Page 48 of Unruly Defender
Gracy smiles at him and follows Stephano to the couch.I’m about to do the same but Clemente stops me.“Henley, can I have a word?”
I glance at Gracy but she’s already wrapped in a discussion with Stephano and when I see him handing over a pile of pictures of her mother in her younger years, I know these two need to have a private talk.Clemente and I slip out of the room and head for the garden.
“Did you drag me out here to give those two some space?If so, I could use a cold beer.”
Clemente shoots me a grin and takes out his phone and types away.It doesn’t take long for a guy in a suit to stroll out, a bottle of Heineken in each hand.There’s a moment of silence where we watch the guy leave and just sit to enjoy the sun beaming down on us.
“Rush is handled, I thought you needed to know,” Clemente suddenly says.
My head whips in his direction.“Handled?”I question, wondering just what he means by this because Rush was handled; rotting in jail for the rest of his life.
“Remember the deal I made with my uncle when I reached out so the cartel would disappear from this district?It included for them to clean up loose ends.Rush died in a prison riot yesterday, we just received confirmation.”
All I can do is stare at Clemente.He takes a slow sip and gives me a wry smile.“You didn’t think we were going to allow the chance of him escaping and coming anywhere near Gracy, did you?He killed her mother, Henley.”
I slowly shake my head, understanding his reasoning but also aware how his life and mine are worlds apart.His ways are ruthless whereas I was seeking justice.And yes, my thoughts might have gone to the place where I wanted to kill Rush with my bare hands but I’m also aware of consequences.I guess Clemente and his father don’t have those problems.
I take a pull from the cold beer and almost spit it out when Clemente says, “I need your advice on how to handle a woman because I’m not going to survive handling the one I’m saddled up with.”
Motherfucker, how does this guy easily change topics like this, and for fucking real, “Are you seriously asking me this?You, a man who practically runs the underworld of California, can’t handle one single woman?”
“I could,” Clemente grunts.“But that would mean I have to follow into familia tradition I don’t want to dabble in.There’s a difference in control, Henley.You of all people should know what the MC is like when it’s being led by you or when it was swallowed by the dictatorship of Rush.You have the men’s respect while they had none for Rush.And it’s not that I want her to respect me, but a form of being equal would be nice.”
I think of how to answer his question.“There is no simple answer, Clemente.The two of you need to find a way to come together.If you’re going head to head together this fierce it shows raw emotion.The whole fine line of love and hate.”I swallow another sip of my beer and tell him, “First time I met Gracy it didn’t exactly go smoothly.We were snapping and grunting at each other.I’m telling you this because a connection can be instantly and might have to settle before it can be exploited.Who knows, the way you flare up and go head to head with each other...it might lead to fireworks between the sheets.”
Clemente stares hypnotized at his beer until he drags his gaze away and mutters, “Who knows.”His head swings my way.“We’ll find out next week since our wedding day is set.How about you and my sister?Any plans on getting married?”
“Way to shift the attention from you to me, asshole.”A bark of laughter slips past my lips and flows away as his question roams around in my head.“To be honest...if I knew she’d say yes, I’d drop to one knee and pop the question right fucking now.There might be a lot of uncertainty in life but she’s the one thing solid, she’s mine.”
“It would have been nice if you’d ask my permission first,” Stephano grumbles from behind us, making me turn to stare in the watery eyes of the woman who will always hold my heart.
“Then you’d better get on one knee and pop that question because my answer would be yes,” she croaks, giving me her heart to hold in return.
EPILOGUE
Seven years later
