“You’re going to take a bath with me?” she’d asked, surprised.
“Yep. And I’m going to make love to you in this tub. I’m going to make love to you in every room of this house, Kitten. The tub, the kitchen, in front of the fire. Everywhere.”
He’d turned her around then and gently kissed her. The kiss deepened and she could feel his arousal press against her stomach.
She’d broken the kiss and looked up at him. “Grizz, not here! The builder is going to be here in a minute.”
“I could kiss you all day, Kitten,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Nothing’s going to happen, honey. Just let me enjoy you for a few minutes.” And he’d lowered his mouth back to hers.
Ginny felt the tears start as memories of Grizz washed over her. She sat down on Carter’s bed. What was wrong with her? She’d been in this house many times since Grizz’s arrest. Why was she reacting this way now?
Maybe it was the fact that he was gone. For good. Maybe she’d never gotten to properly mourn him. She moved her wide wedding band forward on her knuckle as she rubbed the spot where Grizz’s name had been tattooed almost twenty-five years ago. Long before ring tattoos had become popular. There was still a slight burning sensation from the visit to Eddie’s Tattoo Parlor on Saturday. She finished rubbing it and moved her wedding band back in place.
She didn’t know what she was feeling and she didn’t want her friends to come looking for her. She stood up and wiped her eyes with her hands. Deep breath. Brave face, Ginny. You can go in there and get the aspirin.
Carter and Casey whispered, head to head, after Ginny left the room. They were worried about their friend, but they knew she would get through this.
“Do you think it’s up to us to tell her some things Tommy told us?” Carter asked softly.
“Maybe.” Casey frowned. “I just can’t believe Tommy was deceitful for any other reason than to protect her all these years. He needs allies. I think he’s a good guy, Carter. I’ve never seen anything to make me believe otherwise.”
“Do you think he ever told her the prom story? Or maybe Sarah Jo told her.”
“I really don’t know. When Tommy told us I never thought to ask if Ginny knew. And the fact that Gin has never mentioned it makes me wonder what she has or hasn’t known about all these years. You know, other than Tommy being Grizz’s son.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream coming from the master bathroom.
“Carterrrrrr!!!!!”
“Uh oh,” Carter said, jumping to her feet and heading toward the bathroom. “I guess Gin just met Richard Pepperbloom. I forgot to tell her about him.”
“Who the heck is Richard Pepperbloom?” Casey followed at her heels. “You didn’t mention him to me either.”
“I’m keeping him in my tub until someone comes for him tomorrow.” Before Casey could comment further, Carter added nonchalantly, “He’s an alligator.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
1979
Grizz and Axel were sitting in number four. Grizz had called Axel inside for a meeting. Grizz was in his recliner, Axel on the couch. He kept glancing over Grizz’s shoulder toward the small kitchen.
“Axel, what the fuck is so interesting that you keep staring past me into the kitchen?”
“Uh, what is Kit making for dinner?”
Grizz gave him a look. “I called you in here to talk about business and you want to know what Kit is making for dinner?”
Axel actually licked his lips.
“Some kind of roast, and before you ask, yes. You can have dinner with us. But,” Grizz added, “Not if we don’t finish this conversation before she comes back inside.”
“Your wife is the best cook I’ve ever met,” Axel said dreamily. Before he could say any more, Grizz slammed his fist on the small side table.
“Axel!”
“Yeah, got it right here, boss.” Axel put on his business face, stood up and handed Grizz an oversized envelope. He perched on the sofa, watching Grizz open it.
Grizz had confided in Axel that Kit was having some serious depression over Moe’s suicide. She really wanted to go to college. If there was anything Grizz had a difficult time with, it was saying no to Kit. He would move the earth for her if it was within his power. Grizz knew she would do her best to stay under the radar of any old classmates that she risked running into. He was hoping that allowing her to spend more time with Grunt was helping, but she needed more, and he knew that.
He sifted through the contents of the envelope and read what he was holding, then looked up at Axel, one eyebrow raised.
“You are fucking kidding me,” was all he said.
“Nope, Grizz, not kidding you,” Axel replied. And then after a pause, he added, “You can’t make this shit up.”
“Denmark?” Grizz asked incredulously. “They do this shit in Denmark?”
Axel nodded at what Grizz was holding. “Says it in there so, yeah, I guess that’s where they do it.”
Just then, Kit walked in. She had been outside taking care of her garden. She was growing vegetables in the back of the motel. Grizz insisted she keep one of the dogs with her at all times. He’d recently noticed more alligator activity around there than usual, and he knew Damien or Lucifer would alert her if they detected an intruder of any kind.
Grizz had taken some lighthearted ribbing about how pretty the front of the motel was becoming. He’d encouraged his young wife to spruce up the place a bit. In addition to her vegetable garden, she’d planted flowers along the motel sidewalk, and she recently added hanging plants outside their unit. He thought it might have been helping with her depression a little bit, but he knew in his gut it wasn’t enough. He needed to figure out a way to let her go to college. That was why Axel was there.
“Hi, Axel, I didn’t know you were here.” Kit walked over to the smaller man, planting a light kiss on his cheek. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I made a roast. There’s plenty.”
Axel looked at her innocently. “Sure, if you think you’ll have enough.”
“I’ll definitely have enough.” She kissed Grizz on the top of his head before moving to the kitchen to check her roast.
“Okay, Kit. If you insist.”
Grizz pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting impatient.
“I need fifteen minutes to get it all together,” she told them as they stood.
“We’ll be in the pit,” Grizz told her. “Just yell.”
“Okay,” was all she said.
There was a small dinette table with two chairs where she and Grizz ate their meals. It was so small that Kit set up dinner buffet-style on the kitchen counter, since it was very rare that someone was invited into number four to eat with them. The three of them could serve themselves before sitting down. She carried Grizz’s desk chair over to the little table.
“She’s not limping as much. She seems stronger,” Axel commented to Grizz as they headed for the pit.
Axel remembered a few weeks earlier when he’d visited, standing outside of number four. He’d been deep in conversation with Grizz and Chowder when they heard a small cry. Kit had been jogging around the front of the motel on the old and crumbling asphalt. She must have landed wrong and lost her footing. Grizz was immediately at her side and effortlessly picked her up, cradling her closely.
“I’m okay, Grizz. I just stepped funny,” she’d said wincing.
“You’re not okay. Your ankle is already swelling. We need to get you inside and get some ice on it.” Before she could reply he shouted at Chowder, “Get this fucking road paved. She could’ve broken her ankle!”
Chowder watched as he carried Kit into number four. “I’ve been asking you for five years to let me get it paved,” he said quietly. “It wreaks havoc on the bikes and cars, too.”
“Just do it!” Grizz barked as he entered the unit.
Now, Grizz just shrugged as they got to the pit and took a seat. “Yeah, it was just a sprain. She seems fine.”
Less than fifteen minutes later, Kit stuck her head out. “Dinner’s ready, guys!”
She ran into the bedroom to change her top before dinner. She had somehow managed to spill gravy down the front of it while she was setting the food out. She was running some cold water from the bathroom sink over the blouse when she heard a small commotion. Leaving it in the sink, she headed out through the bedroom and into the kitchen and living room area.
There she stopped dead in her tracks. A wave of nausea passed over her, then panic.
Grizz and Axel were in the kitchen. Blood was everywhere.
“We need to call Grunt or Doc. You definitely need stitches,” Axel exclaimed to Grizz while he was reaching for the dish towel that Kit kept hung on the oven door.
“I don’t need stitches.” Grizz glared at him, one hand clamped against his forehead.
“Oh, my God!” Kit rushed to them. “What happened? Oh, no! Oh, Grizz, did you get in another fight? Who hit you? Let me see it!”
“Kit, I didn’t get in a fight and you can’t see it. There’s nothing to see.”
“Yes, there is,” Axel’s voice was firm as he moved Grizz’s hand aside and pressed the towel to his forehead. “It’s bad, Grizz. Looks real deep. You definitely need stitches.”
“Shut up, Axel. I don’t need stitches.”
“Let me see it.” Kit stood on her tiptoes, peering at his head. Blood was all over his face by now and running down the right side of his neck. Another wave of nausea threatened.
“Nothing to see, Kit,” Grizz huffed. “Axel can help me put a bandage on it. Why don’t you help with that, honey? Go back into the bathroom and get some bandages and alcohol or something. Go on. Get me some stuff to clean it up with.”
Kit reluctantly headed back through the bedroom. They could hear her digging around in the medicine cabinet.
“You definitely are going to need stitches. I’m telling you, Grizz. It’s really deep. I got a good look before you covered it up with the towel. Fuck, man, you already need another towel.” Axel looked worried.
“Fine. Give Grunt a call; he can stitch it up. I just didn’t want Kit to see it.” Grizz gave him a look. “Blood makes her as woozy as needles. Hurry up. Call him.”
“Blood, too? Really? Boy, did she ever marry the wrong guy,” Axel muttered under his breath as he picked up the phone.
Kit came back out carrying antiseptic, bandages, and medical tape. She also had a pile of washcloths. Grizz grabbed a washcloth from her and swapped it for the bloody dish towel before she could take a good look.
“Oh, Grizz, what happened?” She tentatively rested a hand on his arm, then moved it away, afraid of hurting him worse. “If you’re this bloody and messed up, I don’t know if I even want to know what happened to the other guy.”
“Nobody else got hurt, Kit, and you don’t need to worry.” He managed to take a seat at the small kitchen table, trying his best to avoid dripping blood on the floor. “Head wounds bleed a lot. It’s not a big deal. Doesn’t even hurt.”
“You’re a bloody mess and have a cut that needs stitches and you don’t think I should be worried about the other guy? C’mon, Grizz. I’m not stupid. Is there someone else out there that needs help?”
“Kit, I did not get in a fight. I did not hurt anyone. Okay?”
“Really?” She stood in front of him, hands on hips. “You come in here looking like you do and expect me to believe the other guy is walking away?”
She’d been down this road many times before. She didn’t even want to think about the time a year or so ago when Grizz had come home with a bullet wound. Her eyes wandered to the door and Grizz knew she was debating whether or not to go outside and check for herself.
“There is no other guy, Kitten.” Before she could challenge him, he added, “I cracked my head on one of your hanging planters.”
**********
Two days later Grizz sat in the passenger seat of the car and waited. He didn’t have to break into the car. It was unlocked. It was an older model but clean and he rolled down the window to let some air in.
“Good thing it doesn’t have automatic windows,” he muttered to himself as he reached over and rolled down the driver’s window, too. He didn’t feel like hotwiring a car just to put down electric windows. On second thought, he might hotwire it just to get the air conditioning running. Fuck, it was hot.
He looked at his watch and glanced back over to the doors just as the person he was waiting for came out. The guy walked with a bounce to his step, not even bothering to check his surroundings. Trusting fool. Grizz could hear him whistling to himself as he approached the car. He didn’t even notice the windows to his car had been rolled down. He climbed into the driver’s seat and almost choked after he saw Grizz.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” Grizz stated, a warning hand on his arm. “I just want to talk.”
By now the guy, Sam, was shaking. He remembered Grizz from a few years ago—who could forget a man that big? He’d watched that day from his living room as the biker rolled up to Sarah Jo’s house and effortlessly handled Neal. Neal had been harassing Sam and his mother, Vanessa. Neal never bothered Sam or his mom again.
“Does the A/C in this thing work?” Grizz asked him.
Sam nodded, trying his best to calm the shaking.
“We’re gonna take a ride. Shut the door and start the engine.”
Sam’s hands shook so badly now that he couldn’t get the key in the ignition.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Grizz said softly. “Okay? I just want to talk to you and it’s too fucking hot to sit here and do it. Just drive and don’t fucking get us killed. If I’d wanted to hurt you, I’d have done it. Got it?”
Sam nodded, somehow getting the car started. He rolled up his window and turned on the air conditioner. He slowly backed out of the parking spot and made a right onto University Drive.
“Where are we going? Where do you want me to take you?” Sam’s voice was calmer than he actually felt.
“Just head up to Commercial Boulevard and make a right. We’ll make a circle and you can bring me back here.”
Sam did as he was told.
After a minute, Grizz gave him a sidelong look. “You remember Kit?”
This caught Sam off guard. “Yes, I remember her. She’s the one who called you the day Neal was trying to steal Fess’s bike. She’s your girlfriend. Right?” He shot Grizz a glance, then quickly flicked his eyes back to the road.
“She’s my wife. She wants to go to college. I’m thinking about letting her go, but I want someone who can keep an eye on her for me. I think that someone is you.”
“Me?” Sam breathed slowly through his nose. “Why me?
“Because she knows you. You’re Fess’s neighbor. I think she’d trust you.”
“I attend night classes at the community college. Will she be enrolling there?”
“No. She wants to go to Cole.”
“I don’t think I can help you out, then. I can’t afford Cole. And even if I could, I work full-time just to pay for my night classes.”
“What if I paid your tuition?” Grizz crossed his arms in the small car. “And I don’t expect you to be in all of her classes. Just a couple if you can. But I would expect you to try and line up your other classes so you’re there on the same days and stuff. Run into her between classes. Be her friend.”
“You would pay my tuition just so I could be your wife’s friend?”
“More like her bodyguard friend. But yeah, I would do that. The only thing I’ll want to know about is if she makes friends with anybody. Girls, guys, whatever. You know who I am and what I do. I have enemies. I’ll want to know if you notice anybody watching her, anything like that.”
They were quiet a moment, the low hum of the car’s motor barely audible in the South Florida evening.
“I’ll expect you to check in with me occasionally,” Grizz said finally. “I’ll give you my pager number and your own code so I??
?ll know it’s you.”
Sam considered it—how it’d work, how he’d manage to handle school and report back to Grizz and not be too obvious. Excitement began to build. Cole was a good school, a very good school. This wasn’t the sort of opportunity you sneezed at. And Grizz wasn’t exactly the kind of man you could say no to.
At last he looked directly at Grizz. “So I’ll enroll at Cole for January classes?”
“Yes.”
Sam frowned a moment. “I don’t know how I’d know what classes she would be taking to even try to be there the same time as her.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll find that out and get the information to you, as well as the money to cover it. After you get it, you enroll.”
Sam was nodding now. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Um, how do I handle small talk and stuff?” He glanced at Grizz. “I know about your gang a little, and I just don’t know what types of things I could talk to her about. I haven’t seen her in years.” He cleared his throat, not sure if he’d said too much. “You know?”
“If we never had this conversation and you ran in to her, what kind of things would you say?”
“Honestly? I’d probably ask her about you and stuff.”
“Then ask her about me. I don’t care. You need to be as authentic as possible.”
Sam smiled. He remembered Kit well. She was a nice girl, pretty, and even though he didn’t really know her he had a feeling this could work out nicely.
“I’ll do it. I’ll definitely do it. I can’t afford Cole University on my own and I want my degree. I’m your guy.”
Grizz looked over at him then and scowled. “Yeah, you’re my guy, Sam.” After a brief pause, he added, “I know why you can’t afford Cole. I know what your mother spends her money on. All those trips to Denmark have been expensive. Practically turned her into a pauper.”
Sam gasped, gripped the steering wheel tighter. He started to shake. He slowed down and looked over at Grizz.
“Your mother was right to ask Fess to help get you out of jail that time. You wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”