Page 41 of All That We Keep
"We're done talking," Grayson replies, his voice growing more dangerous. "There should have been a conversation when you first took Luca back in college, but we're way past talking now. You've hurt Luca, you've beaten him, you've abused him, you've hurt my family. Get the fuck out of my house."
"No, no, I'm really just here to talk," Hudson insists, but there's something in his posture that suggests otherwise.
"Yeah, but I don't believe you," Grayson says, his muscles coiled and ready. "Because I heard you tried to steal the Vizant’s Omega the other day."
Hudson's mask slips slightly, revealing the desperation underneath. "I have bills to pay. Just let me take him, and you can pretend I was never here."
The casual way he talks about taking me, like I'm property to be transferred, makes my blood run cold. This is exactly what I've been terrified of, exactly what Luther and the others have been trying to protect me from.
"I'm not letting you take anything," Grayson growls. "You can't have anything."
Hudson's composure finally breaks completely, and he comes barreling toward us with the kind of desperate violence I remember all too well. Grayson immediately moves to intercept him, his body colliding with Hudson's in a tangle of limbs and fury.
"I'm going to protect my family regardless of what happens to you," Grayson shouts as they struggle.
Punches land with sickening thuds as they crash onto the floor, rolling back and forth as they fight for dominance. Grayson ends up with Hudson on top of him, and terror floods through me as Hudson reaches toward me with one grasping hand. I press myself back further, my arms protectively wrapped around my belly as tears stream down my cheeks.
Just before Hudson’s fingers reach me, Grayson grabs Hudson's ankle and pulls him back down, both men hitting the ground hard. I scramble toward the landline phone, but when I pick up the receiver there's no dial tone. “Fuck!” I cry out, a whine following as I dig in my pockets for my cell phone, the picture of Blake still displayed on the screen. But when Itry to make a call, I see that I have no service at all. The signal bars show nothing, like something is actively jamming the connection.
That’s when it hits me. This was planned. Hudson didn't just break in randomly. This was a coordinated attack and whether or not Kai Vizant knew it, he just helped separate me and my mates so it was easier to get to me.
"I can't get anybody on the phone," I call out, my voice shaking with terror. "I don't know what's going on. Alpha, please."
"You're mine," Hudson pants as he continues struggling with Grayson. "You've always been mine. I owe a debt."
"He's never been yours," Grayson snarls back, managing to land a solid punch to Hudson's ribs. "He's always been mine. He was ours first. He was Blake's first. You tried to ruin him and break him, and I'm not going to let that happen."
Grayson's words give me strength even in my terror. He's right. I belonged to Blake and him long before Hudson ever took me. The love we shared in college was real, even if circumstances tore us apart. The fight continues, both men bloodying the other but neither giving ground. Then Grayson manages to grab something from beside him, one of his parents’ ugly decorative vases, and brings it down hard across Hudson's head.
The impact makes a horrible cracking sound, and Hudson immediately goes limp, collapsing on top of Grayson before rolling to the side. At the same moment, sirens erupt in the background, steadily growing closer as if someone sensed there was an issue at this residence. Relief floods through me as I stumble forward, reaching out for my Alpha but he shakes his head.
"Hey, are you okay, sweetheart?" Grayson asks, breathing heavily as he sits up and pushes Hudson's unconscious form away from him.
"I'm fine," I manage to say, though I'm shaking from head to toe.
"Stay over there," Grayson warns, wiping blood from a cut on his lip. "I don't know if he's still conscious. Stay over there until someone comes to the door. Just take a seat. How are you doing? Are the babies okay?"
I rest my hands on my belly, taking inventory of how I'm feeling. "I'm okay. They're moving around more than usual, but I think they're okay."
The sirens are getting louder now, and within minutes we hear a firm knock on the door followed by an authoritative voice: "Police, open up."
Grayson pushes to his feet carefully, still keeping an eye on Hudson's motionless form as he gathers me up against his side and then moves to answer the door. I watch as Ward and several other detectives spill inside, their eyes immediately taking in the scene of destruction and Hudson's unconscious body.
But something doesn't make sense. I never actually called 911. I couldn't get through on either the landline or my cell phone. Confusion mixes with my relief as I try to process what's happening. Ward's presence feels both reassuring and somehow wrong, though I can't put my finger on why.
"Oh no," Ward says, his voice full of concern as he surveys the damage. "Let's get you down to the station so the others can clean this up and take care of Hudson. I’d have you stay here but I have no idea who else he’d be working with, so until we can ensure your safety, I think the station might be the best place."
Grayson doesn't say anything, just nods wearily as the other officers begin photographing the scene and checking on Hudson's condition. The adrenaline is starting to wear off, leaving me exhausted and shaky. I glance at my Alpha as he keeps his arms wrapped around me, the confusion I feel showing in his expression.
He knows that there’s something wrong, too, even if he doesn’t know what it is.
24
Luca
I find myself in a small interrogation room with Grayson at my side, fidgeting and confused and more than a little scared after everything that happened at the house. The adrenaline from Hudson's attack is still coursing through my system, making it hard to sit still or think clearly. My hands won't stop shaking, and I keep replaying the moment when Hudson reached for me with those grubby fingers of his.
Grayson is still bleeding from his lip and from a cut on his head where Hudson managed to land a solid hit during their fight. The blood has kind of dried into dark streaks across his face, but nobody has come in to help him or offer medical attention. It makes me angry that they're treating my Alpha like he doesn't matter, like his injuries aren't worth addressing.
