Family Tied (Being A Wade Book 1)

by Annie Hughes

  “Rayleigh...” He starts, but I hold my hand up to stop him.

  I walk further into the room and sit next to him. His arm falls naturally around my shoulder and I push him so he’s leaning against the backboard of the couch. I fold into him, resting my cheek on his chest.

  “You don’t need to say anything. I don’t like it but I know, I understand, and I get it.”

  He kisses the top of my head. “I don’t deserve you.”

  I laugh quietly at this. “No you don’t. I came up here ready to kick your ass. But one look at you and I caved.” I look up at him and brush my thumb across his cheek lightly. “You look so tired.”

  He smiles down at me. “Yeah. I’m sorry, baby. For everything,” he says.

  “I know.”

  He picks up my hand gently and inspects the already bruising knuckles. I wince as he brushes a thumb over them “You tore your hands to pieces again,” he says quietly.

  “Yeah, I got mad.”

  His fingers link with mine as he rests his chin on the top of my head. “I wish I knew how to make it better. I wish I knew how to get rid of that anger for you.”

  I scoff. I’ve been angry for years. If I knew how to get rid of it, I would have. It’s like a dark, heavy shadow hanging on my shoulders, suffocating me, and dragging me down with its weight. I never used to have this. I used to be free from the stress and tension. But that was before Dyl, and the Wades, and this life. This life where your business partners are criminals, and the system is rigged in the favor of whoever has the biggest wallet. All I wanted was four easy years in college, then to settle down in a school, and do what I’d always wanted to do - teach the next generation. But I quickly learned that things aren’t what they seem in Parkington. The small, exclusive town is dripping with crime, hidden behind the most respectable of businesses and people. I’d been naïve before here, not quite believing in the horror stories I heard about the place. But I believed now, hell I lived them every fucking day.

  “You ready for the bad news?” Dylan says, distracting me.

  I sigh. Why was it never good news? I can already guess where this is going. I know this family too damn well by now. No matter what happened, what he did, Roman is a Wade, and a Wade belongs in this God forsaken town more than I do.

  “Dad wants to see Rome, so he’s asked him to come here tonight, downstairs.” I knew it. “I’m sorry, I know you hate this, him, but he shares blood and you know how the old man is.” He lets out a long breath as he begins to play with the ends of my hair. “That’s not everything.” I turn and eye him curiously, the vein in his neck working overtime. Not good. “He wants you there.”

  I laugh, actually laugh, because this must seriously be a fucking joke. “No.”

  Dylan groans but I keep my eyes firm on his and raise an eyebrow. He really can’t expect me to be okay with that? It’s one thing accepting that Roman is probably going to be around, but to actually share oxygen and be in the same room with the guy? You’ve got to be kidding me.

  “Ray, I know this sucks, but its family business, and you’re family.” He’s trying to reason with me, I know this, but I turn away from him as he continues. “Uncle Craig, Lenny, and Jack will be here, too. This is a big deal, babe, and you need to be there.” I know what he’s saying; I can read between the lines. I have to be there because I chose him, and his family, which means I have responsibilities to them.

  I pull away from him, defeated. “What time?”

  “Tonight at 9.”

  I nod stiffly then stand, Dylan catching my hand as I try and walk away.

  “Please don’t be like this. I can’t do anything to change it.”

  No one can. If I want to stay with him, I have to deal with what it entails, which often means doing whatever Charles Wade wants. He rules the business, the town, and our relationship. He makes decisions regarding us, before we even know there’s a decision to make. It was the same in college. I knew that Dylan never fully committed to me until he’d received his father’s blessing, and wasn’t that fun? Not. I look at Dylan and sigh inside, wishing things could be different, but fully understanding that they never will. We will always have to live by their rules.

  “I know, you never can,” I reply to him, eventually.

  I don’t let him respond. I walk straight out the lounge and into our bedroom, closing the door behind me. I look around, smiling slightly at the memory of decorating in here with Dyl. We had so much fun, messing with the paint and getting more of it on ourselves than the walls. It hasn’t always been this tense but Charles’ sickness was getting worse, so more and more responsibility is falling on Dylan, on us. And with the responsibility, comes the target. It seems there is always a threat to my safety, because I’m with Dyl. It’s the reason I got training on how to use a gun, and how to defend myself. I refuse to be a victim, or to be taken off guard the way I had with Rome. He tricked me, fooled me into thinking he was a friend, when all the time he wanted me to suffer. It was my fault Dylan wanted to leave the family, in his eyes. It didn’t matter that he fucked things up way before that. I could see the cracks in their friendship from the beginning. Dylan didn’t want this life, and Rome didn’t want him to leave. But Rome was out of control, fighting with neighboring towns, and going up against the rule of the family. He’d been furious when Charles and his father, Craig, accepted my relationship with Dyl, and he didn’t hide it. I was enemy number one in his mind then, and I doubt four years in jail has changed that for him.

  I groan inwardly and head over to the bed, my mind already shutting down with the stress of this entire situation. I strip off my clothes and throw on one of Dyl’s shirts before climbing in. The sheets are cool against my bare legs, and I let my eyes flutter shut. I’m exhausted. Over thinking and fighting past fears have left me feeling drained. I bury my head in the cushions, mentally telling myself to only sleep for two hours, and empty my mind.

  A nap is exactly what I need.

  A few minutes later I feel the bed dip next to me and Dylan’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him. His earthy scent surrounds me, comforting me, and dissolving some of the anger in my chest.

  “I’m sorry, baby. Please don’t fight with me,” he whispers.

  I smile small. Dyl hates fighting. I do too, but not like him. He takes it badly, then panics that I’m going to leave him. I don’t know if I ever would, or could. As much as I hate this life, this place, I don’t know if I could ever walk away from Dylan. He’s my past, present, and future, and I don’t think I’d know how to be without him. I just pray it will never come to that.

  “We’re not fighting, I’m just tired.”

  He presses his face into my hair, his hand tightening around me. “Okay, can I nap with you?”

  I nod my head then turn to face him. He smiles, the adorable half smile that I fell for almost five years ago. He lies back and I rest my head on his chest, my fingers running over his stomach. For the first time in too long, my body relaxes and I feel his do the same.

  “I love you,” I whisper, and feel his smile.

  “I love you too, Rayleigh. Always.”

  Roman Wade

  I should have had a drink, a really big fucking drink.

  That’s all I can think of as I watch the clock tick closer and closer to 9pm. One more minute, just sixty seconds, and I’ll have no choice but to leave the sanctuary of the apartment. I can’t risk being late, Charles hates tardiness. Plus, Dad will be there. I haven’t spoken a word to him in almost four years. He visited me once whilst I was in jail, just to tell me that he wouldn’t be visiting again, and I was under no circumstances to contact any member of the family. Thanks, dad. I’d been blocked out, shafted by my own blood, for doing what any one of them would have done in the same situation. Hell, I was a lot nicer than any of them would have been. I push all those thoughts away and stop pacing my kitchen. I grab my keys and exit the apartment. Better get this over and done with.

  I keep my head l
ow as I walk the three blocks to Wade’s Bar and Grill. I’ve grown up in this town, practically raised in the family bar. Friends I had in high school and college still hung in there, or so I’ve heard. I know Kade is still around after our little run in this morning. He was seriously pissed at my surprise arrival, and I was equally as pissed that he had taken my place by Dylan’s side. Guy always has been so far up his ass that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. It’s sickening. I bet he couldn’t fucking wait to jump in there. He’d been part of the reason Dyl and I had fought so much over those last few months. Well, that and I had a boner for his girl. Not that he knows anything about that. I kept my mouth clamped on all things Rayleigh, and planned on doing the same tonight. That isn’t a conversation any of us were ready for. Especially Dylan. With my game face firmly in place, I push open the door to the bar. Silence.

  I recognize a few faces staring at me as I walk in. Kade glares at me from his perch by the door leading to the back office. I fight back a smirk knowing he hasn’t been invited into this meeting. He might be tight with Dylan but he still isn’t Inner Circle worthy, not even after my glorious descend into the ‘outside’. The thought shouldn’t make me happy, but it does. It really fucking does. Pervert in a whore-house happy. He steps aside as I approach and I offer him a stiff nod before entering.

  They’re all there waiting for me, the air still and thick with tension. I glance at each of the faces surrounding the large oak table. Charles at the head, my dad beside him on his right. Dylan sits off to his left, his eyes watching me. My brothers, Lenny and Jack, stare at me with a mixture of amusement and curiosity as I step further in.

  The Inner Circle.

  “Take a seat, son,” Charles says.

  I nod, and then sit silently my eyes firmly on him. His illness was evident on his face, tired lines surrounding his eyes and mouth. The man looks old, really old. The door opens behind me and I don’t have to look to know its Rayleigh. She still smells the same, sweet vanilla. It fills the room, a stark contrast to the male dominating scents. I hide my confusion at her presence and continue to watch Charles, avoiding any eye contact with my father. I guess she’s Inner Circle now, too.

  “Ah Rayleigh, I was worried for a second there that you wouldn’t make it,” the old man says, a small smile on his face. He’s always had a soft spot for her, even when we were in college, and even though he was against their relationship at first, he never wanted any harm to come to her. She apologizes quietly before sitting beside Dyl. I glance at her, my stomach clenching when I see the hard look in her eyes. Dylan was right when he said she isn’t the same girl she used to be, it’s written all over her face. I look away, not wanting to see what being here has done to her.

  “So, Roman, you were released this morning?”

  I turn at my dad’s words, getting my first proper look at him. He hasn’t changed a single bit, still sporting the Turkish facial hair he thinks will attract females. It really is pathetic, but the bastard gets laid more than any of us.

  I nod my reply.

  “And Dylan says you have a possible business contact for us?”

  I clear my throat before speaking. “Yeah. Joey McDowell in Harley Hill. He wants to push his stuff through Parkington, tap into the college market. I’ve arranged for him to come out here and sit down with Dyl.”

  “Okay, that’s good. I’ve heard about McDowell, he’s a good guy,” Charles comments causing a series of nods from my dad, the twins, and Dyl. I settle back in my seat, feeling a little easier.

  “Isn’t he the guy who smiles when he kills people?” Lenny asks, and a short laugh escapes me.

  “Yeah, he’s a fucking nut,” Jack chimes in.

  Lenny beams in reply. “Sounds like our kind of guy.”

  I almost laugh. My brothers are two years older than me, twins, practically two halves of the same person, and complete assholes. But at least they are funny, and usually on my side.

  “Dylan tells us you want back in,” Dad says, putting an end to the twin’s conversation. I bring my focus to him. “You know we can’t just forget what you did, what you caused. You know how the business works, Roman.”

  Yeah, I know how the business works. I know how it works more than most. I also know that they couldn’t really risk throwing me out in case I started opening my mouth to the competition, meaning they either let me back in, or stick a bullet between my eyes.

  “We’re a family, and this is a family meeting, so I think it’s only fair everyone gets to have their say on the matter,” he adds.

  I almost laugh. He’s always pulling this crap, sitting us all down, and having us talk out our feelings. It hadn’t worked when we were kids, so I doubt it will now. Besides, I know at least one of them wants my severed head on a platter, and I could feel her death glare burning a hole in the side of my face.

  “Personally, I’d love to have my son back where he belongs. You fucked up, Roman, but I’m willing to trust that you’ve learnt from your mistakes,” Dad continues.

  I figured as much. He doesn’t want me here because I’m his son and he loves me. He wants me here because it gives the right image, and the right image is key. The town community trusts the family more when we are a family. I refrain from making a comment and keep my mouth closed.

  “Charles?” He offers.

  I watch as my uncle sits up straighter in his chair. Even sick, he still manages to demand authority with just his presence. With his voice firm and unwavering, he begins to speak.

  “Roman, I’m glad you’ve been released, and making connections is a good start in building bridges. The chaos and destruction you left behind won’t be forgotten any time soon, but you did your time and served your punishment. You are a Wade, and this family is where you belong. But…” he flashes a purposeful glance to Dylan and Rayleigh. “…I can’t have a family at war with each other. You need to fix what you broke here, before we can move forward. Your return into the Inner Circle has to be a family decision and that includes everybody at this table.”

  I know what’s he was getting at. The only thing that would highlight that hint more, is a giant fucking neon sign. It will inevitably be Rayleigh who decides whether I’m accepted here or not. I guessed as much when I watched her walk in. Dyl is at the top now, and Rayleigh is his girl. He’ll do whatever she wants. It’s always the same, with any family. The men might make the most noise, but it’s always their women that make the decisions. It doesn’t matter if Dylan wants me with him or not, it’s all down to her.

  “We’re cool little brother,” Jack says and Lenny nods agreeing. “We kind of missed your reckless ass anyway. Parkington has definitely been less fun.”

  I smirk at them in reply.

  “Dylan, do you have anything to say on the matter?” Charles asks.

  I watch my cousin, my former best friend, look to his father and then at his girlfriend before bringing his eyes to me. I don’t envy the guy. He’s in an impossible position, stuck between his father and his girlfriend. It seems he always manages to get himself in these kinds of situations. I almost smile at the familiarity of it.

  “Rome, you really fucked up this time, bro,” he starts, and I scoff quietly at his noting of the obvious. “I don’t know what to do here, man. I mean,” he releases a breath, “its Rayleigh that you fucked over the most.” He looks to Rayleigh, whose face is a mask of indifference as she stares at the wall. “What do you think, babe?”

  Her eyes lands on me and I fight back a shudder. I’ve forgotten how penetrating her stare is, the way she looks through a person and right at their bullshit. Despite the discomfort, I hold her gaze and hope she can see that I’m serious, can see that I’m not here to fuck with her. I plan to apologize, to make things right, but not here. Not with all these people. The things I want to tell her are for her ears only. She stands suddenly, the chair scratching loudly on the floor causing me to wince slightly from the sound. This can’t be good. She doesn’t speak a word as she walks
to the main door, all of us staring at her in silence. She turns as she opens it and I almost gasp from the look she gives me before she turns to face Dylan.

  “Like you said, he’s family.”

  She doesn’t wait for a response as she leaves, letting the door bang shut behind her. I stare in her wake, gob smacked that she just walked out of a Wade family meeting. That was like a cardinal sin growing up, to leave without being dismissed. I turn back to face the others who have begun to talk like nothing happened, discussing the proposal for Joey on Friday.

  “Where are you living?” Charles asks me.

  I clear my throat, still confused. “I have an apartment on Fifth. Joey arranged it for me.”

  He’s quiet for a while before looking at Dylan then back at me. “You’ll move in upstairs tomorrow.”

  I don’t get to reply to that as he leaves the room, followed shortly by Dad and the twins, leaving me with just Dylan and a whole heap of tension. It crawls at my skin as we let the silence build between us.

  “Fuck,” he curses. “I guess you’re back then,” he says finally, the words hanging loosely in the air.

  I nod and he stands, making his way over to the small cabinet at the back of the room. He pulls out a bottle of Jack and two glasses, placing them on the table. I watch as he fills both and pushes one over to me.

  “Thanks,” I grunt and knock the liquid back, letting the glass hit the table loudly. “I needed that.”