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“The neighbour told us about your brother, Nathaniel,” the other officer says.
Luna’s head snaps up, and I pull her into my side a little harder. “What about him?” I ask.
“We were wondering where he is. The neighbour gave us his number, and we were trying to get hold of him last night to tell him the news. He said Nathaniel was next of kin being the oldest?”
“Luna has nothing to do with him,” I snap. “He’s a twat.”
“I can try and get hold of him,” says Luna quietly, “but I doubt he’ll answer me. I’ll probably have to leave a message.”
“The neighbour said Nathaniel lived with your mother. We checked the flat and there was no sign of him. The fire was contained to the bedroom.”
“He was always in and out of her life. He’s into drugs,” Luna explains. “He was her pimp.”
The officers raise their eyebrows. “So, you can see why Luna has nothing to do with him,” I say.
“Again, we’re sorry for your loss. If you have any questions, the coroner has the body.” The officer hands a card over with a telephone number on it. “They’ll contact you when the body is released for the funeral.”
I show them out, and when I return, Luna is kneading dough. “You stopped singing,” I point out, leaning in the doorway.
“A fire,” she whispers, bringing her eyes to mine. “Was she awake?” I give my head a shake. “I want to hate her,” she eventually adds, “but it’s hard. Harder than I thought it would be.”
“She didn’t suffer,” I say, “and it wasn’t a choice, Luna. She was a risk to us all. She would’ve held that over us and tried to put the blame on either you or the club. We couldn’t risk it.”
She nods, keeping her eyes fixed on the dough. “I know, just it would’ve been nice to have a heads up.”
I move closer and place my hands over hers, stilling them. “They needed to see an honest reaction, Lu. But you did great back there.”
“It’s why you smelled of smoke,” she murmurs, her eyes filling with tears. “And it’s another thing you did for me.” A tear escapes down her cheek, and I catch it on the pad of my thumb, brushing it over her soft skin.
“I keep messing shit up, Luna. I was looking at you all wrong. I’d do anything for you and Ivy. Anything at all.”
“I’m not ready for anything,” she whispers.
“I know,” I reassure her. “And even if you were, I don’t deserve you. Not until I’ve made things right between us.”
“After everything you’ve done,” she says, a sob catching in her throat, “I owe you so much.”
“No,” I say firmly. “I didn’t do any of this for favours, Lu. You don’t owe me. I treated you like crap and then tried to make you feel like you weren’t good enough. But you are. You’re more than.” I place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “We’ll take it slow.”
LUNA
When Grizz suggested beer and bread, I didn’t think it would work, but I was so wrong. We’re already a month into the trial, and the customers are coming in especially for the bread. The smell drags people in from the street, and we’re always packed out on the three nights we offer it.
I place the last loaf to cool and wipe my hands on the towel. “Are you ready?” I glance up to find Grizz in the doorway. He looks handsome in a black suit, even without his kutte.
I give a nod and inhale a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “Ready than I’ll ever be.”
He holds out a hand, and I take it. Nothing’s happened between us apart from a few fleeting moments where he’s almost kissed me but never quite executed it. We’ve even survived shared parenting with Ivy, and although she still sleeps in Grizz’s room, he hasn’t made me feel pushed out.
We drive in silence to the church. It’s only ten minutes up the road, but I’m wearing heels and I didn’t fancy the walk. When I met the vicar to discuss my mum’s funeral last week, I opted for no fuss and a late cremation.
When I step from the car, it’s almost dusk. I fold my arms over my chest and stare up at the beautiful building. “You okay?” asks Grizz, coming to my side and placing an arm around my shoulders. I give a slight nod, and we proceed to the church.
It’s cold inside. I chose not to have flowers as this funeral is already costing a fortune, and quite honestly, I don’t think she deserved flowers. But now, as I look around the church, it seems empty without them.
The cardboard coffin is placed at the front and the vicar rushes up the aisle to greet me. We shake hands, and he does the same with Grizz. “Shall we start?” he asks.
I take a seat in the front pew, and Grizz slides in beside me. The vicar takes his place at the front and clears his throat, just as the church doors open. I turn, watching as Axel and Lexi step inside, followed by London, Duchess, Verity, and all the other club girls. A smile pulls at my lips when the rest of The Chaos Demons file inside, all filling the pews behind me. Lexi places a hand on my shoulder. “We didn’t want you to do this alone,” she whispers. “We’re your family.”
