The Law of Motion (Law Series) (39 page)

             
“Handle?” He questioned with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve been doing this a bit longer, I think I should know the right calls.”

             
I shrugged not backing down from him, I didn’t care who he was. “You can’t just walk into a situation and start making changes to how shits been run, I don’t care what type of pull you have.”

             
“I didn’t walk into this situation, I was
invited
.” He spat back without missing a breath, hinting at the fact that Alyssa wanted him there. “I’m sorry that you’re threatened by me being in
control
, but this is my call.”

             
“It’s not your op, it’s
my
girlfriend.” I hissed correcting his hints. “I’ve lead this team
with
her so I know what types of calls she would make, and this isn’t one of them.”

             
He scoffed. “I know she is willing to go out of the box when necessary. I’ve known her a bit longer.”

             
“Longer or not, I know her
better
now, so if you think for a second tha
t

”

             
“Enough, damn it!” Doc yelled over our low yet tense argument, bringing the rest of the rooms attention to it, including Juan Carlos. “Since you two are set on measuring  your dicks take the shit outside where it won’t intefere with getting Alyssa
home
!”

             
Half of the room gaped, because half of the room had never heard nor seen Doc lose her temper, the other half looked between the three of us uneasyly, because it was such a rare occurrence, and they were unsure what came after.

             
She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her eyes again, walked to the head of the table and began flipping through her informaiton with Tink. Another few seconds went by before she looked up again. “Why are you still standing there?
Go
!”

             
“You aren’t serious?” Hunter questioned with raised eyebrows and then looked to me. “Is she serious?”

             
I shrugged, and Tawny went on. “Yes I’m serious,
get out
.” We both attempted our reasons of protest, and she held a hand up. “This may be
your
op Hunter, and she may be
your
girlfriend Adrian, but it’s a
known
fact that in Alyssa’s absence Gravity is
mine
. So get the hell out of my conference room! Don’t come back until you’ve worked out your shit and getting Alyssa back is your main priority.”

             
“I’m not going anywhere.” I hissed, because Alyssa had been my main priority since I met her.

             
Doc started to say more, but a calmer voice of reason interfered, “Son.” My dad started, “Maybe it’s best you both step into the hall and get the issues resolved, we can’t have any miscommunicatons, for Alyssa’s sake.”

             
I nodded stiffly, yanking my leather jacket off of the chair and heading to the door. “Outside Grayson.”




             
“I get it, you’re threatened by me.” Grayson announced after several minutes of tense, angry silence infront of building.

             
I rolled my eyes fuming sarcastically, “Yeah, that’s it.”

             
“It is exacty.” He nodded agreeing with himself, making me want to punch the charisma out of him.

             
“Ok, know it all, what am I threatened by?” I hissed trying to make amusement cover my words.

             
Grayson looked at me, smug, as if he knew that I would ask that. “Alyssa, doesn’t get close to just anyone, and the fact that she is close to me
means
something.”

             
“Or maybe I don’t like you because you’re a smug, know it all,
asshole
that wants what’s mine.” I corrected, though I couldn’t deny that he was right about part of i
t
not the threatened part however.

             
He just rolled his eyes and then nodded, like he caught on to something I didn’t say. “Ah, so this is about, Babes.”

             
“Don’t call her that, she isn’t
your
babes.” I corrected glad to finally be able to.

             
He let out a laugh at that.  “She has and always will be
Babes
to me. The nickname is no different than you all calling her Chance. That’s not the issue you’re having.”

             
“Then what is?” I inquired angrily. I hated ‘know it alls’.

             
He thought for a moment, and then let gave me an austere, almost sympathetic answer. “I’m not the reason that Ba
b


lyssa won’t marry you.”

             
My head shot up, and I didn’t hide my surprise, “She
told
you I proposed?”

             
He nodded, “Yeah, on the drive up here, and no I’m not the reason why she isn’t marrying you.”

             
“But you
are
taking advantage of her saying no.” I snapped, angrily. Because no man wanted to be rejected, let alone have other men know about it. “Using a fucked up situation to score points with her.”

             
He shrugged, but didn’t deny it. “Perhaps it can be viewed that way, but not in the fucked up way that your putting it. I would have helped her with whatever situation was occuring, and yes, I have introduced an
alternative
.” His voice held it’s own hint of bleakness as he muttered under his breath, “Not that she’d notice, she’s too into you to wonder what we could have had.”             

             
Rejection, the only common ground we had. “Did she tell
you
why she refused my proposal?”

             
Though I wanted to know, I would have been bothered if he knew, especially since the girls didn’t even know. When he shook his head, I got a mix of relief and frurstaion surging to my brain. “No, but if I know Alyssa, then it’s not hard to figure out.”

             
“Meaning?” I growled, unsure of what he was implying.

             
He smirked at me as he scoffed, his breath blowing white as it hit the cold. “Easy man, I’m not implying inadequacy on your end. Alyssa has always put everything ahead of herself, and
love
for that matter. One of the reason’s that we didn’t get together.”

             
“Oh.” Was all I could say.

             
“But…” He started again. “That’s only one theory. I have another, which you do play a role in.”

             
“Go on,” I urged him with a resigned sigh.

             
He let out another white breath before going on. “Well, there is a possibility that she’s associating you with that other guy at this point.” He rolled his eyes into his head as he tried to remember the name. “Roger…Rosco…”

             
My arms flexed instantly when I realized who exactly he was trying to recall. She told me stories about the last guy she dated. “I’m
nothing
like that shithead Rodney.” I spat, squaring at him, realizing for the first time that he was slightly taller than I was, not that it would matter. “He fucking cheated on her. I would
never
cheat on her.”

             
“Maybe then again, maybe not,” He shrugged stepping back from me. Sitting on the bench next to the door and rubbing his hands together. “She didn’t break it off with him for cheating.” He thought and then corrected himself, “Well yeah, she did, but it was more.”

             
“And she told you.” I guessed dryly leaning against the door.

             
He shook his head. “No, but she isn’t as complicated as you think. Yeah the act of cheating was beyond fucked up, but it was him not being satisfied with everything that she had already given him. That he felt the need to seek more.”

             
“So I’m an asshole for wanting to
marry
the woman a love?” I questioned sarcastically at his logic.

             
He nodded again, “In a way yes. She’s been through a ton of shit, long before Cuba. You need to see how far that you’ve helped her come, and maybe be ok with the fact that she doesn’t have any more in her.”

             
“She
does
have it in her.” I argued. She was so loving, so sweet, and the side of her that no one else saw but me, told me exactly. “I mean, she’s pretty much my wife as it is.”

             
“So then it’s
your
own
insecurities then?” He asked looking over to me. “From what you’re saying and what I see, you have it. She’s moved in with you, she shows you she loves you, and she’s definitely faithful. What more is there?”

             
I had nothing. He was right.

             
He took advantage of my silence, continuing his musings aloud. “Unless…you’re worried about her leaving... That someone else will come along and take what you feel is yours.”

             
“It’s not a feeling, it’s the truth, she
is
mine, just as much as I am hers.” I argued.

             
He gave me that smug as smile again. “And there is my point exactly. If you know that, then why
not
wait until she is ready to be married?”

             
Again I had nothing.

             
He stood up clapping a hand on my shoulder. “I get it man. Alyssa is…
it
. If anyone gets it I do. The idea of having a future with her makes you not
want
to wait. And she’s completely oblivious to the magic she holds, making her all the more desirable.”

             
Yeah, he got it. Maybe a little
too
much, those were the feelings that circled around me every day, unable to be formed into words. Then it dawned on me, his ability to voice them made me completely secure in my response. “You’re still in love with her, after all of this time.”

             
He didn’t give me a yes or a no, just a weak smile and a question. “Would you not be?”

             
“Which is why you’re still here?” I guessed raking my hands through my hair because I didn’t know how to feel about it. Part of me sympathized, another territorial, because this was the one guy that if things played out differently, would have her.

             
He shook his head. “I didn’t get a chance to help her back then, I won’t fail her this time. Don’t worry, she’s a hundred percent yours.” He reassured. “I figured that out when I spent the night with her in New York.”

             
“You did
what
?” I hissed again, because this was the first time that I heard about it.

             
He laughed again, “It was pretty much innocent. You shouldn’t fly off the handle so easily.”

             
“Pretty much?” I demanded ignoring his advice, because I was about to beat him into the pavement.

             
He shrugged, “I made a move, she rejected, end of story. Alyssa already put me in my place, so there’s no need for you to attempt to. She wants you, not me, I get that.”

             
“Don’t try again.” I warned relaxing. “She’s too young for you anyway.” I joked slightly sitting on the bench where he once sat.

             
He laughed, because he was only four years older than I was, making him barely thirty four, still a few months shy of Dario. “I assure you, she’s mature enough to ignore it.”

             
When he sobered from his laugh, I got real again. “Look, not that I think that your heart is in the wrong place on this or anything, but Tawny can’t go out there. It’s our job to protect those girls, and sending her into danger isn’t going to help.”

             
“Well maybe you should stop looking at them as girls and start viewing them as
women
. She is young, yes. But Alyssa instilled in all of them what they need to survive.” He suggested before looking back at the door. “Now are we cool? Because I want to get back in there.”

             
We were cool enough, for Alyssa’s sake, because I didn’t want to miss a bit of the planning. “Let’s go.”