by Simone Elise
“Seriously, you had to mention the Jeep?” I snapped at him, knowing everyone could still hear us.
Tatz shrugged and then stopped walking, just when we were about to get out of my family’s hearing distance.
“Can I ask you something, Hannah?” The cockiness that was usually in his voice wasn’t there. I turned to look back at him. I had been busy trying to drag him to the front door, away from Dad and Tyson.
I sighed and came to a stop, knowing that my family was still busy listening in case I said I was leaving with him. “Sure, Tatz go ahead.” I didn’t see what was so important.
He glanced down at our linked hands. And then looked back up, looking me in the eye. “Are you off limits?” He said it slowly. “Like, to me?”
I frowned, not understanding the question. Was he trying to ask if Tyson and Dad had the power to keep me from him? Or if I looked at him like that to begin with?
I shook my head. “You shouldn’t even be asking me that question.” Whether it was about Tyson and Dad, or whether I liked him, it wasn’t something we could talk about in hearing distance of my family.
“Yet, I’m asking. So, Hannah, yes or no. Are you out of my league or not? I get you need to get over the bloke that hurt you. But if Tyson is right, and you are out of my limits, I just want to know.”
I sighed. My cheek was sore, my breast was burning and Tatz wanted to have a deep and meaningful conversation while my whole family and fucking Andrea could hear us.
“No,” I looked up at him. “No, I’m not out of your league.” When it came to it, I was never out of anyone’s league; it was the guys who were out of mine. Like Brad, for example. “But I know you. So I know what you want, and so my answer remains the same and it is no. I’m not out of your league.”
Tatz wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. He was looking for a girl he liked enough to have regular sex with. That was it. No emotions, no strings, no labels. Just sex.
Tatz smirked. “So you already know what I want, hey?”
“You do realize my parents and brother can hear every word, right?” I challenged him.
“Fine, let’s get out of their hearing distance then.” He was the one pushing me up the hallway now. I laughed and it immediately hurt. “You okay?” His voice dripped into concern, as he must have seen my expression when the laughter caused pain.
I opened the front door and closed it after us. “Yeah, I’ll be okay.” I would smile at him but smiling hurt too. “Thanks for, well, you know.” I came to a stop on the porch. “For not getting in a fight with them. I know it goes against your blood not to get into a fight.” My eyes dropped to the ground. “Sorry you had to see that.”
I wished everyone that had seen Dad hit me hadn’t. At least then it would be between Dad and I and that would be it. Mum wouldn’t be panicking that she was losing a daughter and Tyson wouldn’t be thinking I was about to take off with Tatz.
Tatz’s fingers gently lifted my head up. He touched me so softly. “I’m going to ask again, are you okay to stay here? Cause your Dad just gave you a good reason to move out.”
Move out. I guess I had always said that I would if Dad ever hit me. Everyone knew Dad had a temper—he barely ever had control over it. But when it came to me, he kept a firmer grip over it because he knew that I would never take him hitting me as acceptable.
I think I was five or maybe six, I don’t remember the age, but I remember the day clearly. Tyson lived to test Dad’s limits. I walked into Dad’s study seeing him raise his hand at Tyson, about to hit him, and then he saw me and stopped.
Dad never hit us. Well, I think he had got into the odd drunken fight with Tyson now. Now that Tyson could handle himself in a fight he was actually a good match to Dad. I think it was because Tyson had been Dad’s example on how to fight.
Anyway, on that day I was so scared that one day Dad would hit me. I got so upset about it that he promised me that he would never hit me, and if he did, I could leave. Dad was the one to tell me what I could do if he hit me. I remember a few of things he mentioned. The two main ones were that I never had to speak to him again and I could leave and not tell him where I’d gone to. He said if he ever hit me then he didn’t deserve to be in my life to begin with.
However, tonight’s events hadn’t meant a clean black and white decision.
So I knew I could leave with Tatz now and never come back. And Dad wouldn’t come after me. He would respect it.
But I also knew I had caused Dad to snap tonight. I was the one to push him to do what he did.
So I nodded my head to Tatz. “I’ll be fine.” And I tried to give him a smile, but it hurt too much.
Tatz sighed. “Fuck, I hate it when women don’t listen to me.”
I smirked just a little. “No, you hate it when I don’t listen to you.”
He dipped his head, nodding, “Exactly.” He slowly moved forward and kissed my non-damaged cheek lightly. “I’ll pick you up in the morning for school.”
I frowned. “You don’t have to.”
“Layla is forcing me to drive her around all week while I fix her car. So picking you up comes with her demands.” He smiled a real smile. “I’m going to be taking the extra time with you as an advantage.”
I put a hand on his chest and pushed him back slightly and toward his car. “You are such a flirt,” I said, trying hard not to let the smile capture my face. “Oh, and I want my jumper!”
“I think you care more about this jumper than you do people,” Tatz grinned at me and then kissed my cheek once again before leaving.
When he pulled away I actually felt somewhat better till I turned and looked at my front door.
I sighed. Well, at least they would be out back. I could slip away upstairs and just keep to myself. In fact, from now on that was exactly what I was doing. I was keeping away from them.
Chapter Seventeen
Tyson
“Well, is she getting in his car or not?!” Mum yelled at Eve who was doing a terrible job as lookout. We had all immediately relocated to the front lounge room as soon as Hannah stepped outside.
“Just let me look,” I snapped at them and Mum blocked my path to the window which Eve was failing at looking out of.
“If she sees you then she might get into that car.” Mum was really pissed off—nah, not just pissed off, she was full-on upset. I had no idea how any of us were going to be able to calm her down. “Go stand back where you were.”
I rolled my eyes but went back to standing next to Dad who hadn’t stopped looking at the front door. His eyes were literally glued to it. I think he was waiting on whether he would see Hannah again or not.
Well, he didn’t fucking deserve to see her again.
I caught glance of Brad’s expression. He was glaring at Dad. I looked back at Dad; his eyes were still glued on the door. I thought Mum was having a meltdown. But I think Dad was on equal paths with Mum. So I looked back at Brad. Why did it look like he was also having a meltdown?
He wasn’t about to lose a daughter or a sister. But the way he was looking at Dad, it was like he had lost something and it was completely Dad’s fault.
I guess Brad and Hannah had always been close. Maybe he was glaring at Dad so hard because he was itching to be on his feet and start a fight because Hannah was someone he looked at as being under his protection.
Yeah, Brad was always protective of Hannah. So I knew what was coming as he threw back the rest of his beer and headed toward Dad.
“Come on, Brad, not now.” I stepped in between them. I don’t think Dad had even realized Brad was approaching him. Brad was looking at going for the kill and Dad was too busy staring blankly at the front door.
We all knew Dad and Hannah had some unspoken rule about him hitting her. Hannah was always the first one to get upset as soon as an argument broke out. She was always the one that couldn’t stand any of us fighting. And she was really afraid of violence. She hated watching it on TV.
She would basically run behind Dad or me if a fight broke out in the club.
Actually, come to think about it, there was someone else she would hide behind if there was a fight in the club.
And I was looking at him.
Brad.
“Where do you want it?” Brad threw the beer bottle at Dad, causing Dad to break his eyes off the door. “Come on, fucking man up, Reaper, where do you want it?” Brad’s voice went up in pure rage.
Again it had me thinking he was acting like he’d lost something. Not someone. Hannah. How had he lost Hannah? I was sure she was still going to be a friend to him. Us, however, she was going to cut off.
Then again, I guess if we were out of her life then that meant the club was and I guess that also meant Brad was.
Brad was losing Hannah like all of us.
I watched him reach in between his vest and shirt, gripping his gun, pulling it from his holster.
“Come on, Brad, calm down.” I put my hand up. Suddenly it seemed like I was the only one in the room still using their brain.
“You know, I shouldn’t even be fucking asking. We both know you deserve this in the head.” Brad’s voice was sinister. I had never heard him disrespect Dad. In fact, Brad was always carefree; he didn’t have a worry in the world and if he did have a worry, he would shrug it off. Nothing was a big deal to him.
But right now, as he lifted his gun at Dad, he was acting on emotions and impulse. We were all angry with Dad for hitting Hannah. I glanced at Mum who was glaring at Dad. I think if Hannah left and ended her relationship with us, well, I think Mum and Dad’s marriage would also come to an end.
“I think in the head, too,” Mum snapped at Dad, and then picked up the cigarettes from the table. “I still can’t believe you did it, Reaper.” Mum was shaking with rage. Instead of lighting a cigarette, she threw the packet at him with the lighter. “How the hell could you hit our daughter?!”
Dad wasn’t fighting back. Or defending what he did. Not that he could defend his actions. Still. He was just letting everyone hate on him. As pissed off as I was with Dad, I knew if I was in that situation and my daughter had just told me she was going to an early grave and there was nothing I could do to stop it, I might just have reacted like Dad did.
So I saw his point of view. But still, he fucking knew! He knew! Never ever touch Hannah! We all knew it. Fuck, I could play fight with Eve, but when it came to Hannah, the rule was the same. You don’t hurt her. Period.
“If we lose her, Reaper, you lose me as well.” Mum shook her head and wasn’t giving empty threats. She was firing them at him with intention to follow through. Their marriage could face anything, but Mum losing one of her daughters because of Dad…yeah, that their marriage couldn’t take.
Dad didn’t even give a response back. He didn’t fight Mum on it. His eyes were back on the door. Arms crossed with no emotion on his face. If Hannah didn’t walk through that door again, he wouldn’t just lose Hannah, he would lose Mum and he would lose Eve, because Eve would follow her twin. And he would lose all my respect, and by the look on Brad’s face, I think Dad wouldn’t just lose his best friend but also his vice president.
Eve’s eyes were still on the driveway and we were all waiting on her to tell us if Hannah was coming back to the house or getting in the car.
“You know, Reaper, you didn’t just hit Hannah, you also sent her into a man’s arms who is only going to use her and spit her out. And thanks to you, right now he is the person she’s thinking of running away with!” Brad screwed the silencer onto the end of the gun. He wasn’t serious about shooting Dad, was he?
He pointed the gun back at Dad. And this time Dad was actually looking at him. He uncrossed his arms.
“Right arm. Right under the elbow. So it hurts when I write.” Dad was giving Brad directions. Dad had actually given some thought into where Brad was going to shoot him!
I looked between them. They couldn’t be serious?
Brad went to aim.
“Okay, fucking stop it! No one is shooting anyone!” I stepped in between Brad’s gun and Dad. “Put the gun down.”
“Fucking move, Tyson.” Brad wasn’t even listening to me.
I looked at Mum. “Come on, Mum, you aren’t seriously going to let Brad shoot Dad?” I looked at her, hoping the mother I knew who was extremely smart and thought before she acted was listening. She would put her life in front of Dad’s. Everyone knew that. So I was finding it really hard to believe she was going to let someone—not just anyone, but Brad—shoot Dad.
Dad was standing there, ready to take it and I watched Mum’s eyes go from the gun to Dad.
“Come on, Mum? You can’t seriously let Brad shoot him!” I couldn’t believe she wasn’t already barking for Brad to back down.
She slowly nodded her head and walked away from the couch and to Brad. “Tyson is right.” Mum’s hand went around the gun, taking it from Brad. “You can’t shoot him, Brad.”
I exhaled slowly. Finally someone was seeing sense. But then it happened so bloody quickly I wasn’t sure I had seen it right. Mum lifted that gun and fired.
“But I can.” Mum handed the gun back to Brad. Not looking one bit sorry for what she’d just done.
This was a side of Mum I hadn’t seen. I looked at her in disbelief. Cold was not a word I would use to describe Mum, but right now that was the only word to sum up her expression and what she’d just done.
“Fuck, Mum!” I couldn’t believe she had just done it. I didn’t know which was worse; that Mum shot Dad or that Dad was just standing there, not even letting the pain capture his face. His eyes had gone off Mum and were back on the door.
He didn’t even give a fuck that blood was running down his arm.
“For fuck’s sake, have you all gone mental?!” I yelled at all of them and went to Dad. God, Mum couldn’t just shoot Dad like that!
Dad fucked up. We all knew that. But I think what everyone else was forgetting was Dad loved Hannah more than all of us put together.
“I think he gets off lightly.” Eve’s attention was back on us, and this time she was showing a side I hadn’t seen. I saw the tears slowly running down her cheeks. “Dad gets a sore arm. I lose a sister. If you ask me, I know which one I would take.” Eve’s words were bitter and her attention went back on the driveway. Then she pushed herself away from the window. “I can’t look any longer. We all know she’s going to get in that car.”
Eve walked to the couch and sat down. Her eyes were on the ground while tears ran slowly down her cheeks.
My stomach dropped hearing Eve say it out loud. Yeah, we did know how this was going to end. Hannah was getting in that car. She was going to leave.
My eyes went to Dad’s bullet wound. That bullet wound was going to be a reminder to him of the day he lost his daughter. And the day I lost my sister.
Then I heard it. I think we all heard it at the same time. The car pulled away. We all listened till it disappeared. My heart was pounding twice as fast as normal, watching, listening for any sign saying Hannah was still here.
I glanced at Dad and his eyes were still on the front door. He was still hoping. More time passed and there was no noise, and that front door he was hoping would open, didn’t.
We weren’t a religious family. But right now, I knew every Wilson in the room was praying that Hannah hadn’t got in that car. I sure as fuck was.
More time passed and I couldn’t put it off any longer. My eyes went to Mum. I didn’t want to see the pain in her eyes. I didn’t know how she was going to react. She had meant it when she said to Dad their marriage was over if Hannah left.
Mum’s eyes were on Dad. Dad’s eyes, however, were stilled glued to the door. He was still hoping Hannah was going to walk through it.
A few more minutes passed and then Dad’s eyes finally left the door and went to Mum. I knew I was about to see my family fall apart and it fucking terrified me. Hannah left. She’d gone. I knew we
had zero chance of getting her back.
Dad wouldn’t put his resources into finding her. He’d promised her he would let her leave, and he would let her go.
I had never felt so fucking furious. Well, he might have told her he wasn’t going after her, but I sure as fuck never made that promise.
“I’m going after her.” Brad was the one to speak what I was thinking. My eyes snapped to him. How could he be thinking the same as me? “Tatz is a vice president, and he can’t just take off without giving notice. Which means she will be in town. Which means we can make her change her mind.”
The panic in Brad’s voice was clear. But I didn’t see any flaws in his plan. In fact, I’d be right beside him doing it.
“Count me in,” I started, patting myself down for my bike keys. “You got any idea where he lives?” I knew Layla would. I’d call her. Wasn’t how I was planning on using her number for the first time, but she would tell me, wouldn’t she?
Not if Hannah got to her first.
“Don’t.” Dad spoke for the first time, causing all eyes to go to him. “I promised her if she left she would be left alone. I won’t let you two be the ones to make me break that promise to her.”
Mum scoffed. “Yet you were happy to break it by hitting her?” Mum was only saying what we were all thinking. “How the hell is it fair I lose my daughter because of you?!” Mum’s hand reached into the bookshelf and threw the first thing she could grab at him.
Dad didn’t even dodge it. Though we all knew he could. Mum just so happened to throw a vase at him. The water and the roses went over him and Dad just took it.
“You fucked up, Reaper, and this time you can’t fix it because you went ahead and promised her we would let her go and accept her decision!” Mum threw something else at him. She wasn’t furious—I think Dad would have preferred if she was. Instead, she was upset to the point where there was nothing that could calm her down.
Maybe if Hannah came back.
I was watching my family crack into pieces.
“You know where I stand, Reaper. I’m not giving you fucking notice either. And I’m not listening to you when you say I have to stay away from her.” Brad was basically throwing his vice president patch at Dad. “I’m not letting her waste her life with a man like him!”
