Page 5 of Signed for You

“I can’t and won’t force you, but you know what’s at stake here, I don’t have to tell you. They may even be able to help us find Gray.” That’s what this is. He’s trading me in for the hope of finding Gray.

I want to find Gray more than anything in the world and he knows that. Everyone knows that, but surely there is another way. There has to be another way.

“That’s a low blow and you know it,” I hiss at him as I get up and leave.

“I’ve set up a meeting with the son, so you can get to know each other. Day after tomorrow.” His face is unforgiving, completely void of emotion. So unlike the man that he’s been up until this very moment.

“You didn’t even wait for me to say yes?”

He doesn’t respond and with my hand on the doorknob, I find an idea entering my mind.

“I’m not a virgin, you know. That’s what he’ll want, isn’t it? He won’t want damaged goods.” I lie. I am a virgin, but if pretending I’m not will cancel this ridiculous set up then I’m all for spending the rest of my life covered in the web of lies I can create.

He winces at my words, the first show of any feeling since this conversation started.

“He doesn’t care about that. And I really don’t want to know about that, Charlie, but since when have you been around anyone without me or Crow or Gray long enough for that to happen? Jesus, darlin’.” I roll my eyes at his berating tone.

As if right now is the time for that conversation. Not as though there’s even a conversation to be had about my fake loss of virginity.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Dad, I didn’t tell you that so that we can have the bloody bees and the birds talk again,” I tell him with a sigh.

“Fine, but just meet him. Please. He’ll be at the Club, somewhere comfortable for you. His idea.” He says it as if I should be grateful to the man that is trying to steal my right to choose.

Fucking men.

Three

Crow and I fell asleep together watching some documentary on Netflix last night. As I wake up to the sun shining through my cream curtains, I look to my right and see that Crow is still sleeping soundly. I fell asleep in my fluffy teddy bear pyjamas, long pyjama bottoms and a flannel fluffy top. Crow’s in his boxer shorts as usual. He fell asleep on top of my duvet. Dad must have come in to check on us at some point, because Crow’s now got a light blanket on top of him.

Dad is normally adamant that I don’t even speak to men, which is ironic really considering he’s currently trying to marry me off, but when it comes to this heavy sleeper next to me, I think he has a soft spot for him. Even though I’m Crow’s assignment to protect, Dad knows that he means more to me than just that.

I watch Crow for a few minutes, taking in the abs any guy would kill for, his tanned skin that never seems to pale, even in the adverse weather we seem to be having this winter. He always looks like he’s just been on holiday somewhere warm. He has skin that’s so blemish free it’s easy to imagine him on a magazine cover.

I put my bare feet to the ground and as they rest on the warmth of the carpet below my bed, I look to my left, towards one of the two double windows in my room, and spot the clock on my bedside table: 6.09am. It’s no wonder the house is still so eerily silent.

I groggily wipe my face and clamber from the bed gently, careful not to wake the now sleeping and snoring man next to me, and find myself in front of my dresser, picking out some dark denim skinny jeans and one of Gray's black hoodies out of my drawer that makes me look tiny. It’s ridiculously baggy, but I like the fact that it overwhelms my body and I love that it’s my brother's.

I used to like wearing Gray’s dressing gowns, jumpers, and jackets when I was little just to wind him up. I loved that he never objected even though they were practically dresses on me. Now they serve as a reminder of Gray.

I made a list of the ways I could attempt to find him. I just need to make sure that no one knows what I am attempting. Despite his recent very abrupt change of mind about me being involved in Club life, I know my dad will still object to me doing anything that will endanger myself in order to find Gray.

I shake my head in an attempt to wash away the thoughts of Gray for now and wander into the en-suite attached to my bedroom and quickly strip out of my pyjamas before jumping into the warmth of the shower. I ease my head back as I let the water trickle over my face and down my chest and into the abyss of the plughole at the bottom of the bathtub that my shower head hangs above.

It doesn't take me long to shower, wash my hair, clean myself, brush my teeth, and get dressed again before opening the door and leaving the steaming room behind.

I towel dry my hair before untangling it with my trustedGame Of Thronesbrush that Crow got me for Christmas, throw the towel into the laundry basket, and pad quietly out of my bedroom door and down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone. I unlock and open the front door and sit on the steps in front of my house.

As I sit and look out at the houses around ours, their occupants beginning to wake up and start their day, I think about what my plans are.

I need to go shopping in town with Crow and decorate Liam's old room so that it’s ready for him to come home to. He’ll be moving back in with us. You would have thought he would want a place of his own, so that he could bring women back, or have meetings in, or do whatever it is that he wants once he’s free, but when Dad asked him, he had apparently said he couldn’t live away from us. God knows why, he hadn’t lived with us for years and we’re not very exciting, but that’s his mistake, I guess. Maybe that’s what he wants though, away from the chaos of club life, maybe he just wants some normality, much like Crow I suppose.

I remember suddenly that I’ll also need to wake Crow soon, so that we can get into town and back before we’re expected at the clubhouse for two pm. Dad has got some work for us. Well, for Crow but Crow and I are inseparable so I tend to go with him to the Club whenever he’s needed there.

It seems so absurd to be spending the morning and potentially the rest of the weekend decorating a room for someone I haven’t seen in years when I have a brother that’s missing and a potential forced marriage to contend with.

I wonder how Gray would handle this. What he would do or say. I knew he wouldn’t stand for it and although part of me wants to completely ignore the meeting my dad has set up, I know that for the sake of Gray and hopefully gaining information, I have to at least meet the man that my father seems intent on pawning me off to.

As much as I want to find him myself, since no one will let me help, I have very little to go on.

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