Page 11 of Grizzly's Pride
The three of them sat in the living room. Grizzly handed King a fresh cup of coffee while the Prez basically asked the same questions Grizzly did. To Piper’s credit, she didn’t show King any of the sass she did Grizzly earlier.
Smart girl. Piper knew King could decide whether she was a liability or an asset.
“Piper, could you hang out in the bedroom while King and I talk?” Grizzly asked her after King was done.
She stiffened. “I’ll be in the kitchen. There’re dirty dishes to wash. You’ve already done the cooking. Don’t worry, boys. I won’t eavesdrop.”
With that, Piper turned on her heel and left for the kitchen.
“That one has steel in her spine, reminds me of my old lady,” King said with a whistle. “Hard to believe Mervin’s her father.”
“So, you believe me now? That Piper had nothing to do with Mervin?” Grizzly asked.
“Yeah, I do. Problem is, the Black Dogs won’t believe that,” King said.
Grizzly’s stomach dropped at those words. When he told Piper she wasn’t safe because Mervin’s enemies were after her, he hadn’t been a hundred percent certain. King just confirmed the truth.
“What do they want with Piper?” Grizzly asked.
He was forthright with Piper. The Ruthless Reapers MC members were saints compared to the Black Dogs.
“They don’t know Mervin is dead yet,” King said. “Whizz looked into Mervin’s bank accounts and noticed there was too much money in there. He traced where the transfers came from. It turned out Mervin double-crossed not just us, but his other clients as well.”
“Let me guess, that includes the Black Dogs MC. Bad move,” Grizzly said drily.
King nodded. “If we hadn’t gotten to him first, the Black Dogs would have dragged him out of his hiding hole. Finding out he had a daughter, that’s just a bonus.”
Grizzly grew sick to the stomach. He knew how the Black Dogs treated their women. Hell, those assholes were involved in human trafficking, a line the Ruthless Reapers and other MCs would never cross. Just picturing Piper in their hands made him see red.
King pressed a hand to his shoulder. “I need to know how important this chick is to you, Grizzly. Right now, letting her go and cutting ties to her is the best option, especially now that we know she’s harmless.”
Grizzly flung King’s hand away. “By doing that, I’ll be leaving her to the wolves. She’s not expendable, King. At least not to me.”
“I figured you’d say something like that,” King said with a nod. He started for the front door. “Keep her or cut her loose, I’ll leave it up to you, but Grizzly? We might have your back, but we don’t know her. She’s your responsibility.”
“I’m fine with that,” Grizzly said.
Chapter Six
Keep her or cut her loose.King’s words reverberated in Piper’s head. She wasn’t even aware of what she was doing.Washing the dishes, she reminded herself. Even though Grizzly’s dishwasher worked perfectly, Piper needed something to do to occupy herself. Now she couldn’t stop shaking, and she was wasting all that precious water.
Piper didn’t notice Grizzly sidling up to her. He turned the faucet off. She looked at the clean plate and her soapy hands. Grizzly gently pried the plate from her fingers, then handed her a washcloth. Piper wiped her hands clean.
“Sit down. I’ll get you a drink,” Grizzly said.
Because she didn’t know what else to do, Piper obeyed. Grizzly set a glass of water in front of her. Piper took a sip. Thoughts of running had crossed her mind the moment Grizzly had found her.
She didn’t quite believe Grizzly when he said her father’s enemies would come looking for her. Grizzly was right all along. She’d taken his protection for granted all along.
Grizzly pulled out the chair next to her and sat. “I’m guessing you heard all that?” he asked.
“Just bits and pieces, but I got the gist,” she said. “Your Prez thinks you’re better off cutting me off.”
“Hey, that’s not going to happen,” Grizzly said.
He reached for her hands. Piper felt numb all over. His fingers were big, callused, and warm. She didn’t object when he put his arms around her shoulders either.
Piper couldn’t remember the last time anyone offered her comfort. With Marvin for a father, Piper never had the opportunity to make lasting bonds with others.
