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Chapter Fifty Four
Bray
It’s been a few days, and we still haven’t heard anything from the police. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but Blair wakes up in a better mood, thank fuck. She’s still determined to live her life as normally as possible, and I refuse to be the asshole who keeps her inside just to make us feel better. That doesn’t mean we will leave her side or let her take stupid risks, though, not that she would. She’s too fucking smart for that, but if she felt like it would stop him and protect us, she would do pretty much anything—hence us practically being tied to her at the hip.
“So what are we doing today?” she asks after hanging up with Faye. She is still staying at Jay’s compound, and she’s okay, though unhappy about ‘being in biker dick jail,’ as she calls it.
“What do you want to do, Darling?” I inquire, sipping my coffee.
She tilts her head in thought. “Something fun.”
“Fun, huh?” Asher grins.
“Not that kind of fun.” She laughs and then purses her lips. “No, I know.” She leans in. “I want to do something meaningful. Asher showed me his art, Cyrus his spot... Bray, I want to know something no one else does. Something no one else sees of Crew. There’s so much more than the rich pricks who run drugs, so show me.”
Swallowing hard, I share a look with Asher who encourages me with a nod. “I need to finish her bike. Go, show her.”
“Yes, show me,” she begs with big eyes and a pout.
“Okay,” I agree softly before clearing my throat. “Go get ready.”
“Yay! Thank you.” She leaps up and kisses me before rushing off to get dressed.
I text my friend to make sure it’s okay for me to bring her, and when she agrees, I get my shoes and coat on. Blair comes bouncing back, and I take her hand as she says goodbye to the others before we head out. We take her car, and I give her directions as she drives. She side-eyes me as we move from the city to the big, old-style houses. I don’t explain as we pull up to a wrought iron gate with a silver sign and call box. The house towers before us with a luscious landscape surrounding it, including an apple grove, cherry trees, and an outdoor swimming pool. There is a space for yoga and an outside gym that extends inside. It is its own community, having everything they need here so they don’t have to go out into the world if they don’t want to.
“Bray, where are we?” she queries, eyeing the gates that swing open with a buzz and then meeting my gaze.
“You wanted to see something real, well, this is real. This is us. This is the very thing we did with the money we earned. We bought this place and made it safe and nice for them.”
“For whom?” she presses as we pull up in front of the house.
We stop before the giant country manor. The old brick is aged but still beautiful, with custom murals surrounding the pointed roof and huge, white windows. The covered entryway is filled with chairs, providing a perfect place to watch the world go by. I turn to see her staring too. It truly is one of a kind. We were lucky to fall upon the listing, and like the people who call it home, all it needed was some love and attention.
Just then, the door opens, and Mary, the older plump lady who runs this house, stands in the entryway with a wide smile on her face. She’s carefree, happy, unlike the first time we met.
Turning off the engine, I look at her with a smile. “Why don’t you come and see?” I get out and jog to Mary, who grabs me in a hug.
“Bray! We missed you!” she exclaims and pushes me away a bit. “Let me look at you. Your hair is getting long, boy,” she teases.
“My girl likes it like that,” I reply.
“Girl? You finally got a girlfriend? Where is she?” she demands, and I turn to the side to let her see Blair as she climbs out of the car. She has her hand above her eyes to shield the sunlight, which illuminates her like the goddess she is. I hold out my hand as Mary gasps.
“My God, boy, she’s beautiful.”
“Smart too,” I brag as Blair approaches, and I take her hand and turn to Mary. “Mary, this is Blair. Blair, this is Mary. She’s the mum of this house and sometimes us.”
“Oh shush, you.” She smacks my arm playfully. “He’s too kind, I just like to make sure they are okay after everything they did for us.” She embraces Blair, surprising her. “Come on, my girl, let’s get you a drink and you can tell me everything about how you finally made this one calm down.”
Blair grins and heads inside with her. “More like the other way around.”
I hear Mary giggle, and I can’t help but grin. Knowing Blair fits in here makes me so happy. This is my secret, my softness I don’t let anyone see. It was originally my idea. Cyrus helped with construction and finances, Asher with the layouts and décor, and I found her.
Mary, the woman who started it all.
She’s a survivor, like Blair.
I hear the laughter and chatter of the other girls as we head into the huge entryway. We take a corridor next to the spiral staircase, the original restored tiled floor warm under our feet as we head deeper into the house and into the huge kitchen. It’s big enough for everyone, since we wanted it to be the heart of the house. It has three fridges, four cookers, enough appliances to feed an army, and two huge picnic style tables at the back of the room, which face the open French doors that lead out into the massive backyard and lands. It also features the house’s original fireplace and other elements that really make you comprehend how much history these walls hold. There’s no one in here at the moment, but there are homemade cakes on display on the table with lemonade next to them.
