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“You scrapped my idea?” Lexi asked, sounding hurt. “So, what, you were just doing it to keep me quiet?”
“Of course not, Mouse. He’s just pissed I won’t let him go on a rampage.”
“You’re a prick, yah know that?” she spits, storming off.
“Great, thanks for that,” he growls, shoving me hard. “Throwing me under the bus won’t make me give in. You stay the fuck away from Nate, am I clear?” I stare at him, anger radiating from me. “Are we fucking clear, VP?” he roars.
“Yes, Pres,” I spit, storming off.
LUNA
I wake with a start to find Grizz standing over me. I scoot away, confused by his angry glare, and he immediately steps back, showing me he isn’t here to hurt me. “What are you doing in here?” he asks.
I look around, remembering I snuck into my old room, the one I shared with Ivy, while he was in church. I must have fallen asleep. I push to sit up and realise I’m still clutching Ivy’s blanket. “It smells of her,” I whisper, staring at it. “I just needed to smell her.”
He gives a stiff nod and takes a seat in the rocking chair. “We need to talk about what happens next.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t want you alone with Ivy at all.”
My heart breaks some more. “I’m her mother, Grizz. I’ve been raising her alone all this time.”
“And a fine job you did of that,” he mutters, rubbing at his forehead. “I just can’t work out why you didn’t tell me.”
“So, now, you’re going to punish me and keep me away from my daughter.”
He fixes his angry eyes on me. “Our daughter, and you didn’t seem to mind keeping me away.”
“Only I didn’t, did I? You were in her life.”
“But not as her fucking dad,” he yells. “I’m not punishing you, Luna. I’m keeping Ivy safe.”
“You heard Becki, she said I can be alone with her for short periods. I’m not a risk to my own daughter,” I cry, tears of frustration falling.
“And she also said Ivy is being put into my care. So, while she’s in my care, I get to make the decisions. You’re not to be alone with her. You’ll work in The Bar for me and get your life together. And then I want you out of here.”
My heart twists. “I’m getting her back,” I whisper. “This isn’t a permanent thing.”
He sneers. “You really believe that, don’t you? Your life is a fucking mess. Just look at your mum and the support you don’t have. You’ll end up just like her.”
I get up from the bed. “You’re wrong,” I mutter, leaving the room.
I head downstairs and straight for the bar. “Whiskey,” I mutter, taking a seat. Smoke pours me half a tumbler, and I take it gratefully, drinking half down and wincing as it burns my throat.
“Careful there. That stuff’s the real shit, not that watered-down crap you get in bars nowadays.” Cooper sits beside me and orders the same. I drink the rest and hold up my glass for a top-up. Grizz’s words are swimming in my head, and I can’t help but think he’s right. The self-doubt is too strong to ignore.
“Yah know,” Coop adds, sipping his own drink, “whatever it is, you won’t find it at the bottom of a bottle.”
I sigh heavily. “You sure, Coop? How do you know?”
“Cos I’ve been there,” he tells me. “And I’ve also witnessed it. Drinking your problems away won’t get you the end result.”
“It’s not the drink that’ll stop me seeing my baby girl, it’s Grizz.”
“And you’re just gonna let him?” he asks, swirling his drink around in the glass.
“He’ll fight me. I can’t afford lawyers and court costs. She’s already been removed from my care—the courts will side with him over me.”
