Let Go (22 page)

They part and
as Greylan pulls away he wonders what kind of game Meyer is
playing. Him being here with Red, why
is
Mollie here? He
wants to find her more than anything now; he’s ready for some
answers to the questions that keep popping up. The first being, why
did she leave his bed? As he aims the truck toward the highway in
the direction of the pond his phone rings. He hits the button
without looking at the screen and his sister’s voice full of pain
fills his ears, “Grey, Where are you? I need you Grey.” She’s
sobbing.

Worry fills
his tone, “Trinity, are you okay? What happened?” He takes a deep
breath his heart starting to beat faster, “I’m on my way.”

As he nears
his sister’s house Red’s beautiful face passes through his thoughts
but he pushes them away telling himself that Meyer will find her.
He drives way too fast shortening the twenty minute drive to
fourteen. He slides out of the truck barely slamming the door as he
rushes up the walk to the front door. It swings open before he can
think to knock or just walk in. A distraught Trinity stands in the
doorway. Her cheeks are stained with trails from her tears. Her
face is red and she’s shaking. He takes her into his arms hugging
her tight to his chest. He thinks about Parker and how much he
really hates him now. He’s sure he did this to her and the first
chance he gets he’ll mop the road with the prick.

Trinity starts
crying all over again as he leads her into the house toward the
living room. He pulls her into him as he sinks into the couch. She
squeezes an already soaked Kleenex in her hand. He moves her body
beside his and asks, “Trin, is Parker here?”

This seems to
create more conflict as she frowns and breaks into a blubbering
mess.
What the fuck?
He tells her, “I need to know, is he
here?”

She shakes her
head. He’s glad because beating his ass in front of Trinity
probably wouldn’t make her feel any better. He tells her, “Let me
go and get you more Kleenex.”

Her breathing
is starting to slow as she nods agreeing with him. He moves to the
downstairs bathroom grasping the whole box. As he walks back to the
couch his phone vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out to see a
text from Meyer telling him that Mollie was at the hotel. This has
the opposite effect on him than it should. He’s glad she is safe
but sorry that he was wrong about where she was. Maybe she
is
with Meyer and he over stepped with her.

Nearing the
couch, loud sniffling pushes Mollie from his thoughts. He situates
himself back into the cushions offering his sister the box of
tissues. She carefully takes one and begins wiping her face.
Greylan waits a few minutes while she gets her emotions under
control. As her sniffles begin to even out and more time passes he
decides to try and find out why she was so upset.

He grabs her
free hand and squeezes while asking, “Trin, do you think you can
tell me what happened?”

Panic passes
over her features. He waits with an encouraging expression. The
thought that this guy could cause this much pain in her makes him
irate. He knew the asshole was bad news the minute he saw him.

“Grey, it’s
nothing. I think I just blew things out of proportion.”

“What?” He
can’t believe what he’s hearing. His breathing halts for a few
seconds as her words register.

Slowly he
pleads, “No Trinity, you were really upset. I need to know
why.”

She shakes her
head, “It was really nothing. I’m so sorry I called you.”

He knows she
isn’t going to tell him anything. He’s going to have to find out
from the douche himself. He abruptly stands looking down at her
innocent face. How can anyone hurt his sister? He wants blood and
he wants it now.

“Trinity, I
have to go. Will you be alright?”

She nods, fear
filling her expression, “Don’t do anything to Parker. Please
Grey.”

He looks away
and she grabs his hand before he can walk away.

“Promise you
won’t hurt him. I told you it was nothing. It was my fault.”

Greylan swings
his gaze back to look at her, “What was your fault?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me Trin
or I
will
go and beat the crap out of him.”

“He’s going to
Vegas, for good Greylan and I don’t want to go. I told him that I
won’t go. He was upset and he told me that he couldn’t marry me
then because this is what he does. He’s tired of flying back and
forth. He wants us to move there. But I don’t want to go. I’d miss
you; I just got you back, well kind of. Grey I wish we could see
each other more. Maybe this is best. You hate him anyway. Maybe I
shouldn’t marry him.”

Realization
hits him, as she utters the words that are true for him as well.
These words could cost her her happiness, just because he can’t get
past his dislike for the guy.

He lowers to
the edge of the couch and explains, “Trinity, you can’t give it all
up. This is a silly reason. You’ll work it out.”

“No Grey, I
don’t think we will.” She starts blubbering again. It amazes him
how she can turn the waterworks on and off like that.

“Calm down
Trinity, Vegas is where the fights are. Remember, I told you that
this life is hard?”

She nods.

“I told you
that I would never choose for you to marry a fighter.
Remember?”

“Yes.”

“This is why.
We move around and have to deal with all kinds of people. It’s
tough Trinity.”

Her face goes
slack for a moment and then it’s as if clarity reaches her
thoughts. She whines, “Are you going too?”

Fuck.
Greylan was hoping
his
relocation wouldn’t come into this
conversation. He nods. She starts gasping again flushing to get air
into her lungs.
Where the hell is that pussy anyway
?
Maybe it will be in his best interest to beat Parker’s ass
anyway.

They sit like
this, the conversation continuing as Greylan answers her questions
about Vegas and the fights. As darkness envelopes the house he
stands to turn on the lights and stretch his muscles. He yearns to
go and punch something but knows Jackson will have closed the gym
by the time he’s finished with his sister. Just as six o’clock
rolls around the front door opens and closes.
At least the idiot
didn’t leave her already
.

Parker walks
into the room surprised to see Greylan but focused on Trinity. She
leaps off of the couch and rushes into his arms. He whispers into
her hair shaking his head, “I’m so sorry.”

Her voice is
shaky again, “I’m sorry too Parker. I love you so much. I’ll go
wherever you want me to go.”

Greylan can’t
listen to another word. He swerves around them and heads for the
door. Parker calls out, “Greylan.”

He notes that
the douche didn’t use his nickname. He knows better. As Greylan
meets his stare over Trinity’s shoulder he expresses his gratitude,
“Thanks.”

“No problem.”
There is so much more he wants to say but decides it isn’t the time
or place. They will meet on the mat at some point and Greylan will
let him know exactly what he thinks of him.

As he climbs
into the truck and turns the ignition, two things cross his mind.
First, he needs to figure out this thing with Mollie. He won’t be
able to focus on anything with her floating uncertainly through his
thoughts. The second is how furious Juno and Christina are going to
be at him if he doesn’t get over to the bar soon.

He decides to
head straight there. As he pulls into a space lining the road out
front he notices a small figure situated on the curb. Her red hair
gives her away. She has a forlorn look on her face as he
approaches. What the hell is it with crying chicks? It’s been a
shitty day for confrontations. He considers avoiding this one but
knows they need to talk.

He moves to
sit next to her and grabs her hand. She seems lost in thought even
though her stare meets his. She doesn’t seem very happy to see him.
His heart falters and he decides this is the first thing that he
won’t add to the list of things he loves about her.

His voice is
soft as he admits, “Hey, I missed you this afternoon when I woke
up.”

A slight smile
raises in the corner of her mouth and her eyes return to their
normal sheen, “Really?” She stares at him as if searching his
entire face for something.

“Yes.” He
leans closer to her, the sweet scent that is only Red filling his
nostrils.

“Where did you
go this afternoon?”

She looks
away, lost in thought again.

“I had to take
care of some things.” Her body moves to stand, quickly looking down
at him. Her shoulders roll back and her eyes avert to the bar
behind him. She speaks into the air indirectly to him.

“Greylan, I
have to leave. I’m sorry.”

At her words
Greylan is on his feet, panic running through his body. He can’t
believe what she is telling him. Every part of him seems to pulse
in denial as if he is having a drug withdrawal. He frowns at his
reaction.
Why in the hell is he having this kind of
reaction?

Silently
telling himself to calm the fuck down he asks, “Why do you need to
go?”

She shakes her
head detaching herself just like that, “Last night was nice but I
just can’t stay. Goodbye Greylan.” As she says the word nice it
sounds like a dirty word that she regrets saying.

“You don’t
really mean that Mollie. It was so much more than that and you know
it.”

His heart
aches with the words he speaks. He just found her again and now
she’s going to leave him. He reaches for her but she turns moving
quickly away in the direction of the hotel. He wants more than
anything to follow her and demand that she tell him why. He starts
to doubt himself maybe he read her wrong and he’s the douche bag
needing it to mean more than it did. He sinks to the curb and leans
forward on his knees pissed at himself for making her mean so much.
He’s usually the first person to admit that it doesn’t happen like
that. People don’t matter to each other like that. But he knows the
words running through his mind are just words. The way his body
responds to her is something he can’t deny and he hates that he let
a woman get to him that easily.

Meyer’s claim
crosses his thoughts, ‘She’s here with me’. Did Meyer convince her
to be with him? Maybe Greylan should have admitted what she is to
him. But he doesn’t know what that even means. A woman he can’t
stop thinking about and he can’t get enough of her now that he’s
had a taste.
Fuck!

When he
finally drags himself up off of the curb Christina is just stepping
out the door onto the sidewalk. She takes one look at him and asks,
concern lacing her words, “Grey, what happened?”

She panics
fearing that his night with Mollie ended badly and she was the one
that pushed him to go after her.

Before he can
answer Juno steps out of the bar and asks, a cigarette clasped
between her fingers, “Are we having a party on the street? We
aren’t gonna make a dime out here and the customers we’re about to
get, damn well can’t serve themselves.”

Christina
glares at her aunt and turns back to Greylan ignoring her
reprimand, “Are you alright?” She worries because by the look on
his face, he isn’t alright.
Great job Christina, can’t keep to
your own damn business.

He nods and
shakes off her hand when she reaches out to console him. It may
take all night or all week but eventually he’ll open up and tell
her what happened. Until then she’s going to feel like shit. She
probably shouldn’t have gotten involved.

Greylan slips
into the building. Christina tries to follow but Juno grabs her arm
forcing her to turn around. She glares at her aunt as the older
woman takes a drag from her cigarette. She breathes out squinting
through the smoke and asks, “Christina, what’s goin on with
him?”

The breath
escapes Christina before she answers, “Juno, he’s just having a
hard time with stuff. Leave him alone.”

“Well girl,
he’s earned this thing he has going. He deserves it, so we need to
do everything we can to support him. I’m guessing he’ll be crushed
if he doesn’t make it. Am I right?”

Christina
feels even worse for pushing him toward the red head now. His aunt
can even see how affected he is by things. Instead of answering she
just nods in agreement and skirts back into the bar. She stands in
the doorway for a minute watching him move absently behind the
counter stocking up for the night. She loudly apologizes, “Grey,
I’m so sorry for pushing you.”

His eyes dart
up, anger running through his face.

“No Christina,
you don’t get to be sorry for that. Get over that shit. I wouldn’t
have gone if I didn’t want to. What happened has nothing to do with
you. It doesn’t matter anyway. Fighting does and that is my focus.
So no more talk about that chick, she’s history.”