Trial By Fire - Bouncing Back, Book 1

Thirty-Three

Memphis got to the car as soon as it pulled to a stop. Yanking the rear passenger door open, he gently lifted Kennedy into his arms bridal-style, thanking his father and cousin before bringing his wife into the manor. “I got you, Ken.”

As soon as his feet hit the carved stone steps, Declan was with him. His stance was calm, but the aura coming off him said the man was dangerously close to losing his temper. Memphis handed Kennedy over, "Take her upstairs to pack, please?”

“What about your grandfather, uncle, and cousin?”

Shaking his head, a lethal light suffocating all traces of respect and hope, Memphis said, “He put my wife and child in danger, Declan. I'll never forgive this slight. Letting them live is the extent of my mercy, but I am going to put them through the worst kind of hell."

Raising his brow, Declan wisely didn't say anything more. He knew exactly how bad they could get because he was their lead trainer. He’d pushed all their buttons as children while getting to know every little quirk each member of Phoenix’s team had.

"Zut! That was not how I was hoping the day would go," Bella said, nursing her hand as she walked past the men. "I wanted to show my Queen a good time, and I end up beating the s**t out of a homewrecker."

Declan blinked in confusion, “What did I miss?”

"Bella giving Charmaine a bloody makeover," Thomas replied.

Snorting a laugh, the auburn-haired man said, “Good.”

By the time they got inside, Richard was struggling to get out of Memphis’s grasp. Memphis sneered, landing a blow to his cousin's stomach. Richard gasped as the breath left his body.

Storming upstairs, Bella went to give Kennedy a hand to pack her things. A few minutes later, they returned with suitcases in tow.

"Dad, Memphis, I'll be waiting in the car," Kennedy said as she vanished through the front door.

Thomas said nothing as he tried to wrap his head around what she’d called him. It cemented the fact that she saw him as family and cared enough to defend him when she really didn’t need to. Then again, he knew deep down that it was her personality.

Marigold ran into the room, her face sickly pale as she went to the young woman. Pleading, she asked, "Where are you going, Kennedy? I thought you would stay a few more days. Please, don’t go. I’ve missed my son and grandson, and you’re such a breath of fresh air, sweetheart. Maman and I don’t want you to cut your visit short, darling."

"I’m so sorry, Grand-mère, but Rick’s girlfriend came after me with her friends while I was out with Bella. If you want to see us and your great-grandchild, then you’re more than welcomed to visit us, but this is the last time I ever put my family’s happiness on the line for those three dunces," Kennedy explained. She shifted her eyes to her husband, "Memphis, I packed your stuff, too."

Releasing the man he had held against the wall, Memphis smiled at her, "Thanks, bébé.”

Darren sneered at her, "Better check the bags in case she stole anything."

You could have heard a pin drop from upstairs as Thomas punched his brother in the face. There were lines you just didn’t cross when it came to the next generation of the Veiðimenn, but Rick had crossed all of them when it came to Kenni.

Shaking her head, Tanisha held her daughter by the arm. Her eyes narrowed, the honey-brown darkening slightly. “Darren, your son sent his lover after Memphis’s wife, and that is something I can't forgive. Don’t even think about denying it. I overheard the conversation when Richarde said to give her what she deserved. Kennedy is with child for Heaven’s sake. Have some decency!"

Glaring, Darren fumed, "She doesn't belong in my family!"

Temperance, having heard enough, calmly stepped up to the man and slapped his face where Thomas had landed the hit. "For her, putting up with you was a small price to pay as long as Memphis got the wedding he wanted. I've had enough of you and your adult-sized infant calling my baby sister down to the dirt. Declan, come help me get the kids ready."

Breathing a deep sigh, he nodded as he followed his wife to get the children before going to their car. He knew when to pick his battles, and this was one he didn’t feel like fighting anyway. The only time his wife ever showed her temper was when she felt that her family had been wronged. When it came to her sister, she was just as vicious as if it were their children.

Thomas looked over at his mother. "Je suis désolé, Maman. It was a mistake to think things would be different this time around, but I tried anyway. The only reason we even came here was because Kennedy refused to give up on my son’s dream wedding."

Tanisha's eyes slid closed, her lip trembling. "Thomas... I wish to know your logic in keeping away for all this time."

He stopped, his eyes narrowing on his brother and father before he turned to his grandmother. "You want to know the real reason my wife left me? The real reason I didn’t come back with my boy? See, the truth is that she told me Darren said he would give her everything I couldn't. That he was going to pool their money and live in the Dominican Republic for the rest of their lives. Then she told me Memphis wasn't my son, but a DNA test fixed that lie. When she failed to convince me, she somehow managed to turn half the family against me with her lies of abuse. I never mistreated my ex-wife. Never."

Darren scoffed, "She wasn't supposed to tell you anything. Molly was just supposed to clean you out and leave, but you got smart about your personal assets. You stole everything from me when you were born, Thomas. Everything! I should have been the only child, but then Helena came along. That wasn’t enough, though. Oh no, Maman had to have you, didn't she?"

Someone cleared their throat, and everyone turned to face the door where Darren and Thomas’s father was standing with a coldness in his eyes. "Do you mean to say that all those things you and Molly said about him were nothing more than lies? Did I disown the wrong son?”

"You disowned Thomas?" Marigold shrieked angrily at her husband. "Is that why you burned the wedding invitations?"

Tanisha glared at Gavin, “You’ve neither the ability nor the right to make that decision. You are not of Slade blood, and the decision must be made by the current patriarch or matriarch of the family. Me.”

Not wanting to listen to them argue, Thomas turned to leave only to come face to face with his son. "What now?"

Memphis grinned, "Richard, this is your official notice. I'm suing you and Charmaine.”

Ricky scoffed as he struggled to his feet, "You have nothing on us."

"Don't I? How about child endangerment, attempted assault, false accusations, reckless endangerment of a pregnant woman, and slander? In any case, I'll see you in court," Memphis said as he turned and left the manor once more. Stopping, he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, Dad? Kenni convinced me to change my major, by the way."

"Did she now?" Thomas asked. Nodding, Memphis told his father that he was changing his major to Law, but that he was still going to take the Health and Fitness course he had his heart set on.

Gavin walked over to them, "Please, reconsider the lawsuit."

"No," Memphis snapped.

"I wasn't talking to you," the older man said.

Shrugging, Memphis snapped harshly, "It was my wife that was put in danger today. My child that could have been killed in the crossfire. You no longer get a say."

"Memphis, that's enough. Bella, where are you going?" Thomas asked in shock as he watched her roll her suitcase down the hall.

She jerked her thumb at the other three men, "If I have to stay in their presence a second longer, I'm going to commit completely to the idealism of murder."

"That little b***h made us look like fools in front of the whole family!" Rick snapped.

Bella smirked. "If you don't get a visit from the Mafia, you'll be lucky. As for making you look like fools? All she and Memphis did was tell the truth. As far as I am concerned, you got and will continue to get what you rightly deserve.”

Watching as they left, Tanisha narrowed her eyes on the three men. "The largest mafia in the country works closely with our family, making this a most unpleasant situation. Marigold, go reason with your son and let him know that I back them."

Torn between her marital promises and her maternal instincts, Marigold nodded. "Oui, Maman."

As soon as the other woman left, the Matron of the family turned back to the men and sighed, "Darren, my daughter adopted you when she married your father. He was not of a high-born family back then and your mother was a white woman who died of an overdose. You strut around, talking down about things you yourself were born of, but I have a cure for that. Now, since jealousy was your driving force, I shall remove the temptations I so generously gifted to you. Carlton!"

The butler walked out of the back of the house, a soft, knowing smile on his face. "Oui, Madame Tanisha?"

"My family did not survive slavery and witch-hunts only to be brought down by one of our own. From this day forward, Gavin, you and your heathen are no longer members of the Slade family. All of your accounts will be frozen, and property seized. Can you see that it's done, Carl?"

"As you wish, Madame," he replied.