BRIANNA (RAZORBACK NOVELLA)

3

BRIANNA'S POV:

My brothers backed off for a week or so, but when it came time for 4th of July, they were calling and asking me to come home for a family BBQ, telling me that mom really wanted to see me. The kids wanted to see me. Dad wanted to talk to me.

I made sure that I had a full schedule and told them that I couldn't get out of it so last minute. If they had talked to me more than 6 days before the holiday I might have had a chance to get it off. As it was, I didn't care that much about Independence day.

I wish I could see my mom for the holiday without any drama, but that just wasn't going to happen. If I could just have my mom and some brother time where they weren't trying to tell me what to do, my fourth of July would have been the first day I requested off. We used to have so much fun as kids, going up for picnics, going out on the boat, watching other people light off some fireworks as we all snuggled up after a long day of swimming and eating.

Those were the only few good memories I had that didn't involve tutors, and private lessons, and other things shoved down my throat. 

I got to work on the fourth a little early since it was a day a lot of people liked to drink and I was set to work right away. Men came in like it was a club, dancing themselves and drinking and I had a good show of it all when I heard someone knock the bar. I looked over and saw James and he gave me a look like he had just proved something so I went over.

"This is what you think is safe? Look at all these men drinking." He nodded to the dance floor, where everyone was having a good time, no fights, no bouncer had to get involved... it was just fun.

"Come on James. This is fine. It's not like I am going to get hurt." I told him knowing that today was a good day so far. No pick up lines were used, no dirty men winked at me, I was rolling in tips from nice guys who wanted to have a good time.

"That's until one of these guys has one too many drinks and tries to take you into the back." He told me and I rolled my eyes. "You're coming home." He told me and I snapped my eyes to him.

"No, I am here, I don't need you or dad or Josh telling me what to do." I told him and he shook his head.

"Josh is at your place right now, backing your s**t, and you're coming home with me." He told me and I glared this time. If he wanted to play that game, fine. I raised my hand and looked over, Haus was close to me and headed right for me.

"What's going on honey, he's bothering you?" Haus was the dad everyone f*****g wanted. He was sweet and caring and he treated you like you were his daughter. Never handsy, not gross, and he made sure that he got the door, got the kegs when I needed it, he was just an old gentleman with some humorous outlooks on life.

"He is my brother, trying to take me home, and my other brother is apparently trying to pack up my house. I need to go home and stop him from taking my things back up towards San Francisco." I told him and he gave me a look before my brother and then he held up his hand.

"I got him. I will send someone over to make sure they don't take off with your s**t. I don't want you hurt." He told me and I saw him wave his hand, and then I watched as my oldest brother was escorted out nicely, by Haus and a new guy that Marcus knew from his old chapter. He had only been here for about a week so I wasn't sure if I should call him Travis or by a nickname.

I saw Haus head to his office and I tried to put it to the back of my mind before Haus told me that I had to get over to my place because something wasn't going alright and they didn't want to get anyone in too much trouble.

I got in my car and got to my place as fast as I could. I saw Grey shouting at my brother Josh, telling him that I wasn't going anywhere, that he needed to put my s**t back and he needed to stop being a controlling asshole.

"Grey." I called from the stairs as I tried to get up there fast, and that was when Josh lost his temper. He dropped my s**t, I heard something inside break, and he pushed Grey. Grey pushed back and reared his hand back to punch him and I almost shouted again when James tried to get between them.

"Stop." I heard James shouting and I got closer, they were now kind of pushing each other back farther into my place and I was hoping nothing else would get broken, as it was, it looked like it was some of the stained glass pieces I had worked months on in the box my brother dropped.

"Grey, stop, it's ok." I called, wanting him to stop trying to push at both of my brothers. "Gabe."I called again and moved closer, grabbing his arm and pulling so he could focus on me. "It's ok. Don't fight them."

"You're moving in with this f**k head after telling Haus you didn't wnat to?" He asked me, his eyes narrowing and I shook my head.

"They're my brothers, don't fight." I told him and turned, putting myself between him and my brothers. As it was Josh was smirking like he won, and I just worked my jaw. "You both need to leave. James I told you at the club that I wasn't leaving and I meant it. Josh, you can tell our dad that I will not come home for any event he wants me at. I am done. He cut me off, you two did too. I am done, you can't pick and choose when you need me back." I told them and I felt Grey grab at me as I started to get closer. I wanted to wipe the smirk off my brother's face and kick them out, but I didn't want to ruin our sibling relationship. I knew my father had something to do with them cutting me off, and it hurt that he had that control over them already, but it was how we were brought up.

"You're going to come crawling back when you need s**t, I am no longer f*****g helping you when you need a little more cash for bills Bri. You could have your entire trust fund if you just went back to school like dad said. Stop being selfish and get your s**t together and we wouldn't have to be here making you think about what is supposed to be going on in our lives." Josh was the middle brother, he blamed me most of all for losing my s**t in college and being 'kicked out of the family' as he liked to call it.

I tried not to lose eye contact as they left, and that was when I wanted to really cry. Josh took it a step farther and kicked the box or already broken painted glass, and when I went to grab it from him, he made sure to actually kick it away from me, and then all the way down the stairs making sure it spilled over all over and created a mess.

I worked so hard on that. I tried not to cry, I really did but that was months down the drain as well as a couple hundred dollars worth of product. I took a breath and it was hard to breathe until I felt Grey's hand on my back, he grabbed my shoulder too and pulled me so I was flat against his chest.

"Just breathe. It's ok. In and out." He was trying to calm me down but all my body wanted to do was reach for the pieces of my life that actually mattered to me and he just kept telling me to breath.

I was sobbing by the time he let me pull away. I went down and started to get the bigger pieces and put them back in the box. I knew the landlord would get pissed if I just left this all here. I started to breathe better, bent over my knees and picked up the glass carefully.

"I got it, go to your apartment." I heard Grey and I looked up, seeing him with the broom from my place and I took a deep steady breath, wiping my face and going right for the stairs.I didn't get too far when I saw some of the other things that had fallen out of the box. It was the picture of all of us at my high school graduation, it was cracked and some of the glass was missing, but I kept it close as I went upstairs.

I was looking around the living room when I realized that most of the things in that box came from my room. I pushed open the door and saw my s**t everywhere. I took another shaky breath and started to pick up my clothes from my bed, most of them had been hung or folded. Most of the drawers on my dresser were clothes but I knew that they were all empty. I saw my old backpack pushed forward on my bed, filled with some of my shoes, and I moved to get it all sorted.

Grey came in, I heard the front door close and I was trying not to cry in front of him again. This s**t came out of nowhere, and it hurt to see my brothers do things like this just because they wanted our dad to be mayor again. He wasn't that good.

"Bri-" I looked up at Gabriel and he cut himself off as he looked at everything. "What were they doing here?" He asked softly as he picked up a jacket that used to be hung up behind my door and he moved to put it back for me.

"My dad.. He's running to be mayor. Well, he is running for office again. My brothers are here doing his bidding." I told him and took a moment.

"You didn't tell me that your dad was a political-"

"He cut me off when I dropped out of college. All my life I had a set plan. I was going to go to school, become a lawyer or doctor, something that paid well that I could drop when I got married to the right man who wanted me to be the perfect housewife." I spit the word out and even as I did that I felt bad for it. My mom had done the same thing when she met me dad, and she didn't seem to regret most of it.

"So you were cut off?" He asked and I nodded as I looked around.

"My mom came from a really wealthy family, when she married my dad he took control of all of her assets including what I get and when I get it. As long as I did what he wanted I stayed rich. I dropped out before I took my MCATs and moved here with the money my mom was giving me, and when he found out I dropped out, he ordered my funds to be frozen, my mom is not allowed to talk to me, and my brothers were like my dad, dropping me because I dropped out." I hadn't ever told him any of this when we were together, but if he was going to look out for me, he should know that it wasn't my brothers really behind all this. It was my dad.

"And your brothers wanted you to go home?" He asked and I could tell he didn't get it, so I leaned back on my bed and looked at him.

"I am sure my dad told them to get me to come home for the fundraising, the parties, and everything until election time was done..." I told him slowly and thought about it some more. "Which was another reason why I went to my brothers for my birthday. I thought they were finally reaching out, and when I got there... all the talk was about how dad wanted me to just go back to school, to get back on the right track." I rolled my eyes and felt them start to water. "They don't do things like that unless my dad threatens them. I am guessing he threatened one of the kids' private education tuition." I told him slowly and he looked a little more pissed and I just kept my eyes back on what I had to clean up.

"Bri, they tried to take you back... by force. It wasn't like they were bribing you." He told me and looked around. "They trashed your stuff, they broke your art." He told me and I sighed.

"So?" They never thought I should give up everything for my art anyway.

"So... that's more than a private education. What else would their dad threaten them with?" He asked me and I was going to say nothing, my dad was an asshole but he wasn't a monster. Then I remembered... he cosigned every loan and mortgage.

"Their houses." I whispered and thought more about it. "Their cars, their everything." I rubbed at my head, wondering if that meant I should just give in, and I felt even more guilty that my brothers were so desperate.

"Bri-"

"I have to call them." I whispered and moved around my bed, heading to the purse on the couch, looking for my phone, and before I could even unlock it, Grey took it from me.

"Think about this Bri. Are you really going to do what your dad is making them make you do?" He asked, and I thought about it. Thought about what it would mean to go back. I would be forced to cover my tattoos, I would be forced to wear dresses down to my knees, my Jackie O pearls, hats... smile and take pictures like we are a perfect family.

"No... I don't. But my brothers have kids, they have wives, he will ruin their lives and that's why they're so f*****g desperate. I need to go back to them. Not just because I don't want to deal with my dad." I told him and he kept my phone before getting closer.

"What else can you do?" He asked, wondering if there was some sort of escape from this. I wish that was true, I would have used it years ago.

"I can't do anything.I am going to be forced to dress like Jackie O, a 50's wife. Stand behind all men... cover my tattoos." I told him and took a breath before looking up at him. "I need to call my brothers."

"You sure there is nothing you can do to make your dad let you go?" He asked and I had the most ridiculous idea pop into my head when I looked at him. It was the same kind of thing I had a thought about when Grey and I first started having s*x. My father would hate him.

"I could bring home someone like you, show you off to the papers, make a scandal, I'd be sent here faster than a snap of his fingers." I laughed and shook my head, and I sure as hell didn't like the slow smile spreading across his face.

GABRIEL'S POV:

"You think one of the brothers will head up north with me? Or another Chapter up there would have someone help me?" She asked and I saw f*****g red.

"No one but me is helping you. Call your brothers, find out what their dad threatened them with, and tell them that you'll come with your boyfriend. Don't tell them who I am. Just do it." I told her and she laughed before shaking her head slowly.

"Come on Grey, we can't pretend that we're together. We weren't even together when I thought we were." I shook my head and got closer to her.

"Baby, the only brother that is going to have his tongue in your mouth is me. I ain't sharing, and I sure as s**t am not letting you go anywhere near your brothers without me." I told her honestly and I just rolled my neck and she shook her head.

"Gabriel, we can't do that. I am going to need someone else. I can't pretend with you. We did stuff, you've seen me naked and-"

"And I have been inside the f*****g honey pot of yours and I am not letting another man from my club turn you out."

"You think I would have s*x with who you reccomend? Seriously?" I felt her hands pushing at my shoulders but I shook my head and kept her against her bed, almost getting between her sweet little knees, and then I saw the fresh ink on her arm.

I grabbed her hand and she almost pulled away until she noticed my gaze on her arm. "New?"

"I got it this morning." I told him and he nodded and twisted so he could see it all.

"You could always start doing this s**t. Tattooing people." I told her and she rolled her eyes. "You could, you design this s**t, it fits your body so good, and I wish you would give yourself credit." I told her and I saw her blush before she took her arm from me.

"You're still not coming north with me. Not only did we almost have something, you're not exactly nice to my brothers, and they know we're not together."

"Did you tell them I wasn't your boyfriend?" I asked and she rolled her eyes, and I was getting close to being annoyed with her reluctant attitude. She was just going to have to take the help I was giving her because I was coming up north whether she thought it was a good idea or not.

"Gabe, just get someone here, I need to leave in like an hour if I am going to get to my fathers place before the 5pm BBQ time." I nodded, knowing that it was probably a 4 hour drive, s**t was going to get heated when I showed up with my bag to go and my bike. 

"Fine." I got up, as I got my helmet from the floor I saw her cleaning up some shoes, looking over at the s**t she had to clean up, and if I was a better man I would tell her to leave it and just get the s**t she needed... but I knew she liked to keep her things nice.

I got down to my bike, took off, got to my room, I packed the clean s**t I had, got the extra helmet that I use when I am picking up girls out, giving them a good ride with me always got s**t going. But it would be hers while we were up state.

I was heading downstairs when I saw Marcus and Tara at the bar, she was on his lap and he was holding her close so I tapped the bar and caught their attention. "Going somewhere?" Tara asked and I took a deep breath.

"Yeah. Bri's brothers are causing trouble and she wants that s**t to stop. So, I asked how to do that... she said she would have to show up with someone like me to get sent back down here." I smirked and Tara shook her head. "So, while she said someone like me, it is me that is going up there with her, s**t has to stop, and I am not letting someone else play badass boyfriend."

"You're a rom com cliche." She shook her head, trying to grab at me as she turned on her man's lap and I shook my head. "Don't do s**t that makes her think you're going to stay." She warned me and I rolled my eyes at her, and then I felt the smack before I even saw her arms moving. "Don't roll those eyes. You know what I mean."

"This is what Haus called about?" Marcus asked and I nodded at him. 

"Yeah, her brothers ruined some of her expensive s**t, some pictures trying to get her moved out of her place, they were going to try and force her to move back." I told them and Tara blew out a breath and shook her head.

"You be good, at least with her. Make sure that she comes back in one piece." She told me and I nodded. I knocked the table and moved to leave when I heard Tara shout that she would check in with my sister and mom for me.

I got on my bike, I got to her building again and she shook her head at me. "It's me or nothing baby." I told her and she sighed. She picked up her bag and tossed it in her trunk before looking back at me. "Here. Stow it in there." I told her and handed over the helmet I had for her.

"You think I am going to ride on that with you?" She asked and I smirked under my padding.

"You want to piss your dad off? Yeah." I told her, knowing the only time I got her on the back of my bike was when she was first with me, she didn't want to do it after we started doing s**t with each other. I would have her nice little body pushing into my back more than one time.

She took the helmet and tossed it in and I waited. "What?"

"What did your brothers say?" I wanted to know what kind of man we were up against. Her father couldn't really take away houses and cars and schools right?

"Just as I started to think. Their trust funds, their cars, their houses, the schools are ready to do as he asks because he will spin it as a public education reform... a lot of s**t that he can do and spin it." She rubbed at her scalp again, and I felt like I really didn't want to upset her, but if she needed this, if this would make her relax and her father back off, f**k yes we were going to do this.

Bri was going to come out of this independent, and if I had anything to say about it, with her f*****g trust fund.