Chapter 17

Seventeen

Fletch

" Y ou want to blackmail the Chief of Police?" Grizz repeats, smirking in Axel's direction.

"What choice do I have?" I ask.

"You could just not do it," says Axel with a laugh.

"He's right, brother, have you lost your mind?"

"What if this was Elsie?" I demand. "Wouldn't you want to be on her birth certificate?"

"It's different," he argues. "I could add mine because hers was aboveboard. How the fuck will you get Ruby's changed without causing a shitstorm?"

"The same way he did it—illegally."

"He must know someone," adds Axel thoughtfully. "If he doesn't, we do."

"First of all, are you claiming the copper?" asks Grizz.

"She's not a copper anymore," I tell him. "She quit today at their request."

"Fuck," mutters Axel. "How she take that?"

"Not great, but we have other matters to sort."

"You should know we took a vote on accepting Gemma into the club," Axel tells me.

I nod, not telling him that Nyx already filled me in. "And?"

"And if it's what you want, she's in."

I give a nod. "Okay. So, let's sort this first and I'll decide."

Grizz fist bumps me, probably relieved he can relax now I won't be looking at his old lady. "Let's go and pay him a visit."

"You booked us in to see him?" I ask, glaring at Axel.

He grins, nodding. "How brazen, right?"

"Or stupid," I mutter as we approach the front desk of the police station.

"We have an appointment with Mark Stone," Axel announces proudly.

The officer looks us up and down warily before picking up the telephone to inform Gemma's father of our arrival. "How did you even get us an appointment?" asks Grizz.

"I called his secretary," says Axel like it's the most normal thing in the world. "Don't tell Lexi, but we had a thing a few years back. She worked for the Chief of Police before Mark, and probably the one before him."

"Fuck, how old is his secretary?" I ask.

The officer buzzes the side door open and instructs us to come through. He meets us the other side and leads us along the corridor. An older woman stands to greet us, fixing her eyes on Axel with a small smile pulling on her glossed lips. "He'll be right out," she tells us just as the office door opens and Gemma's father glares at us.

"Step in here," he barks, and we file through like naughty schoolboys.

He slams the door and goes behind his desk. "Is this a joke?" he asks.

"You tell me," I counter. "Ruby certainly doesn't think so."

He scoffs. "That's what this is about? Ruby?"

"I want my name on the birth certificate," I tell him, and he laughs, "and Gemma's."

"Impossible."

"Find a way," I tell him firmly.

"Not a chance," he spits, glaring at me. "Now, get the hell out."

"I don't think you understand," I say, pulling out the second copy of the sex tape. He stares at it warily. "Of course, we made copies," I confirm with a smirk.

"I can see the headlines now," says Axel, staring off into space. "Chief of Police's police officer daughter in sex scandal with suspected criminals the Met were investigating."

Grizz laughs too. "Or London's Met police sleeping with the enemy."

"Good one," says Axel, and they fist bump.

"You neanderthals," spits Mark. "It's Gemma's face that will be out there."

Axel smirks. "Not just her face."

"How about, Chief of Police steals vulnerable teenage daughter's baby?" I suggest, placing my hands on the desk and fixing him with a stare. "I don't care how you do it, but you will change that birth certificate because we have enough shit to throw your way."

He leans back in his chair. "I did you a favour," he says. "She had the best education, the best upbringing, all the things you could never have offered her. And now, you want to rip her away from all she's known and raise her in your clubhouse?" His laugh is mocking, and it instantly pisses me off. I clench my fist, and Axel spots it, shaking his head in my direction as a warning not to smash it into his face.

"I don't care if we shame your daughter," Axel announces, heading for the door. "She isn't our concern. But we will release that tape and everything else we know if you don't sort it by this time tomorrow."

Gemma

My father is raging. I can hear his footsteps as he paces his office. "Is this what you want?" he yells. "To embarrass me?"

"I didn't know he was going to go to your office," I repeat.

"He doesn't care about you," he shouts, "He said as much. He's willing to send that tape to the news outlets. Everyone will see what you did."

"Then change the birth certificate," I argue.

"And then what? He'll use that tape over and over."

"He won't," I tell him. "I'll get the tape and destroy it. I don't want this out there any more than you do," I reassure him. "Just change the birth certificate."

I disconnect right as Fletch enters with Axel and Grizz. They're laughing about something, so he's too distracted to see my hand as it sails towards him, slapping his cheek so hard that my palm instantly burns.

"How fucking dare you?" I scream, not caring when he wraps a hand around my neck and forces me against the wall. His face is red with anger, and his eyes are burning into mine as Axel tries to pull him from me. "Give me the tape. Every last copy," I demand.

"Not happening," he spits, gripping my throat harder.

"You're gonna sell me out again to get what you want," I cry. Axel manages to pull Fletch from me and puts himself between us. "You're gonna ruin me again," I say, this time letting the tears flow. "You fucking wanker." I rush upstairs to my bedroom, slamming the door extra hard.

Ten minutes pass before there's a light knock on the door. "Go away."

"Will you at least let me explain?" asks Fletch. I pull the door open, and he leans on the door frame while I drop back on my bed and stare at the ceiling. "He'll change the birth certificate. The tape won't get out there."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will."

"But if he doesn't?" I yell.

"We'll deal with that if it happens. I have other shit on him, Gem."

"Don't fucking ‘Gem' me," I spit. "Not right now, when I'm so mad at you."

"You've spent half your life being mad at me," he retorts. "When will that end?"

"Maybe when you grow the fuck up."

He rolls his eyes. "Cos you're handling all of this so well."

I sit up. "I wanted to set you up," I admit. "Okay, there, I said it. When I raided your club and saw you in bed with that slapper, I thought, he hasn't changed. He's still the fuck boy who broke my heart and he deserves to suffer for putting me through everything he did. I was angry you walked away, okay, and I know you didn't know about Ruby, so I shouldn't be mad, but I am, and I can't help it. But there was also intelligence on your club, okay, and I wanted to take all the drugs off the streets. I was doing my job."

"You tried to entrap me," he states.

"Yes," I say, nodding. "But it didn't work because you were also lying. You were trying to keep me close to find out what I knew. You made me think there was something between us. We're as bad as each other."

"How do we move forward?"

"We don't."

"For Ruby," he adds.

I sigh. "We forgive each other for what we did."

He thinks over my words. "Can you move past it?"

I shrug. "Can you?"

"Maybe."

"Then let's agree to at least try."

He gives a nod and steps farther into the room. "I read your diary," he admits, and I frown. "The one in Ruby's memory box." I relax slightly. I'd kept a diary of all the things she did or said that I found funny. "I'm glad you kept all that stuff."

"Me too."

"Let's go out for dinner," he suggests. "Me, you, and Ruby."

I bite on my lower lip. I don't have to hide from the public any longer, but it still feels strange. "Okay."

Fletch found a nice place that catered to Ruby's specific request of a gourmet burger. And as we all sit, it feels right, like this is how it was always supposed to be, and again, I'm hit with the guilt that I let my father take her from me.

"So, what's your plan?" asks Ruby, and I arch a brow, not having a clue what she's referring to. "What will you do for work?"

"Oh." I take a drink. I haven't given it as much thought as I should have. "No idea."

"Do you have savings to help pay the bills until you find something?" asks Fletch.

I nod. "But they won't last long. Maybe I can speak to my father and ask again for a transfer?"

"For a job you never wanted to do?" asks Fletch. "You don't seem sad you lost it."

I shrug. "I don't feel sad."

"So, why continue? You didn't get your father's approval, which is why you did it."

"He's right. A career change is exactly what you need," Ruby agrees.

"I don't have any idea what else I'm good at," I argue. "I've put everything into this career."

"Take some time," suggests Fletch.

"Speaking of jobs," says Ruby, glancing at Fletch, "Dad said I could help in the garage on Saturdays . . . just in the office," she adds.

I frown at her using the term ‘dad' when she's only just met Fletch. It sounds odd, but he doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he beams in delight. "You're a little young," I argue.

"Come on, Gem, a Saturday job might do her good after all that private schooling."

"What will happen with that?" asks Ruby.

Sadness hits me again. Ruby's life will change so much already, and now, she'll have to start all over again at a new school, making new friends. "I don't think Mark will continue to pay," I admit. "And I don't know if I can afford the fees."

"I'll cover it," says Fletch without missing a beat. I begin to shake my head in protest, but he holds a hand up. "She can't leave the place because of us, especially when she's got friends and a life there. I'll cover it."

"And will I stay living with you?" she asks, looking in my direction.

"Yes."

"Unless she can't get a job and cover her mortgage, then you'll stay at the clubhouse."

Ruby's eyes widen. "Oh my god, can I?"

"No," I snap, glaring at him.

"You think I'd see my daughter on the streets?"

Ruby smirks. "You guys are already arguing like real parents. It's so cool."

After dinner, Fletch insists we head back to the clubhouse. Ruby already loves it there, so I don't really get a say, and as we step inside, she's met by various bikers who fist bump her in greeting like she's always been a part of the club. It's sweet to see, and for a minute, I almost forget who these men are and what they're capable of.

"You shouldn't say things like that in front of Ruby," I whisper to Fletch. "We need to discuss living arrangements before you offer promises."

He shrugs. "If you lose your house, she'll be here with me. There's nothing to discuss."

"I won't lose my house," I snap. "But even if I did, I'd sort Ruby, not you."

"Yah know, an easy solution would be you both just move in here with me."

I frown, then laugh. He doesn't join me. "You're serious?"

"Why not?"

I scoff, and my mouth opens and closes a few times, trying to think of what to say. In the end, all I can come up with is, "No."

"I missed out on so much with Ruby. I don't want to miss any more."

"Jesus, Fletch, you didn't even want kids."

"But then I discovered I had one."

"And now, you want to be father of the bloody year, paying her school fees, giving her a place to live."

He sighs. "Yah know, I'm being polite by asking. If I have to fight for her, I will, and then the offer won't be extended to you."

"Great," I mutter. "Our truce lasted a couple hours. I'm sick of men bullying me into making decisions so they get what they want."

"Hi, Gemma." I turn to find Luna smiling. "I have a surprise for you."

My frown deepens, but before I can question her, she grabs my hand and leads me outside and round to the back of the clubhouse. I stare wide-eyed at the bright flowerpots. "What's this?" I ask.

"I love flowers," she says, "and when Fletch said you wanted to open a shop before, it got me thinking about this empty space out here." She crouches down and sniffs a tulip. "I had Grizz dig over these beds for me, and today, I got all these plants."

I run my eyes over the pots and smile. "You must've spent a fortune."

"Maybe you can help me?"

"With?"

She laughs. "Planting them in the beds. It's hardly a shop's worth, but I'd love to have them in The Bar and at The Zen Den." I glance back in the direction we just came from. "What else are you doing right now, apart from arguing with Fletch?"

I give a shrug, and she hands me a set of gardening gloves. I smile, taking them. "Thanks."

"I've never seen him so serious," she tells me, grabbing some pots and moving them over to one of the empty flower beds. "He's usually a flirt or fooling around. Since you, he's been more serious."

"Great, now, I make him miserable," I mutter.

She grins. "That's not what I'm saying. I think you make him happy. He wants to be a better man for you."

"What yah doing?" We both turn at the sound of Lexi's voice.

"Planting. You want to help?" asks Luna, standing to grab another pair of gloves. She throws them to Lexi, who eyes me suspiciously as she pulls them on. "I was just telling Gemma how Fletch seems a lot more serious these days."

"He's had to suddenly grow up after finding out about his kid," she mutters, arching a judgemental brow.

"Hey," says Luna, frowning, "it's not easy to tell a brooding biker he's a dad."

"Sorry," Lexi mumbles, grabbing a small trowel.

Luna smiles at me. "I didn't tell Grizz either. Not right away."

"You didn't tell anyone you'd even had a baby," adds Lexi.

"I couldn't face the rejection," she admits, and there's a vulnerability in her eyes.

"So, what was your reason?" asks Lexi, beginning to move the dirt into a pile.

I'm not sure I'm ready to open up to these women, but something tells me I should because winning them over will help me win over Fletch. I almost laugh to myself. Why the hell do I want to win him after everything? I give my head a shake. "My father convinced me to give Ruby up. I wasn't very confident back then. I'm still not, really," I add, almost as an afterthought. "And I'd found Fletch with . . ." They stare at me, waiting. "He was with my best friend."

"Oh shit," mutters Luna, wincing.

"He's not the most loyal," adds Lexi, and I stare down at the tulips in my hand.

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that."

"He's changed," argues Luna. "You're not being fair," she adds, giving Lexi a pointed look. "I think he just struggles to open up, and until he does, he'll keep fucking up so he doesn't have to face things."

"I don't know anything about him," I admit. "He never spoke of his life when he was younger."

"Didn't he end up in care?" asks Lexi.

Luna nods. "He doesn't talk about it, not even to the guys."

I frown, remembering the file I dug up on Fletch. What the hell did I do with it? I make a mental note to look when I get home because I definitely had it there last.

"Well, maybe he'll open up now," says Lexi. "He seems into you."

I scoff. "He hates me, and right now, I'm not his biggest fan either. I lied about Ruby, and he set me up."

"You came for him first," says Lexi, shrugging. "All's fair in love and war, right?"

"How can you even justify what he's done?" I ask, dropping the tulips into the planter. "I've lost my job, my career."

Lexi frowns. "You knew the risks."

"But nobody would've known had he not made a tape."

"There's a tape?" asks Luna, but neither of us reply because we're both in an intense stare-off. "What's on it?"

"He had to protect the club," Lexi says.

"And what about me?" I snap. "I thought he liked me, and all along, he was playing me."

"Weren't you doing the same?" she demands. "The audacity to sit here complaining about what he did when you were doing the exact same."

"Do you even remember what it was like before the club?" I snap. "Do you remember what being a police officer stood for?"

She gives a nod. "Yes, but I also remember what it felt like to be used. They get you in and pretend you're part of the ‘blue lights family' but it's bullshit. They didn't give a crap about putting me in danger."

"You could've said no."

"They should never have put me in the position they did. Look how quickly they dropped you just so they didn't have to explain the fuck-up. All they care about is their reputation."

"I wanted this time to be peaceful," mutters Luna. "Why are you arguing when you're both in the same boat? You fell in love."

I scowl. "I did not."

"We're not alike," Lexi adds, like she's disgusted to be compared to me.

I smirk. "You're right. I never broke the law for the club." She scoffs, shaking her head. "What?" I ask. "I didn't."

"Right, of course."

"I tipped him off, it's not the same."

"You still broke the law by doing that, and you carried drugs."

I stare wide-eyed. "I did not."

She grins. "Axel has a picture that says otherwise."

"What?" I gasp, pushing to stand.

"That's enough," snaps Luna. "Lexi, go inside, you're out of order."

"What picture? I didn't move drugs."

Lexi also stands, pulling off her gloves and dropping them to the ground. "Forget it." She begins to head back inside, but I rush after her.

"No, I won't forget it. What picture?"