Twenty
1722 Words
Arriving home after another day of training, he went to his room to search for the little book of numbers she had given him not long ago. Not finding the number he needed, he threw the book aside. Slamming his hands down, he got up and stomped over the stairs. Getting to the front door, he felt someone pull him back.
“Memphis, calm down,” a familiar voice shook his concentration.
What was Declan doing at his house? Was something wrong with Kennedy? Was the man here to beat him into oblivion for the outcome?
Shaking, Memphis sank to the floor, his hands gripping his braids at the root as he screamed out his anguish and frustration. It was killing him knowing that Kennedy was in the hospital again. It hurt even more knowing that he was the reason she was there. “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched her.”
“Memphis, it’s okay. She already explained everything. Actually, she’s the one who called and asked me to check on you, but she wouldn’t tell me why.” Declan said.
Someone stuck a glass in front of his face, and he took it. Sniffing the liquid, he shook his head and handed it back. “No. No alcohol. Where’s my father?”
“He’s at the hospital visiting Kenni, Memphis.” That voice… Markus?
“We’re here for you, man,” another, softer voice stated. This one, he knew, was Lukas. The younger was always more soft-spoken than his elder brother.
“Simhoheub.” A smaller hand rubbed his back. He calmed down, realizing that Declan hadn’t come alone. No, the man had smartly brought the cavalry. Jaxon was whispering in Korean for him to breathe deeply. “We got you.”
“Honestly, that b***h is one in a trillion, never mind a million or a billion. Ken’s too strong to let this bring her down,” Skylar’s voice commented. “So, she’s preggers. Are you going to let that destroy the one thing you’ve been pining for since we were kids?”
His mind calmed, his sight becoming clearer as he refocused his emotions. Staring at his hands, he realized that he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. His friends, the team he was raised and trained with, were there with him. They wouldn’t let him fall, not without trying to save him first. Glancing at Declan, he offered the auburn-haired man a weak smile. “I’m sorry. Our precautions failed, Declan.”
“I know,” the man replied quietly. “Like I said, I already got the whole explanation from my sister and Kennedy.”
Of course, his twin sister never left him out of the loop. “I… I have to do something. I have to… to make this right.”
“How?” Markus asked, helping his best friend off the floor.
Lukas nodded, “And how can we help?”
Stepping back, Declan put his phone away after recording the interaction. He’d been trying to get proof of their unusual way of working everything out for themselves, and what he had just witnessed was a perfect example of it. Each of them required a different method to be used to break through their darkness, and, for Memphis, it was knowing he wasn’t alone.
Raising his eyes to Declan, Memphis took a deep breath. Moving within reach of the man who took no prisoners during training, he said, “As her guardian, I’m asking for your permission.”
“Excuse me?” Shocked, Declan asked the young man to repeat his question.
Memphis swallowed, “I… I got her into this mess. Declan, I love her so, so much, and I don’t want her to go through this alone. I can’t let that happen. So, as you’re legally her guardian, I’m asking permission to propose to Kennedy properly. I also want to go pay a visit to the Club to talk to Ryland Rubin. He’s her paternal uncle, so I wanna get his vote, too.”
Now Declan fully understood what Phoenix meant when he said the team could center each other faster than anyone else. In the span of a few minutes, the young man went from a tormented, emotional mess to being clear-headed and calm. “It’s your funeral, but yes. I agree to the marriage, and I wish you both the best of luck in future.”
Breathing easier, Memphis relaxed. Turning to his friends, he nodded. “Thanks guys. I really appreciate the assist. Mark, ride with me. We’re going to see the Scorpions.”
“Uh, say what now?”
“Get your f*****g bike because my best friend better not let me do this on my own. You better have my six, Markus. You can be replaced,” Memphis snarled.
Backing up, Markus realized that his friend meant business. That Memphis wanted him at his back was nothing new, but the reason wasn’t something he wanted to follow. “I really don’t see how her being knocked up-”
Declan pinned the teen to the wall. “To live or not to live. The choice is yours, but don’t you ever say s**t that makes my little sister sound like she’s some sidewalk w***e. Do you understand me, Scrapper?”
“Ye-yes, Sir,” the boy squeaked in terror. Glancing at his best friend, he understood that Memphis was in a relationship for the long haul and there was nothing he could do about it. “Okay, yeah. I’ll be on your six, man. You can count on me.”
Leaving the house, the boys made it to the clubhouse in record time. Stomping up the stairs, Memphis threw open the door.
Behind him, Markus watched as he noted how his friend walked in like he owned the place. “Are you sure this is safe?”
“Safe? Mark, c’mon, man. I’m safer here than practically anywhere else in the city. See, the thing is, I’m Kenni’s Old Man while we’re together, so that means I got just as much pull as the Prez herself.” Memphis replied.
Ignoring the looks the other people were giving him, Memphis moved to the meeting room door. Banging on it, he opened the door only to walk into an in-progress meeting. Several people glared, scowling at the intrusion that would normally have them pointing weapons at the young man’s head. Keith smirked, his head bobbing slightly as he settled next to his father.
He knew, but he wasn’t saying a damn word before Memphis was able to break the news.
“To what do we owe the honour?” Ryland asked as he got to his feet.
Memphis met his gaze, his hardened brown eyes challenging the room of men. “First to make a move against me or my buddy here gets a free bullet to the head. Ry, we gotta talk. It’s about your niece.”
Blinking, the man nodded. He knew that, somewhere down the line, the two lovebirds would be happy together. That was the reason he didn’t care about the boy’s background. “Kitchen.”
“Sure,” Memphis replied. “Mark, keep a lid on it.”
“I got you.”
Leaving with the Elder, Memphis ran over the words in his head one more time. There was time to call it a day, but, like Kennedy, he didn’t half-ass his tasks. This was one that required finesse and persistence. Two things he had an abundance of. Standing against the island in the center of the room, he sighed as Ryland poured himself a drink.
“So, what’s going on? You don’t normally come here without my girl,” Ryland said.
What could he possibly say that wouldn’t have him eating lead?
“I came alone because I got a big question for you. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I didn’t really think this through, but I can’t let her go. Not after the news we got Friday past.”
Ryland smirked, shaking his head as he poured another shot. “She’s pregnant, ain’t she? Had a similar talk with her daddy when he wanted to marry Melody, the girls’ mama. You wanna marry her, don’t you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I don’t need to worry about her with you, Memphis. I’m glad she’s safe and loved, and that’s really all Frank ever wanted for his daughters. You want my permission? You got it. I like your gumption, Slade. Hope to see more of it if she agrees to get stuck with you. Just one thing,” Ryland said.
Frowning, Memphis couldn’t figure out what the man would want from him. “What’s that?”
Ryland handed over an envelope. “That’s her daddy’s legal stuff. She only got to sign it to complete the takeover, then everything he owned is hers. I want you to take it to her, get her to sign it, then bring it back to me. Once you do that, I’ll give you something real special that you can give her.”
“Do I want to know?”
The much older man gave him a half-hearted smile, “Her mama’s engagement ring. The same one that Francis put on Mel’s finger. Get that done for me, and the ring is yours to give to her. Been holding onto it since she was a babe. A promise I made to the original Queen of the Scorpions.”
“I don’t want to trigger her, but that’s actually perfect because I haven’t picked one out yet. We only found out about her condition at Phoenix’s wedding,” Memphis explained.
“Do right by her, Memphis, and I can promise that the MC will remain loyal to it’s new King.” Ryland whispered. “Get gone, now.”
Watching the two young men leave, Ryland wiped the stray tear that fell from his eyes. Turning to Belladonna, he said, “Looks like that intuition of yours was dead on again.”
“Ain’t no foolin’ a Slade, Bonbon,” the woman replied. “Memphis has got values. A real little family man that boy is.”
Smiling, he pulled the woman closer, “All I want is to see her happy.”
- Writer
