Out of Time (Nine Minutes #2) (31 page)

Grizz didn’t say anything. He just looked at Axel, then back at Grunt. “Something you want to tell me?”

This is it. He does know. Damn
. He would still play along.

“About what?” Grunt asked with as much sincerity as possible.

“It’s okay to tell me,” Grizz said in an even voice.

Really?
Grunt thought. This was strange. Grizz never beat around the bush with anybody about anything. What was this really about?

“Tell you what?” Grunt asked, looking at Grizz and then Axel. “What is it that you think I need to tell you?”

“You wanna tell me why you live with a dyke?”

Grunt tried not to let his jaw drop. He never expected Grizz would know Cindy was a lesbian. How did he know? Grunt looked over at Axel. Bingo. In addition to running Grizz’s car theft operation, Axel had a connection that did extensive background checks on people.

Grunt sighed. “Why did you check on Cindy? Why did you have to look into her background?”

“One of her father’s companies came up in a meeting,” Grizz said. “When I saw his name, I made the connection. I remembered Cindy Jenkins had a wealthy father. Wanted to see if it was the same guy. It was. I had to be sure she wasn’t with you for any other reason. Like she wasn’t with you because of business. My business.”

“And?”

“They’re clean. I’m pretty sure her father doesn’t know exactly what his accountant is having him invest in.”

This wasn’t completely true, but Grizz wouldn’t tell Grunt that. Grizz had his suspicions, but he couldn’t be certain. Besides, if Cindy was there for the reason he thought, she wouldn’t be getting anything from Grunt. He’d kept Grunt out of his other business for exactly this reason.

“But that’s not the point. Why are you setting up house with a dyke? And I know she’s not living at the condo.” Grizz nodded at Axel then, adding, “I know about the parade of fags that show up there and stay overnight in that penthouse.”

Grunt looked away from him then. He stared at something on the wall. It worked for a little while, his plan to have a girlfriend so Grizz wouldn’t think he was a threat. So Grizz would let him spend time with Kit. What was he going to say? I’m in love with your wife and this was the only way I could think of to spend time with her?

But it turned out he didn’t have to say anything at all.

“It’s okay to tell me if you’re a fag, kid.”

**********

It was actually quite brilliant, or so he’d thought at the time. Letting Grizz think he was gay. Grunt hemmed and hawed after Grizz’s last comment. He was shocked, but also relieved he had an out. So what if he had to let Grizz think he was gay?

Then he panicked. Kit.

“Don’t tell her!” he blurted. He looked at Grizz
,
then Axel. “Please! Please don’t tell Kit. I’m not sure how she would react.” He looked at the floor. “I wouldn’t want her to think less of me. You know I care about her. She’s like a sister to me.”

Grizz didn’t say anything at first. He didn’t think Kit would care one whit about it. She’d seemed to accept Axel without judgment, though of course he couldn’t be certain. Kit was religious, and even though he didn’t know a damn thing about Kit’s religion, or any religion for that matter, he thought maybe homosexuality was taboo. It certainly was in the biker world. That’s why he covered for Axel and now he’d have to cover for his son.

Would she see Grunt differently? Would she act differently around him thus causing someone else to wonder about Grunt’s sexuality? Grizz had a good thing going with Grunt. He couldn’t take Kit out as much as she would have liked, and Grunt picked up that slack for him. Besides, he wasn’t really a dinner and movie kind of guy, anyway. Okay, so his kid was gay. Big deal. Truth be told, he really didn’t have an opinion on it one way or the other.

“She doesn’t need to know.” Grizz finally replied. Then, without another word, he got up and headed for the front door. He left, closing it behind him.

Grunt had been dismissed. He looked over at Axel, who had kept quiet the whole time.

“You’re not a homo,” Axel said to him matter of factly.

Grunt didn’t know what to say. He remembered when he’d first discovered Axel’s secret. He was maybe twelve or thirteen then. They had been sitting around the pit when, one by one, everyone got up and left. Grunt and Axel were the only two remaining when Grunt said to him, “You shouldn’t watch them, you know. You make it obvious the way your eyes follow them.”

Axel looked over at the boy. “What the fuck you talking about, kid?”

Grunt looked at him and with a kind expression said, “Don’t worry, Axel. I won’t tell. But you need to be careful. I know you try and put on a show. You take Moe in the room every once in a while to keep up appearances. I guess it’s because she kind of looks like a guy with her short hair and combat boots?”

Axel didn’t know what to say. His homosexuality could get him killed. How did the kid know? He was a smart little shit.

“You have to be careful,” Grunt reiterated. “You don’t realize it, but you look at some of the guys when you don’t think anyone is noticing. I watch people a lot, and I notice it. Eventually, someone else will, too.”

Grunt got up and left the biker sitting in the pit by himself. Axel stayed, absorbing what Grunt had said. If Axel valued his existence, he would have to watch it. Maybe it was a good thing the kid noticed. It might have actually saved his life. He’d been friends with Grizz since they were young and you would think that would offer him some form of protection, but there were no guarantees. Especially in the biker world.

Now, Grunt shot Axel a worried look. “How do you know I’m not a homo? And what did you tell Grizz to make him think I was?” Before Axel could answer him, he added, “Other than the fact that Cindy is a lesbian?”

“I just told him that I never saw you with a woman. Told him about the architect from Orlando. He’s a regular who likes to stay overnight. Grizz thinks he’s your boyfriend.”

Allen? It all made sense now. Yes, Allen Ribisi was thirty-five, handsome, rich, and gay. He was a good friend of Cindy’s and would stay at her penthouse when he had business in Fort Lauderdale, which was a couple of times a month. Sometimes as much as one or two days a week. He and Allen had become good friends and would often go to dinner. Allen knew Michael Freeman wasn’t gay, and he never pried. He actually ended up being a good mentor. Grunt even went to Orlando twice to visit him. Of course Grizz would’ve thought he was gay.

Grunt was human, though. He’d had a few flings over the years. Cindy had straight girlfriends, too, and more than a few had come to stay at the penthouse and offered themselves to what they thought was their straight friend’s boyfriend. Some girlfriends they were.

Axel interrupted his thoughts. “Why are you letting him think you’re gay?”

Grunt looked at Axel and sighed. Could he tell the biker the truth?

Axel cut into his thoughts. “Before you tell me anything, you need to know up front that I will never turn on Grizz or betray him. I like you, kid. I didn’t want to tell him what I found, but if he ever found out that I didn’t tell him, well, I don’t need to tell you what I think would happen.”

Grunt decided to go for it. When he gave it some more thought, the fact was that he could still make things difficult for Axel if certain members of the group knew he was gay. Maybe they could keep each other’s secrets. “Kit,” he blurted. “I just want to spend time with Kit.”

“Seems like a major deception just to spend time with a woman.”

“If you were talking about a normal woman, you’d be right. But, this is Grizz’s woman we’re talking about.”

“What you do with your personal life is your business. If it involved the gang, I’d have a problem. But your secret is safe with me.”

Axel was completely loyal to Grizz when it came to gang business. But as someone who’d experienced firsthand what it was like to deny your true self, he felt for the kid. Besides, he honestly believed that Grunt’s crush, or whatever it was, would eventually play itself out. Grunt would pine after her like a lovesick puppy for a while longer and eventually move on to a woman who was actually available. He’d keep the kid’s secret and maybe even have a little fun with it.

Axel stood then and stretched. “You want to make it convincing, you might need to learn a little more about being gay.”

“I’m not going to have sex with a man, Axel. No way. You know I’m not gay.”

“I’m not telling you to have sex with a man. But, you still need to play it safe. Grizz still might have someone besides me check on you. I’m telling you, you’d better play the part.”

“Fine. What do you suggest?”

“I’ll be parked at the beach across from your condo tonight at eleven. You can follow me from there.”

“Where are we going?” Tommy asked.

“Time to introduce you to the underground gay haunts in Fort Lauderdale.”

Chapter Fifty-Three

2000

Ginny just stared
at him. “You are telling me you let Grizz think you were gay so you could be with me? That your girlfriend, Cindy, really was gay that whole time?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Tommy, this is crazy. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true, Ginny.” He looked hurt. “I didn’t do it on purpose, but I let it happen and used it to my advantage.”

“No. No way. Grizz was too smart. He would’ve—”

“He would’ve what? Figured it out? He did. He caught me.”

“Caught you? How did he catch you?”

“Somebody must’ve seen me out with a woman and said something to Grizz about me cheating on my rich girlfriend. Either that or he had me watched. He actually never told me how he found out. It didn’t matter, anyway. He knew I lied and he knew why.”

“What woman?” Ginny felt a stab of jealousy. A feeling she recognized from when Tommy used to occasionally bring Cindy on their “friend dates.” Cindy was a big Rod Stewart fan, and Ginny remembered her always playing the song “Tonight’s The Night” on the cassette player in Tommy’s car. Cindy would even sing it to herself. Now that Ginny thought about it, she had been a tiny bit jealous, and as much as she loved Rod Stewart, she’d hated that song. Now she realized why. And to think there had been no reason to be jealous of Cindy. She wondered if Cindy played the part a little bit more than necessary just to needle her. The realization stunned her.

“Gin, there were women.” His voice was soft. “I’m only human. And you were married. There were a few I tried to get close to discreetly. I tried. But I could never let myself get to the point of caring. It just wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t getting over you just because I was with other women.”

She tucked her feelings aside, pressing on. “Just forget it. So, after all that, you’re saying Grizz caught you? What did he do?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“I’m so tired of hearing that.” Her words were clipped. “
You’re
the one who’s been telling me I kept my head in the sand. That I’ve never faced the reality of what Grizz was capable of. Well, then tell me! Tell me what he did when he found out you had pulled one over on him. It couldn’t have been too bad. You may have not known he was your father then, but he knew.” She cocked a hip and leveled a smug glance at him. “What did he do to his own son?”

“He beat the shit out of me with his bare hands and put me in the hospital for two weeks. There. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

**********

That brutal night, Grunt was supposed to have dinner with Allen when Grizz called, saying it was imperative that he come to the motel. He looked at his watch.
I’ll never make it.
He called Allen and told him he’d be late. Not to worry, Allen told him. He was friends with the restaurant’s owner. They would have a table no matter what time they showed up. He’d just wait at the bar.

Grunt pulled into the motel and parked in front of Grizz and Kit’s unit. He didn’t see her car behind the office when he pulled in.
I wonder if he found the guy that raped her? Maybe that’s why he wants to talk to me.

He parked and got out of his car when he heard a couple of hellos from the pit. He waved back absentmindedly, then knocked once and let himself in number four. Grizz was sitting in his recliner.

“Don’t sit,” Grizz said as Grunt started to sit down. He rose to face Grunt, suddenly looking very tall in the motel room.

“Don’t sit? Why not? What’s up?”

“I want you to face me like a man when I beat the shit out of you.”

Grunt blinked. “Beat the shit out of me? For what?”

“I need to know something.” Grizz’s voice was low, menacing. “Tell me now, because you won’t be able to answer me when I’m done with you.”

Grunt swallowed.

“You let me think you were a fag. I admit, I jumped to that conclusion based on what Axel reported to me. But you let me think it for a reason. And the only one I can come up with is because you’re in love with Kit. You want to spend time with her. My
wife
.”

The punch to his face caught Grunt off guard. He didn’t lose his balance yet instantly knew he wasn’t going to win this one. But he wasn’t going down without a fight.

**********

“Grizz beat you up and put you in the hospital? His own son? Because of me?” Ginny’s voice was almost a squeak.

“He beat the living hell out of me. I got my licks in too. I know I broke a couple of his ribs and gave him a black eye. We wrecked your place. How did you not know there was a fight there?”

“I think I remember that night. I came home once and number four looked like a bomb had gone off in it. Grizz told me two of the guys had come in and started fighting, and he’d gotten in the middle of it trying to break them up, which is how he got a black eye and a broken nose.
You
did that to him?”

“Yeah, I did that to him. He was bigger and stronger, but you have to remember, he’s the one who taught me how to fight.” A small smile played at Tommy’s lips. “I broke his nose? Really?”

“You don’t have to sound so proud of yourself.” She rolled her eyes. “What happened after that?”

“Axel got me in my car and took me to the restaurant, where we found Allen. Allen got me to the hospital, then flew me to Orlando on a private jet so I could recover near him. He called my work and made up some story about me being banged up. Maybe he told them I was mugged. I don’t remember. I do remember you asking me how my two weeks in Vancouver was.”

“Grizz told me you went on a business trip.” Her voice was small. Then something occurred to her. “Did he ever find out Axel deceived him by letting him believe you were gay?”

“No, I covered Axel’s ass. I told him Axel reported the truth to him. I did hang with a gay man. Allen stayed overnight with me at the penthouse a couple of times a month. Why wouldn’t Axel believe it?”

“But I saw you after that! I’m confused—we still spent time together. How did that happen? If he was so mad and he knew you were in love with me, why would he allow it? Something’s not right.”

“The first time I saw him after he beat the shit out of me, he told me he’d changed his mind, that it would be harder explaining to you why he wouldn’t allow our friendship to continue—and that he’d kicked the piss out of me. Or maybe he just wanted to keep me close, keep tabs on me. Besides, he knew damn well that I would never,
never
try anything with you after that beating. And I never did. That beating was just a warning.”

She let out a breath, stunned. So many secrets, so many lies. If she’d had her head in the sand, it certainly wasn’t her fault. “But Tommy, you still brought Cindy around after that. You still stayed in her penthouse. Why?”

“A few reasons.” He shrugged. “For her mostly; she still needed the ruse. And it was a comfortable situation. I lived in a million dollar condo close to work. And Cindy was a nice girl. We were friends. What else was I going to do at that point?”

Ginny shook her head, dizzy now with all the new information. “I’m still not sure I can understand why we were allowed to spend all that time together and Grizz never objected.”

What Tommy wouldn’t tell his wife, couldn’t tell her was that he knew why. When he went to see Grizz a few days before the execution, they spent almost an hour together walking in the prison yard. He was the same old Grizz when it came to Ginny. He was still pissed about the billy club incident that Leslie had revealed weeks earlier. He told Tommy he was lucky it hadn’t occurred to him to question it when he found out Tommy was pretending to be gay. He had no doubt if he’d thought of it back then, he wouldn’t have put Tommy in the hospital for two weeks. Son or no son, he would’ve put Tommy in the ground. Grizz had also been angry when he found out through Blue that Tommy had fathered one of Blue’s boys.

But then, Grizz went on to explain everything to Tommy, in great detail. Not leaving anything out. And after hearing about Grizz’s involvement in something that went way past the dealings of his criminal activities, Tommy could only stare at him with his mouth open. It all made sense now: Going to prison without a fight. Letting Tommy stay close to Ginny. Asking Tommy to marry her when he got arrested.

Now Tommy knew why and didn’t blame him one bit. He also knew why Grizz never told a soul. This was big.

“He was a criminal, Ginny. He knew he might need me one day. Need me to take care of you. I may have fooled him with the gay act for a little while, but it showed him something. It showed him that I loved you and I would protect you. Think about that. I didn’t come to him and offer to marry you when he was arrested. He came to me.”

She shook her head as she tried to take it all in. She needed a break.

“Do you want a refill?” she asked as she picked up his empty glass.

He nodded and watched her go into the house, closing the sliding glass door behind her.

Alone with his thoughts he silently berated himself for still holding back. But then he remembered. He had to. For her own safety.

His thoughts were interrupted when she came back outside, her cowboy boots thumping on the deck. She handed him the glass of water and took a seat.

“Going back to you being his son. Why was that so important to hide?”

“He had enemies, Gin. Enemies that could hurt me to get to him. He told me even Blue didn’t know—Blue who knows
everything
, never even knew Grizz was my father. It wasn’t until Blue went back to prison after finding Jan and his boys that Grizz told him about me.”

“Do you really believe Blue never knew you were Grizz’s son?”

“Yeah, I think I do. Grizz and Blue met when they were young, but Blue didn’t really know Candy.”

“When I heard them arguing, I remember she told Grizz something like how she’d introduced him to the people who put him where he was.”

“It wasn’t her. It was her dad’s friend; she was just trying to take the credit, inflate her importance. Candy flitted in and out of Grizz’s bed. He was young. He never remembered her crossing paths with Blue.”

“Let me get this straight. I’m having a hard time organizing the sequence of events here.” She took a breath and started ticking off the events on her fingers. “Leslie told Grizz during their face-to-face interview that you didn’t use the billy club to take my virginity. He somehow managed to beat her up in the prison, but was so angry with you, with us, that shortly after that, he gave her a phone interview and told her you were his son.”

”Pretty much.” Tommy nodded. “By the time I’d told him the truth behind it, he’d already cooled off and ordered a hit on her so it wouldn’t get printed.”

“I think it was a bit drastic for him to order a hit, Tommy, don’t you think? Grizz is intimidating. I think he could’ve made another type of threat. It’s just a magazine article.”

“Really, Gin? Think about how you reacted. Grizz didn’t want to die thinking you might find out and do exactly what you’ve done, which is walk out on me. He always wanted you looked after.”

At that, she slammed her hands down on the chair and stood up. “Looked after? I’m so tired of hearing this, Tommy.” Her eyes blazed. “It’s always been about protecting me. ‘Ginny is too sweet. Ginny is too innocent. We can’t tell Ginny. Ginny would be hurt,’” she mimicked. “Just because I went to church, tried to see the good in people, and looked at the world with a positive perspective never meant I was supposed to be treated like a child that had to be protected. I’m a grown, adult woman! I have an education and could support myself. I can think for
myself
, Tommy.”

“I know, Gin. I know. I’m sorry. We both underestimated you for too long. I’m sorry for that.”

“Go on.” She sat back down, crossing her arms.

“I told Grizz everything I told you tonight. I told him why I tricked him into letting me take your virginity. He didn’t like it, but believe it or not, he understood. Grizz had already realized by then that revealing he was my father would be so much more than just a little secret. It would’ve had a ripple effect that would’ve hurt Mimi. Finding out her father, me, was really her half-brother? I don’t need to tell you the shit storm that could’ve followed.” He closed his eyes and rubbed at the spot between his brows. “Anyway, I talked him out of the hit and asked him to have it dealt with so nobody got hurt. I meant it when I told you Sunday morning that the time for killing was over. He could figure out a way to stop Leslie from printing the article without having to kill her. He agreed and told me he’d already come to his senses and called it off.”

Ginny nodded at him and he continued. “Blue visited Leslie and told her that Grizz had a change of heart and not to print it. After that, and before Grizz’s execution, Blue finally heard from the P.I. he’d hired to find Jan and his boys. They’re grown now and don’t live with their mother, but the P.I. sent pictures to Blue. After seeing the pictures and actually speaking to Jan, Blue visited Grizz in prison a week or so before the execution.”

“Blue found Jan and the boys?” Ginny asked.