up your ass!” Ice shouted.

“I’m laying money. Fury was behind that bombing!” Drake roared.

“You don’t know that!” Ice shouted.

Uncle Deke approached and watched for a few minutes as the verbal fight worsened.

“Go pack,” he ordered.

“No!” Ice yelled, looking wild. He moved away from the huddle as Drake reached for him.

“You’ve got no say in this, boy,” Pops said aggressively.

“I claimed her! Demi is mine!” Ice boomed.

“You can’t own a woman like my grandbaby. Fuckin’ rich kids, always thinking people are possessions,” Pops retorted angrily.

“Where Demi goes, I go, and you know what a claiming is in Rage, Spike. Don’t act otherwise,” Ice shouted back.

“You’re going nowhere!” Drake ordered, and Ice turned to him with a scowl.

“How do you not get it? Demi is mine. I will lose everything for her, follow her to the ends of the earth. There ain’t no way I’m letting her go,” Ice argued.

“You’ll do as I order, prospect,” Drake snapped.

“The fuck I will. I’ll step down, give up my cut,” Ice challenged.

“Enough!” Phoe bellowed over the arguing men.

Pops was shouting at Dylan. Uncle Deke was in Davies’s face, and clearly, Drake and Ice were going at it, too.

Everyone fell silent and turned to Phoe, who was gazing at them all in disgust.

“Who are you? All of you? Is this what we’re becoming?” Phoe hissed, and Drake opened his mouth.

“Shut it!” Phoe snapped, pointing a finger. “I’ll start with you, Drake. This is Calamity all over again. Telling people who they can and can’t love. I suggest you go to your study and calm the fuck down before we lose our son. Bloody asshole, man, you are. Get out of my sight.”

My jaw dropped as Phoe’s words hit Drake, and the fight left him. He sent Phoe a baleful stare but did as she ordered.

“Dylan and Davies. Shut your damn mouths. I get you’re both hurting because of McKenna, we all are, but not as much as you two. But these people here did not hurt her, and since when did either of you judge anyone for their birth? The only ones responsible for what happened to McKenna is Fury and those who attacked her. Deke didn’t.

“And before you throw accusations around, remember, the Moores have been giving us information hand over fist. We know far more than we did a month ago, and that’s thanks to them risking themselves for us. They’ve lost their home, their freedom, they live in fear of Fury discovering their existence, and you treat them like shit. I know you’re beyond angry at what happened, but these people don’t deserve it.”

“He was there,” Dylan roared, tilting his head at Uncle Deke.

“Deke was in the building but not in that office. When McKenna was raped, he had already left with Grunt. Deke left his bike there to make it seem like he remained and stayed on the radio, but he’d gone. You both want to punish somebody, but these are innocent and not your culprits. Usually, you’d both have sympathy and understanding for someone in their position. Think about that! Now go to the drawing room.”

Phoe turned to my family. “The suspicion ends today. No more guards. And you are not going anywhere. Demi, you and your family are welcome here. I know how hard it is to go against family and fight fear. But you can’t keep running, and you are running, Spike, and I don’t blame you. But you’re not alone. Despite their asshole attitudes, these men will support you, and I know you’ll have their backs in return.

“Fury has done far too much damage to everyone. His family, our family, our friends, and RC itself. But that is no excuse to turn on his victims and make them as bad as he is. No more talk of running. Demi, I am sorry, but you’ll always be judged, so will your family. But lean on those around you and let them bolsteryou when people are assholes. Even if you yourself put a bullet in his head, you’d still have idiots whispering behind their hands. That’s their problems. Not yours,” Phoe said.

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