Page 14 of Stripping Keys
“And what the hell does she need protecting from?” Michael sneers. “She’s a fuckin’ accountant for fuck’s sake.”
“No, she’s not,” West blurts out.
Michael levels a glare at the other man, but it’s Marshall who speaks up. “What the fuck are you and my sister into?”
“That’s not something I can share with you. It has to come from Marla,” West states, his voice hardening, eyes narrowing as he looks to Marshall. “You know I’ve always been there for her, and you don’t know your sister as you think you do.”
“Obviously,” Marley mutters quietly, but not quietly enough, none of us don’t hear her. Her gaze comes back to me, and she cocks her head while crossing her arms. “What’s with you and my sister?”
“For now, that’s between her and me,” I tell her and look to Griz. “What I will say is I’ve known Marla for years. Not in person, but we’ve worked together over the years. When she showed up here during y’all’s drama bullshit, we met for the first time in person.”
Griz seems to study me for a moment before he nods. Whatever he had running through his head, he keeps it to himself, at least for now. I’m sure he’ll find a way to corner me later to find out what he wants to know.
It’s not something I intend to share. Not now.
“I don’t give a damn what you think is between her and you,” Michael snaps. “That’s my daughter you carried in here. Why? Where did you put her? What the hell is going on here?”
“Michael, you need to calm down,” Anna says again, this time more firmly.
“Oh, I’m calm, Anna, I’m more than calm.”
Yeah, right. The guy was ready to blow his lid.
“No, you’re not.” Anna moves to stand in front of Michael. “Remember, I know our children just as well as you do. Marla isn’t going to share unless she wants to. You can’t force answers from her, just like you couldn’t force answers from Marley or Marshall, for that matter. They’re all adults and make their own decisions. Now, calm down and drop it for now.”
At least that’s one person who sees reason.
“Mom, how is it you’re so calm about all this? You’re telling dad to pretty much mind his business, but just a couple months ago, you were right with him in mine.” Marley doesn’t hold back her accusing voice in this. “I mean, you’re saying one thing for one kid but acting differently with another.”
“Got to admit, Marley’s got a point,” Marshall grumbles.
“I know all of my children,” Anna says defensively, back straight and glaring at her husband and two other children. “I know when to act and when not to. I know which of you will run and hide to keep others from knowing the truth. I know which of you will stand tall and take it as it comes. I know which of you will listen and see reason. I also know when it comes to each of you, I have to approach things differently. I love all of my children the same. There is no favoritism. There is no picking one over the other. I give you all my love equally. Now, drop this matter for the time being. When Marla is ready to talk, she’ll talk.”
“She won’t talk,” Michael grinds out.
“She won’t,” Marshall agrees.
“She never does,” Marley adds.
“Then that’s her decision, and you all need to respect it,” I jump in. All eyes come to me once more. “I don’t give a damn what everyone here wants. You’re thinking of yourselves and not Marla. You’re not thinking about what the hell she did for this club. Nor about the fact that I carried her ass from the hotel to my SUV, from my SUV to my room, and not once did she wakeup.” I lay it out for them, knowing exactly what I’m saying and what it might reveal. “You gotta let Marla be who she is. Maybe then she’ll stop being a fuckin’ bitch all the damn time.”
I’m met by silence from each of Marla’s family, and Griz has a brow cocked.
But it was West who spoke up. “Good luck with that bitch part. She thrives on being a bitch to everyone,” he says with a snort.
“You’re not helping the situation,” Griz grumbles.
“No, I’m speaking the truth,” West shoots back and glances around. “You all don’t know the woman that’s Marla like you think you do. She’s a bitch because she strives to be one. She enjoys being a bitch toward everyone because that’s who she is. You won’t get the answers you seek from her because she’s not going to share them. She’s not going to give you what you want because doing so would mean stripping away a part of herself that she’s not going to share with anyone.” He looks to me and adds, “Including you.”
We will see about that.
Done with this conversation, I look toward Griz. “When are we doing church today?”
“Blow said six tonight,” he answers. “You go through all of the info yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve gone through it and none of it is good.” Sighing, I shake my head. “Since we don’t have church ‘til tonight, I’m heading to my room to crash for a few hours.”
Crash and hold Marla at least for a little while.
