Rely on Me - Elizabeth Knox Page 0,22
twist, but this all.
“I have a letter to read that your father had written the day prior to . . . his passing.” Stanley digs into his briefcase and pulls it out, breaks the seal and clears his throat. “Kodi, Gamble, and Lawson if you’re hearing this it means I’m gone. Shit, I hope I went out in some memorable way and not cancer like my own old man. Anyway, Stanley told me I should write something for the three of you. How the fuck I’m supposed to write something decades in advance is insane if you ask me, but whatever, I’ll listen to the dude. I hope the three of you are side by side, there for each other. I never had siblings, so support means a hell of a lot. One thing I wanna say is how proud I am of you all, how watching you all grow up has been a privilege and I was honored to be your dad . . . even if one of you came nineteen years too late. I love you all.” Stanley folds up the paper and slides it back into the envelope. Hart steps up behind Gamble and puts his hand on her shoulder, offering some sort of support.
“There’s so much to go over, but I will do my best to be here for you both.”
“I’d like to have access to the land in Kitts Hummock, please.” Gamble states.
Blood looks over to her, “I agree. She needs the land, so please, do what you need to make that happen.” He speaks to Stanley, then speaks to his sister. “He’d be damn proud of what you’re doing, bringing the Knights back to life. It’s your legacy.”
“It felt right.” Gamble speaks softly.
“Alright. I’ll get the paperwork sorted, but the land in Kitts Hummock will be transferred into your names. I have keys to the property with me, if you’d both like them. I should also let you know your grandfather invested a lot of his inheritance in properties across the United States. You both have about a dozen or so secured by the trust.”
Jesus. I don’t know what Gamble’s thinking right now . . . but I’d sure be looking at the countless opportunity to grow the club.
Chapter Twelve
If it excites you and scares you at the same time it probably means you should do it
~ Unknown
Riva
Mammoth had that guy, Sly, bring my luggage back to the club. Thank goodness for that, ‘cause I was still wearing his shirt. It smelt like charcoal, mixed with sandalwood maybe? I found myself breathing deeper just to get a whiff of it. Mammoth had gone downstairs to deal with some ‘club stuff’ as he called it and told me to relax.
Since I had some of my clothes here, I pulled the luggage into his room and disrobed heading straight for his bathroom. It’s a decent size, with a massive frosted glass shower. I guess when you’re a big guy, you need a big area to get clean. I lean in through the opening and turn the water on, making sure the heat is a bit stronger than the cold. I’m the type of person who almost wants to feel like my skin’s being burned off my body . . . but at the same time, I want to feel like his hands weren’t on me last night. The man who came into my apartment that is.
I go grab my phone from beside Mammoth’s bed and open my Spotify app, and tap on my favorite playlist. It’s a mixture of New Years Day, Falling in Reverse, and a few Swedish metal bands my dad got me into. Yes, my dad listens to death metal.
I set my phone down on the back of the toilet, turning the volume all the way up and strip out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Mammoth has a small closet, so I open the door and sure enough find a towel and washcloth, as well as everything else you’d find in a bathroom.
I throw them on the rack to the right of the entryway into the shower and walk inside. Blazing water cascades over my skin, burning quite a bit. While it hurts, it also feels cathartic. Igniting every cell of skin that he touched.
I can still see his face when I shut my eyes. I can see the glare and I knew he was sadistic. When it’s too quiet I hear the menacing tone in