“And, yet, you were conceived that very same way,” he laughed.
“Should have named me Houdini.”
“Should have named you pain in the fucking ass. Now, go give them hell. I love you, girl.”
“Love you, too, Dad.”
I disconnected the call and then took a deep breath before pushing open the car door and walking into Greasy, my eyes scanning over the familiar interior before they landed on Beth behind the tills.
“We’re not open…” she called, her words trailing off when she saw me, her face paling. “Rachel! What are you doing here?”
“I come in peace, I promise. Scouts honour,” I said, raising my hand in what I assumed was the Scout gesture.
“The Scouts don’t do that. That’s Spock,” she laughed at me.
“Tomato, tomato,” I shrugged, taking a seat on one of the round barstools.
“So… What can I do for you?” She asked, keeping wary eyes on me.
“Oh, straight to business?” I tried to joke as Greg came out of the back room. He took one look at me and immediately drew his gun. “Whoa. That was an extreme overreaction. Can you put that thing down? I don’t know how steady your grip is, and I’d rather not put it to the test.”
“Leave,” he barked. “This isn’t the clubhouse, Rachel, and you don’t rule here.”
“Well… technically…” I said, sucking my breath in between my teeth.
“What?”
“I mean… Regardless of the setting, you’re still a Devil, and I’m still the old lady of the president. I don’t think it would matter if we were in Russia. You still wouldn’t be able to pull a gun on me without consequence. Luckily for you, I’ve not come here to argue. I’m here in peace,” I put up the so-called Spock symbol again, making Beth snort through her nose with laughter.
“Am I missing something?” He snapped, looking at my innocent, contrite expression and Beth’s attempts to smother her laughter. He put his gun on the top of the bar and folded his arms.
“She comes in peace, apparently,” Beth said, snuggling up to his side and kissing his cheek. His expression immediately softened at her touch and he unfolded his arms. “I think we should hear her out.”
“Are you okay with this?” He murmured to her. “After everything?”
After everything? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
I had been nothing but nice towards Beth. I understood Greg hating me, but I had never once so much as raised my voice at Beth. If she was pissed at me because Dante ended their relationship when I came along, that was on her. But as far as I knew, it wasn’t even a relationship. She had sex with him in exchange for paying him rent. There was a name for that type of transaction.
Probably best I didn’t bring that up, though.
They both turned to look at me, and I suddenly felt like a trashy art exhibition that had been bombed in the reviews. They could not have looked less pleased to see me if they had tried.
“Look. So I moaned your man’s name as a joke. You moaned Dante’s name a fair few times, it’s only fair I got to moan his,” I said, nodding my head in Greg’s direction. They both scowled at me. “Too soon?” I tried laughing, but neither of them returned the gesture.
I sighed heavily.
“Honestly. I’m just here to clear the air. I know the two of you haven’t been hanging around the clubhouse lately, and I can hazard a guess as to the reason. It’s me, am I right?” I said, twisting my lips.
“We’re happy where we are,” Greg said firmly.
“And if that’s true, I’m happy for you. But if you’re lying because you’re a typical Devil and you’re stubborn, I just want to say… there’s no need to avoid me. I’m sorry for the shit that happened when I first arrived here, Greg. You didn’t deserve what Dante did to you, and I definitely stirred the pot to wind him up, and unfortunately, you paid the price.”
“You’ve never apologised before,” he said suspiciously.
“I know. I should have. I guess I’m just as stubborn,” I smiled. “But I really would like to put the past in the past. You were caught up in drama that had nothing to do with you. Neither Dante nor I were in a good place, and after what happened to me, I was lashing out. Surely you can’t blame me for that?” He scoffed, as though he absolutely could blame me for it. “Well,” I said, trying a new angle. “Imagine it was Beth who had been kidnapped. Wouldn’t you rather she fight with all the tools at her disposal, or would you rather her give in and accept the fate she didn’t want?”
His hard gaze softened slightly as he thought about what I said. “And is that still true? Is this still the life you don’t want?”
