Chapter 29

Destiny

I take a shuddering breath, expecting to feel shame at Taylan's declaration but it doesn't come. Mom and I are standing at the top of the stairs eavesdropping. She clutches my hand in hers and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I can already tell Taylan is winning her over but my dad clearly hates him.

"She isn't your concern! She is my daughter and I decide what is right for her." I flinch, Dad is being an overprotective asshole and I hate that he is talking about me like I am a child.

"She may be your child but she isn't a child ! She is a grown fucking woman and can make her own choices, stop treating her like she is made of fucking glass!" My heart swells hearing Taylan defend me. I know this is a hard position for him to be in since Kimber was one of his close friends and I hate to admit it, but I can understand why she wants him alive. I hate that I can empathize with her, but her child is innocent and only knows the good side of her father, not the monster he truly is.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" Dad roars. I snap my gaze to my mother with wide eyes, pleading for her to stop him.

"He needs to fight for you, baby, let him," she whispers. I frown but remain silent, needing to hear Taylan's answer. If he walks out, I won't let him back in again, he promised me he would stay and I need him to prove to me that he meant it.

"Not without her ." I close my eyes and smile, he's fighting for me.

"You are alone here, boy, my brother has told you to leave and unless you want to be thrown out, do as he says," Uncle B adds. Before they can push him out, I tear away from my mom and race down the stairs, all their heads turning toward me when I rush into the living room. I don't stop until I'm standing in front of Taylan. He tries to grab my waist and shift me out of the way, but I elbow him in the ribs earning a grunt and a growl from him.

"No one is going to touch him." I force strength into my tone as I look at each of my uncles and then settle on my father. "If he's leaving, then so am I."

Dad's face falls, Mom comes to stand beside him and places a hand on his back in silent support. His mouth opens but no words come out, a frown slowly mars his face when my mom begins to speak.

"No one is making anyone leave." My uncles all drop their gazes to the floor. "Here is how this is going to work. Destiny is going to take a few days to decide what she would like to happen with that cunt." I bite back my smile, my mom is a badass who can bring a room of men to their knees with just her words. "If any of you try to sway her or go against her wishes, I will call each of your wives." All five of my uncles snap their gazes to my mom in a panic.

"That's not fair!"

"Snitch!"

"They have nothing to do with this."

"I'm the Don!"

"You're a traitor!" All five of them shout. Mom walks to the center of the room with her back to me and Taylan while staring the others down.

"You all seem to think it's okay for you all to butt your noses into my family's business, so it seems only fair that I get the rest of the family involved. Want to try me and find out how far I am willing to go?" No one utters a single word. Mom slowly turns to my dad, who looks green and sheepish knowing he's about to get his ass handed to him. "If that boy leaves and takes my daughter with him, I will fucking destroy you, Gage Murdoch. Am I crystal fucking clear?" Dad cringes but nods. "Use your fucking words!"

Dad snaps his head up and shoots Taylan a glare before looking at my mom. "Yes, you are clear. Now, can we be excused so I can plan that boy's murder well enough that no one suspects it was me?" Taylan snorts out a laugh behind me and quickly coughs to cover it, while my father and uncles all shoot him death glares.

"No. It's late and you need to get to bed, and the rest of you need to get the fuck out of my house and home to your wives." My uncles all grumble their agreement and shoot my dad a glare.

"Oh, like any of you spineless fucks would stand up to your own wives!" Dad defends himself as my uncles file out of the room, muttering about how much of a bitch he is. Once the front door clicks shut, Mom turns to me and Tay, then smiles.

"You both must be exhausted?—"

"No, not really, we don't mind staying," Taylan says with humor clear in his tone. Mom shoots him a disapproving look.

"Go to bed, Taylan, before I change my mind and let my husband and brother-in-laws at you." Before his mouth can get us into more trouble, I grab his hand and lead him from the room so my dad can get yelled at in private. I kind of feel bad for him, I've been on the receiving end of Mom's verbal lashings a couple of times and they never end well.

Once we get inside my room, I lock the door and head straight for the bed, I am mentally and emotionally spent and need to sleep for a week. Taylan rids himself of his jeans, then switches the light off and climbs in beside me. The instant he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest, I sigh in contentment. His warmth seeps into my tired bones and I relish the feeling of having him here with me, it still kind of feels surreal that he is really here.

"Never leave your family for me," he says breaking the quiet moment. I remain silent, not sure how to answer that. "Your parents and extended family love you so much, don't ever think you are alone, Slayer, because they all have your back. They proved it tonight."

I smile against his chest, I know they love me and I am so grateful for how close my family is but they also need to learn boundaries. No one cared when the boys started dating but the minute Chanel started dating Kacey, Uncle Vin lost it. Royal and Uncle B both wanted to wipe out the Greeks when London started dating Artemis. Even Uncle Rook tried to kill Unique's boyfriend and staged it so it looked like a car accident.

"Then they better not make me choose because it would break my heart to say goodbye to them," I mutter sleepily.

"Slayer?"

"Hmmm?"

"Don't break my heart."

"You have to give it to me first before I can break it," I say before sleep begins to pull me under.

"I already did." I swear I hear him say before I sink into deep oblivion.

Waking up the next morning, being cocooned in Taylan's arms feels fucking amazing, I missed this! Last night was the first night I actually slept peacefully in weeks, no nightmares to wake me and my parents didn't barge into my room. With him beside me I feel safe. I slowly untangle myself from him and slip out of bed so I don't wake him. I creep into the bathroom and pee, then brush my teeth before I quietly creep into my bedroom but stop at the sight of him laying there, fuck he looks so sexy. If my parents weren't home, I would wake him by sucking his cock.

I force those thoughts out of my mind as I exit and make my way downstairs to get some much needed caffeine. The moment I hit the landing, my mouth waters when the smell of bacon hits my senses. I practically run into the kitchen and grin at the sight of my dad cooking breakfast.

"I'm starving!" I say as I make my way to the coffee maker to get my fix.

"That's nice." I spin around and balk at my dad.

"What?" He looks back at me over his shoulder and smirks.

"Get that useless weasel to cook your food." My jaw unhinges.

"You always cook me breakfast!" I snap.

"Nope, not today. This is for me and your mother." I stare at him in utter disbelief. "You're a dirty little traitor and left me alone with her and her wrath last night, so I'm punishing you. Cereal's in the cupboard, help yourself." I stand here utterly stunned as I watch him plate the food, then carry them out back where Mom sits at the table with her laptop in front of her.

"Oh, it's on!" I growl into the empty kitchen as I take a sip of my liquid gold.

"What's on?" I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of Taylan's voice. I spin around and glare at him but it drops off my face the moment I take in the sight of him shirtless and sporting the cutest bed hair I have ever seen. "Stop looking at me like that!" he chastises but it lacks heat. I place my cup on the counter and close the space between us, laying my hands flat against his bare chest. His eyes darken in warning but he doesn't push me away. "Slayer," he warns.

I bat my lashes up at him as I slowly snake my arms around his neck. His hands drop to my hips, pulling me flush against him. "No good morning kiss?" I taunt. He growls low in his chest, then bends down and captures my lips in a kiss that robs me of air and has my toes curling. I brush my tongue against his and moan, then lift up onto my tiptoes, trying to deepen it but the sound of a smashing glass has us jumping apart and turning toward the back door. Dad stands there with his fists clenched at his sides and eyes spitting hate at Tay.

"One hour, be ready to leave." A whoosh of air escapes Taylan as he nods.

"I'll be there," Tay answers.

"Be where?" I ask, both of them keep glaring at each other as Taylan answers me.

"I have to do something with your dad, I'll be back after." Something is off, I can hear it in his voice.

"Will you?" Dad taunts.

Taylan throws his arm over my shoulders, pulls me into his side and places a kiss to the top of my head before answering. "Oh, definitely." Dad looks like he wants to murder Tay, something is brewing between them and I hate not knowing what it is. If they think for a fucking second I'm staying behind in an hour's time, they are dead fucking wrong!

After Taylan kissed me goodbye and followed my dad out of the house, I waited ten minutes before I hijacked my mom's car and brought up the tracker on my dad's car. I frown at the sight. He's at the gym? I start the engine but before I can pull out of the garage, the passenger door opens followed by both the back doors. Mom, Aunt Kiara, Aunt Ally and Aunt Koby all slip inside. I stare at each of them with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" I ask them, each of them wear disapproving looks but it's Aunt Kiara who answers.

"Bishop pissed Royal off this morning, so my son called me to give us the heads up that those six idiots plan to beat the shit out of your boyfriend." I gape at my aunt.

"Koby and Clare are parked out front in Rook's car, they'll follow us," Aunt Carlina says.

"Come on! We don't have all day, I need to beat my husband's ass, then get back to work," Aunt Ally shouts. I shake my head so I can focus as I put the car in drive. I am so fucking angry at my dad and uncles that I'm white knuckling the steering wheel.

"Is it wrong that I'm excited to fight Bishop?" Aunt Kiara asks, sounding giddy.

Aunt Carlina snorts. "All my brothers are pussies when it comes to their wives, ten bucks says they all turn white as a ghost the moment they see your faces."

"Twenty says Vincent blames the others for making him join in," Mom says, getting in on the action.

"I got fifty on Knight dropping to his knees in front of Koby so she won't hold out on him," Aunt Kiara says, waving a fifty dollar bill in the air.

"Fuck no, I got a hundred on Gage shitting himself at the sight of Anya and Destiny catching him out lying," Aunt Carlina shouts above the others.

"I got five hundred on all of them pissing their pants when they realize I will never speak to any of them again for doing this," I say. The car falls silent at my declaration, the mood shifts from joking to tense. I can't believe my dad and uncles would do something like this and Taylan isn't exempt either, he should have told me! All at once my aunts and mom begin shouting about how much each of them are betting on me making my dad cry and how long it will take for Taylan to grovel his way back into my good graces. I roll my eyes and ignore them, even when mom calls Aunt Koby through the Bluetooth system in her car and my other two aunts get in on the bets.

They are children, all of them!

I've barely put the car in park outside the gym before I'm jumping out and rushing inside, those assholes even closed the gym for the day so they wouldn't be interrupted. I take the staff entrance and run past the offices, my mom and aunts hot on my heels. The instant we break into the gym area my heart drops. Taylan stands in the middle of the ring panting, bleeding and covered in sweat. My uncles and dad all surround him, each of them are shirtless and none of them are wearing gloves, except for Taylan. They wanted to make sure that they hurt him. My breath lodges in my throat when Uncle King and Uncle Knight move in tandem toward Taylan, he turns sideways to keep them both in his sights but it's no use, it's two on one and all of my family are skilled fighters.

The instant my uncles descend on him landing punishing blow after blow, I snap. I race forward toward the ring and at the last second I jump and slide under the bottom rope, the momentum propelling me forward until I am in the middle. I leap to my feet and shove Taylan from behind, my eyes widen when I see Uncle King's fist coming at me, the other guys begin yelling but it's too late. I brace myself for impact but at the last second I'm tackled to the mat and land with a grunt.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Taylan yells right in my face. I blink up at him in surprise.

"Me?" I yell. "What the fuck were you thinking agreeing to this bullshit?" I scream. Taylan is shoved off me, then my dad is pulling me to my feet. I shove him away from me, scowl at him, then turn to the rest of them, pinning each of them with a scathing look. "You all fucking disappoint me." I look to Taylan next who looks pissed off at seeing me here. "You don't need to prove anything to any of them, my opinion is the only one that should fucking matter." Taylan at least has the decency to look sheepish and drops his gaze to the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Gage barks. I slowly turn to face him and scoff.

"You're fired as my stand-in trainer and I'm moving out."