Family Business

“What kinda problem,” I asked.

“The kind of problem that comes in the form of five huge men who are probably gonna want to kill you,” she said pointing over her shoulder as my brother walked through the parted crowd, no one stood in his way.

“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What? Do you have beef with the Ieros’?” Brian asked as his friends got up and gravitated toward him.

As Frankie approached I felt the air become thick with tension. Something was most definitely not right.

“Graceyn, get up now,” Frankie seethed through clenched teeth.

“Frankie, long time no see,” Brian said as he stood up.

Although he was not nearly as tall or built as Brian there was something about Frank that made him just as intimidating in this moment, just as powerful.

“What are you doing here Brian?” Mikey asked as Frankie stared down at me.

“Having a drink with a beautiful young woman, who obviously doesn’t want to go with you,” Brian said as he gestured to the fact that I hadn’t made a move to get up.

“She doesn’t really have a say in the matter,” Frankie said.

“Has your organization come to that? Threatening ladies? I thought I’d never see the day,” Brian spat.

“I am not threatening anyone, and don’t talk to me about organization morals.”

“Graceyn, maybe we should just go,” Tavi said from behind Gerard.

“I’ll leave but I am not going anywhere with you,” I spat the words venomously at Frankie.

“We are not negotiating Graceyn, you’re going to come with us and you’re going to stop being
such a spoiled brat,” he said grabbing my arm.

I stood up and looked at everyone; I felt my cheeks grow hot from embarrassment. I was being treated like a two year old who threw a temper tantrum. I pulled my arm away from Frankie’s grasp and began to walk away.

“See you around Graceyn?” I heard Brian call.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned, “Absolutely.”

As we exited the club the guys led Tavi and me to Gerard’s black Escalade, and pushed in the back. The moment everyone was in and the doors were closed it began.

“Graceyn Carrina Iero, what the hell do you think you were doing?” Frankie voice boomed throughout the car.

“Don’t speak to me like that Frank, like I’m someone that made the mistake of getting involved with you and the business,” I spat.

“Graceyn, you have no idea how much danger you just put yourself in,” Mikey spoke from the driver’s seat, glancing back.

“Oh yeah, he looked really dangerous,” I quipped.

“Do you even know who he was?” Frankie asked incredulously.

I stopped, I knew his name was Brian, but really that’s all I know.

“Yeah his name is Brian,” I responded.

“Yeah, Brian Haner,” Gerard said as he casually threw an arm around Tavi’s shoulder.

“What did I say to you earlier? I said if you want to go out, have one of us go with you, not that you couldn’t go out. You act like I’m completely irrational and unfair, when I just want you to be safe,” Frankie said rubbing his face.

“I don’t need you to keep me safe! I’m a big girl; I know how to take care of myself!” I sighed, exasperated.

“Obviously not seeing as you ended up at a table, having a drink with the head of the Haner organization. He could have killed you!”

“He wouldn’t have hurt me! I have no power in our family, why in God’s name would they target me?” I yelled.

For whatever reason I wanted to defend Brian, to keep my brother from smearing his name, I felt a sense of loyalty to him.

“Gracie, you are an Iero! You are the closest living relative to Frankie, who else would they target?,” Ray said, looking back at me with sad eyes.

“If he is such an awful person then all of you must be too! You hate him for doing all these things

when you do them too!” I muttered as we pulled up in front of our house.
I opened the door and ran up to my room. Lying on my bed I turned on my ipod and tried to relive what had happened tonight with Brian. When I was sitting there with Brian, I had felt something I had never felt before; fear. Not the kind of fear that all of the boys keep talking about, the kind of fear that you feel when you have a crush on someone; when you fall in love with someone.
As I lie there, absorbed in my thoughts, I heard a knock on the door and it opened slowly to show my brother Frankie standing there.

“Graceyn, I don’t want to fight anymore, I just want you to understand that there are rules for a reason. I don’t want to stop you from having fun or ‘ruin your life’ I just and to keep you safe. With that being said, please don’t leave the house alone while the Haner’s are in town, they are dangerous whether you want to believe they are or not,” he pleaded.

“Fine,” I sighed and rolled over.

Lying on my back staring at the ceiling I couldn’t help but let Brian consume my thoughts. What was it about him that made my stomach knot up? What made me feel like a girl with a silly school crush? As I tried to analyze everything that had occurred between him and I tonight I slowly drifted off to sleep.
When I woke the next morning the house was oddly quiet. The Iero house is never quite. There is always some kind of yelling or business dealings going on in some part of the house, but today all was quiet and no one was even there.
Deciding to make the most of my free, unsupervised time, I slipped on my riding pants and boots and walked down to the stable. As I saddled Gentleman I let my thoughts wander to Brian, but remembering Frank’s words I pushed him from my mind and mounted.
Gentleman and I rode down to my favorite lake in the woods near the house. I always rode in the woods; it was normally the only quiet peaceful place that I could escape too. I dismounted and tied Gentleman’s reins to a low hanging branch before slipping my boots off and dipping my toes in the water. As I was sitting there I heard the distant sound of crunching branches and voices carrying into the woods.
I stood up and quickly put my boots back on. Just as I grabbed Gentleman’s reigns I heard the familiar sound of Brian’s smooth, velvety voice. I quietly led Gentleman over near where the voices were coming from.
I heard the small hiss a can makes when it’s opened and laughter. Something about that voice and laugh drew me in; I had to go talk to him. I wanted him to acknowledge me, I wanted his attention. As I stepped through the branches I could hear Frankie telling me no but I couldn’t help myself. When I came through the branches I saw Brian, his back was turned to me. As soon as the man standing opposite him, a big guy with muscles for days, saw me he drew his gun. Instinctively I drew my knife I always kept with me. As Brian turned to see what had caused his friend such alarm I saw a smile spread across his face.

“Well, well, well what do we have here?” He quipped.

“Tell your goon to put the gun down,” I said still wielding my knife, as if that could save me from a bullet.

“Matt, it’s okay,” Brian assured him, waving his hand without even looking back.

As Matt slowly lowered his weapon I slid my knife back into my belt and stepped closer, tugging Gentleman with me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Having a drink with the boys, what are you doing here?” He smirked.

“I was out riding,” gesturing to Gentleman.

“Beautiful animal,” Brian said as he stepped closer stroking Gentleman’s neck.

“You know this is private property?” I asked as I watched him.

He was setting me on edge, in a good way.

“Oh, no I had no idea,” Brian smirked.

Brian stepped closer to me and leaned into my ear, making my goosbumps appear on my arms.

“Do you own these woods Graceyn Iero?”

As I heard my full name escape his lips I shuddered. I was scared, not because he would hurt me but because for the first time in my life I felt the world spinning out of control. As I struggled to regain my composure I tried to speak.

"Actually, yes," I breathed.

"Where's your brother?" the dark hair one to the right of Brian asked.

"I don't know. I'm not his keeper, and he isn't mine," I seethed.

"Kind of seemed like it last night, Princess," the tall one next to Matt laughed.

"Yeah, well you don't know me," I spat.

"Calm down," Brian chuckled, "the Rev was only kidding."

"The Rev?" I asked, I couldn't help but laugh.

"The Reverend," he repeated.

"Aren't you afraid of being here, alone with us?" the shortest of them asked.

"Should I be afraid of someone half my size?"

The boys roared with laughter at my commented followed by Zack, the one next to Brian, smacking the short one on the head.

"You're firey," Brian said, staring directly into my eyes,"but then again I'd expect nothing less from the daughter of Alessandro Iero."

As Brian finished what he was saying I felt my phone vibrate. When I looked down and say Frankie's name flashing across the screen I was painfully aware of how long I had been gone. I looked at the group of men, and mounted Gentleman.

"Will you be riding again soon?" Brian asked.

"Maybe," I said with a smirk and nudged Gentleman into a gallop.