It's Always a Fight Against Time

No one said a word; I had heard the whole conversation...Why were they even looking for Gronk in the first place. I wanted to know and I damn well am going to find out; I swear to God they will tell me the truth. Now of course there are of course those assumptions as to why they were looking but I needed to hear the truth from them... I wasn't going to assume. Instead actually give them the benefit of the doubt and hear them out. But keep in mind that I would only wait so long.

“Soooo?” I drew out the question looking at them all one by one, starting with the weakest ones in Shimmy (who lately spills his guts to me easily, ever since the “incident”), then Lucas (cause lately he can’t seem to look me in the eyes when he’s lying to me for a reason or another… dead giveaway right there) and then Jimmy (cause he's himself and he talks easily under pressure like this) and so on. “Please? Come on... I do have a right to know.” I looked and stared into Ale's eyes, pleading for him to talk to me, to tell me, to say anything right now...

I looked to Kris as a last resort, his smile bubbly self still in my arms. “They gonna get gwonk” he leaned to my face with a tiny hand covering his mouth before he whispered loudly in my ear. He pulled back giggling and stared at me with a humongous smile like he just won the lottery for telling me what I wanted to know.

“You're going after him. Are you f-ing crazy!” I screamed standing up, setting Kristopher down with his father and then glaring at them all. “What the hell is wrong with you all… just let it GO! Sure, I don't care for anything he did and I want to...get...him back.” I spat out the “back,” “but let it go... there is way too much going on to worry about him...EVER!” I screamed and then stormed out of the room and back up to check on Zaylie. I planned on locking the two of us in the room and ignoring everyone into the near future.

This is ridiculous. What do they plan on doing? Just go wherever he is and go kick his ass? Please, they are going to end up getting themselves killed! I just... I can't lose any of them they are too important to me. If losing them is the only way to teach Gronk a “lesson” than they all can go to hell for trying. If I had to choose; just let Gronk do whatever he wants too. I don't even care about him; I just can’t stand the dickhead with every ounce of my being.

After locking the door and almost slamming it in the process (that would have been awesome! Note sarcasm), I groaned out an extremely frustrated groan. I wanted to punch something, anything...let out the anger I had built up over the past 9 months or so. I wanted to go back in time, change everything and do it all over again differently. I want to just have a normal life, have my normal life back. Not taking shit from anyone, being here, going to the club and getting the fuck pounded out of me while I beat the living fuck right back out of a person worse than I was getting. I just wish it'd go back to normal...

I wiped my eyes before the tears pooled there could come out, and went over to Lucas's stuff... For some reason I decided to go through everything- Why? To pass the time really. And I definitely didn't feel like lying on the bed for hours at a time... I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime.

A few hours later Lucas came to the door knocking slightly before trying to open the door with the knob. He found out quickly that it was locked, “Valencia! Let me in the Goddamn room!” he demanded loudly. I had just finished changing a now wide awake Zaylie and she was making cute little baby noises as she flung her arms around hitting herself and me in the process. I picked her up and held her on my shoulder with an arm under her butt as the other supported her head.

“Go away Lucas.” I mumbled bouncing her around a bit as I rocked her back and forth.

“You are going to have to come out eventually, both of you will get hungry and whiny.”

“Screw you!” I replied loud enough for him to hear me. He thinks he knows it all, asshole.

“Valencia, come on, let me in my room!” He jiggled the knob some more and I'm pretty sure he shoved his shoulder into the door a couple of times as well. “Fine! Be that way!” He yelled before his footsteps echoed down the hallway. I sighed and laid down with Zaylie on my chest, she made a sort of giggle noise in the process. My focus was only on her, staring. I didn't even hear the footsteps come back, footsteps being plural as in more than one person. The door jiggled only slightly before a click came and then the door swung open. I looked over surprised to see Shimmy knelt down and Lucas standing behind him. Glaring at Shimmy, I honestly thought of murder for a split second. Picking the fucking lock for him, bastard... Shimmy ran off not long after; Lucas however came in holding a bottle of formula.

I sat up with my back against the headboard, now rolling my eyes at him. Ignore him, ignore him... Cold shoulder treatment...

“I'm sorry, okay? I couldn't tell you that...You shouldn't have anything to do with it...” Sure because I'm not affected, right!? Well, in case you forget Gronk fought me, tried to get me sent to prison, tried to kill me and now they want to go after him and I'm not a part of it? please.

I listened to him sigh and carefully extract Zaylie out of my arms, I let him easily because he would feed her and I knew she had to be hungry right about now. However, I wouldn't look at him; instead my stare was at the wall in front of me.

“Talk to me please, I said I was sorry...” His voice was soft and pleading but I couldn't forgive him this easily. How do you forgive eight guys that decide to keep something like this from you? I mean it isn't easy at all, especially when it only concerns you and it’s a payback for someone hurting you. And you didn't know anything about it. Until now anyways.

“Babe?” Rolling me eyes Lucas' hand came up and brushed my cheek before he moved my head to make me look at him, stubborn my glance was anywhere but on his face. “Look at me” he pleaded. It took a minute or two but I gave in and looked up to his saddened looking face. “I'm sorry. I swear it.” He pleaded letting his hand brush against he brought it back closer to his body again.

“Why did you keep it from me? Why didn't you just tell me?” I asked softly, almost in a whimper. He frowned and sighed. “If you do this you'll get killed you know that… He wasn't hidden for any apparent reason. You don't think he's going to come after you, after you do whatever you plan on doing?” He shook his head.

“We don't really have a pla-”

“So you're just going to go wherever he is and take him on without any backup plan, come-whatever-may style! You all have lost your fucking minds!” I got off the bed and left him there in the room. I flew down the steps, ignoring the words of the others, and ran out of the house. I didn't know where I was going but I ran...I ran in a hazy trance like no tomorrow. The pain wasn't even there; it just felt good to run again. Besides, it wasn't like I couldn't now. When I stopped to bend over and rest a moment I realized where I was, where I ran to without even thinking about it.

I gulped as I pushed open the door and went inside; there wasn't a second thought in my mind at that particular moment.

-

-Lucas's pov-

“LUC!” My name was screamed by who I'm thinking was either Jimmy or Johnny. Kris was slowly half crawling/walking up the steps one by one when I walked out of the bedroom with Zay in my arms, she was still eating the bottle as I held it upwards in the air.

“Loukawhhh” Kris yelled, giddy as he saw me. I shook my head as a bent down and let him get on my back. He hung on tightly like a monkey as I walked the rest of the way down the steps, I let him down on the couch in the living room and he screamed as he dropped. I laughed watching him squirm. Then I went in search of whoever called (or screamed technically) my name. Hearing noise in the kitchen- that was my destination.

Then I stopped in my tracks. There were only 2 people in the kitchen but one shouldn't have been here...

Blaire's brother Nichcoli sat at the table, he stood quickly as he saw me said sort of shyly, “Hey... uh can I talk to you? It’s kinda... really important.” I nodded and walked over.

“You want me to...” Shimmy motioned to Zaylie and I graciously handed her off to him, watching as he left the two of us alone in the kitchen. As I sat across from Nichcoli as he sighed and the silence enveloped us.

“What do you want?” I almost hissed. He wasn't exactly the most high on my “like” list.

“I know you hate me but... It’s important. Just hear me out please? My “dad” he...” I looked up at him at the mention of Blaire's father. “...he uh...” his voice died off and he stared at his bandaged up hands. It was just now that I really saw how beat up he looked, all bruised and cut up. It wasn't too bad but it still looked like he got into a pretty bad fight.

“Your dad is in jail, what could possibly be that important about him?” His eyes snapped up and he looked into my own.

“He's... Well, he was and has been...working with, Shimmy's brother Joel.....you know, Gronk.”

“What?” I said automatically, he was kidding right? My heart dropped into my stomach and I honestly thought I would throw up. I gagged but I swallowed it...gross.

“He has been for a long time, since the beginning...my dad was a dealer, partners with him... He set up the raid and wanted Blaire to be caught with the drugs that one time she was arrested. Then he was in it with Shimmy...but no one knew-”

“And how do you know now?” I demanded, my voice lined with poison like qualities.

“My father and Gronk called me in for a meeting and told me that I had to do what Shimmy couldn't seem to “accomplish” himself...”