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CHAPTERSIX
Lost Without You
GRIM
Hudson leans forward in his seat and grabs the last slice of garlic bread from the plate situated between us on the table. His cooking skills over the past couple of years have improved, and tonight’s spaghetti bolognese is actually quite tasty.
“Thanks for this,” I say, leaning back in my chair and popping the top button of my jeans, relaxed in the knowledge that we’re at his flat and I can let it all hang out. “I’m so full.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies around a mouthful of garlic bread. “It’s just as well Max and Bryce have gone out tonight, otherwise they’d have probably demolished it all before you even got here.”
“Out partying again?” I ask, grabbing my glass of red wine and taking a sip.
“Fucking. They’re out fucking.”
“They’re getting quite the reputation,” I remark, rolling my eyes. “Those two are horny bastards. I’m pretty sure they’ve shagged half the strippers at Nine Lives.”
“Yeah, and the rest.”
“It’s a miracle they’ve got enough energy to get up in the morning to go to work with you.”
Hudson smirks. “Believe me, those two arseholes get a rude awakening every morning at seven am sharp. I don’t care how late they’ve been up or if they’ve still got a woman in bed. They know the score. What we're building together will only succeed if they’re giving a hundred percent too.”
“And are they giving a hundred percent?”
“Yeah, to be fair they are. Once on the job they’re all in, so I can’t begrudge them their downtime.”
“How close are you to finishing?” I ask, referring to the renovation of the two terrace houses they bought just three months ago.
“Almost done. We’ve got the electrics going in at the end of the week, and then we can plaster the walls, fit the kitchen and bathroom, and decorate. We’ll put them up for sale the second the paint has dried.”
“And Building Hope?” I ask, referring to the charity he and his brothers set up last year for kids in care.
“Going well,” he replies, humble as usual.
Truth is their charity has made a difference for hundreds of kids in care already, and it’s a passion he and his brothers are wholly behind. They set it up wanting to help kids who were like them, forgotten, often misunderstood, and I’ve never been more proud of them than I am right now. Sometimes when I think about how different our lives are, it’s hard for me to feel worthy of his friendship. I’m a criminal after all, and he’s… He’s a really good man. But Hudson has never made me feel less for who I am, and neither have Bryce or Max.
“I’m really proud of you, you know,” I say, my heart squeezing as I’m reminded of Beast saying the very same thing to me just two nights ago.
Admittedly, it feels good to have some recognition for all your hard work, and I don’t say it often enough to Hudson. Carter might’ve been wrong about a lot of things, but he was right about my best friend. He’s been single-minded in his determination to build an empire, and over the past two years, Hudson, Bryce and Max have been doing exactly that by buying flats and houses no one wants, doing them up and flipping them for a profit. Each time they invest in a new, bigger project, doing most of the work themselves, and not only that, they’ve funded their own charity with the profits. No three men work harder than the Freed brothers, and I know they’re going places. I can feel it.
“Thanks,” he replies, his cheeks heating. Hudson takes compliments about as well as I do. Which isn’t all that well.
“And what about you? Have you found someone yet?” I ask, changing the subject.
Hudson places the half-eaten garlic bread on his plate and shakes his head. “No.”
“Why not? It can’t be all work and no play.”
“Coming from the woman who never stops working.”
I give him a half smile. “You’ve got a point there…”
My voice trails off as I stare at my empty plate, momentarily distracted by thoughts of Beast, my father, the King and Christy. Beneath the cool exterior I’ve perfected, I’m a fucking mess. I’m off my game and if I don’t sort this shit out soon, people are going to start to notice. There’s no place for weakness in my line of work.
“Grim, do you want to talk about the elephant in the room, or are we just going to pretend that you didn’t come here tonight to offload about the fact that Beast has returned?”
I snap my gaze back up to meet Hudson’s. He saw me at my worst those first few months after I sent Beast away, and despite me not wanting to get him involved, turning back up at the club an hour after I shot Beast meant that he was as complicit in the events of that night as I was. That worries me most of all. If anyone ever found out, all that he and his brothers have built will come crashing down. I’m determined never to let that happen.
