I watched as they stood there after Mom introduced herself to Mel. She looked her up and down then said, "Well, you're not as mousy as Davina or quiet like Lydia. Which begs the question, who's Melinda Michaelson?"
She looked at Mom and said, "A girl who thought your son was gay."
What the fuck? I placed my head in my hand. Why did she have to bring that up? Shoot me now. I looked up to see Mom smiling and the others trying to stifle a laugh.
"That's interesting that you would think Liam is gay. Why made you think that way?" Mom questioned.
"Well, I thought he and RJ were a couple because I never saw them with a girl. They were hanging out at the punch bowl at prom. So I thought they were a couple," Mel stated.
"What? Ryan Matthew Jones, Jr," Ryan yelled to RJ, who came into the kitchen.
RJ looked at Mel. "You had to say something, didn't you?" RJ asked Mel, looking annoyed.
Mel shrugged as Ryan yelled at RJ, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"No, Dad, I'm not gay. Mel assumes shit before finding out the truth. Trust me; I'm very much straight," RJ told Ryan.
"You know if you were, I wouldn't have a problem with it," Ryan said.
"I'm not fucking gay, all right? Damn, because I haven't found the right girl does not make a guy gay! Nik! Now he's gay!" RJ yelled, getting hostile.
"I think we've already established that years ago," Nik interjected. "Moving on."
This conversation turned into a clusterfuck quickly, and said, "Now that we established that RJ and I aren't gay and Nik is. Dad is a bonafide idiot, and Mom is scary as hell when she's yelling at Dad. Can we move along because I need to lie down? I'm not sure if you people understand the concept of having three broken ribs, but it hurts like a bitch," I said to all of them.
"Liam, go up to the bed and get some rest while Mel and I have a chat," Mom ordered me, and I gave her a look. "And no, your father says nothing stupid, I promise."
I leaned over and whispered to Mel, "Good luck." Then I left and went upstairs with the help of Elijah and JJ.
I laid on my bed, trying to get some rest when I heard a knock at the door, then someone opens the door and walked in. The person sat down on the side of my bed and took their hand, moving my hair from my forehead - mom.
"So, I talked to Melinda, and so did your dad," Mom said.
"Do I even want to know?" I asked suspiciously.
"I would think so. Liam, she's a pleasant girl. She's spunky from talking to her and finding you in your state last night upset her. She panicked, and your dad didn't help the situation, but in his defense, he worries about you boys. The four of you are his life," Mom explained.
"I get that, I do. You should see how harsh Dad was with Mel," I told my mom.
"It's because when he got the alert last night, he was frantic. That's why we sent Frazier with him. Liam, your father, would trade his life for you boys and me if it came to it. His loyalty is like no other. Remember last night he was Dad," Mom reasoned.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I sighed.
"Now, as for Melinda, that girl is crazy. Did she crawl through your bedroom window?" Mom asked me, confused.
"Yep, and I promptly showed her the door," I replied.
Mom laughed, and then I heard a knock at the door, and Dad entered. He walked over and leaned up against the dresser. "Look, Liam, I'm sorry. With everything that happened, I went into protective mode."
"I get it, Dad, but trust me, Mel may be many things, but setting me up to have me jumped is not one of them. She wants to jump me a lot different from what happened last night," I smirked.
"Oh, God, he's as bad as Frazier," Mom groaned.
"The point is, I know you guys worry, but after what happened last night, Gage better run for his fucking life because this shit won't fly," I said. "I heal at some point; then, his ass is mine."
While I was having a discussion with my parents about Gage's fate, the boys had a novel idea with each other.
My brothers, cousins, the quints, and Drew went on a scavenger hunt for Gage. They wanted to show the tinker bell what happens when you mess with family.
"Are you sure he's here?" Austin asked Junior.
"Positive. It's time to show Gage what it's like to mess with family," Junior said as all fourteen of them walked up to the fraternity house.
Junior knocked on the door, and some burly guy answered it, "Yeah?"
"Is Gage here?" Junior asked.
"Who wants to know?" The guy asked.
"A few friends," Junior smirked, glancing at his brothers, cousins, the quints, and Drew.
The guy looked around at everyone. "Fuck off." Then he slammed the door closed.
"Seriously? What is wrong with people telling us to fuck off? Do they not have any manners?" Drew asked.
"Nope," said Junior.
Drew knocked on the door, and Junior asked, "And what are you going to do?"
"Teach them a few manners. That's all," Drew said.
The same guy answered, "I thought I told you to fuck off."
"You told him to fuck off, I knocked recently," Drew answered, pointing to Junior, who waved. "Now we need a word with Gage. You can do this the easy way or the hard way," Drew said. The guy slammed the door close. "I guess they chose the hard way." With that, Drew kicked open the door, almost taking it off its hinges.
The fourteen of them walked in, and Austin said, "Man, they're having a party, and they didn't invite us? Bummer."
"Ladies," Angelo said. "Exit now." As the girls ran past Angelo, he grabbed one's arm. "I call you later." She giggled and ran out of the house.
"Now, where's Gage?" Elijah asked.
No one said a word.
"Are you deaf, dumb, and stupid? Where the hell is Gage?" JJ asked.
"If we have to tear this motherfucking house apart piece by piece, we will! Now where the fuck is Gage?" Asked Xavier, losing his patience.
The people all looked at them.
"I guess we're tearing shit up," said Zane, and with that, the boys went to town.
Meanwhile, Liz ran to Ryan. "Elizabeth? What's wrong?" Ryan asked with concern.
"They left," Liz said, breathless.
"Who did?" Ryan questioned with furrowed brows
"The boys," Liz answered.
"Where did they go?" Ryan inquired.
"To find Gage! Dad, they are mega pissed," Liz said, trying to get the words out.
"Stay here. Dylan, follow me. Alex, tell Jordan to meet us," Ryan said as he and Dylan ran out the front door.
Alex ran upstairs to my room and opened the door. "Jordan! There's a problem!"
"What's wrong?" Dad asked her.
"The boys went after Gage. Ryan and Dylan are on their way now!" Alex exclaimed.
Dad looked at me. "Where's Gage?"
"The fraternity house by Kate's bakery," I answered.
Dad rushed out of my room and down the stairs, running to catch up with Ryan and Dylan.
"How much destruction do you think they have done?" Asked Dylan.
"If they're as pissed as Elizabeth says they are, enough. Come on!" Ryan commanded them.
They arrived to see all fourteen boys standing there with Gage and the four other guys kneeling in front of them beat to all hell. The rest of the guys in the fraternity were standing to the side with no marks on them.
Ryan walked up to the center of the room and assessed the damage. There wasn't much, but the five boys are kneeling were feeling the aftereffects. He looked at Matt. "Please tell me all you boys did not take on these five."
Matt looked at Ryan. "We didn't. They did." He pointed to the fraternity brothers that stood there.
Then Rex walked over. "We have a slight issue with some brothers thinking they can do what they want and get away with it."
"What happened?" Ryan asked.
"Ask him," the Rex said, pointing to JJ.
They all looked at JJ, who walked over to them. "We came here to beat the shit out of Gage for what he did to Liam. As we started searching through the house, one brother recognized Leo and his brothers when they were in the fraternity. When they told them what happened, I confirmed it."
"Mr. Shaw, please accept our sincerest apologies for what happened to Liam. We don't operate like this," the Rex said.
"I'll relay the message to his mother. Thank you," Jordan said.
"They're out. Do what you want with those guys. We finished," the Rex said.
They nodded and walked over to the five boys kneeling in the center of the room. Ryan crouched in front of Gage. "I have a rule. If you fight, you fight fair. That's the one thing I taught all these youthful men, including their fathers. Now you five finds out about the most feared boys of Saintwood."
Ryan stood up, and Dad walked over to Gage. "A genuine man fights one on one, but you knew you couldn't take Liam, so you need help. That makes you more stupid than anything. See, you might have had some fancy lawyers to bail you out the last time, but this time your ass is mine. You went after Shawn, then went after Mack, and finally, you went after Liam. Three strikes and you're out. Now get up," Dad said, yanking Gage up harshly. Dad looked at Ryan. "He's mine. You guys do whatever you want to the rest of them." With that, Dad disappeared with Gage.
"Drew, call Hunter. Dylan, Junior, and Angelo help me with these four. Their lives as they know it are over," Ryan said, grabbing the big burly guy that answered the door while the other three grabbed the remaining of the guys. They disappeared into the night with Drew right behind them on the phone with his dad.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm all partied out for one night," Austin smirked, and they all nodded in agreement as they left.
A guy yelled, "What about our front door?"
Matt walked over and handed him a card. "Call this number, and they replace the door free." Then he left.
I couldn't stay in bed after Dad left. They all went to have some fun, and I'm stuck with a bunch of freaking women. What the hell? Not any women, the most neurotic women you could ever meet. Most of them are on anti-anxiety medication.
Then you have Mack, Scarlett, and Mel, who between the three of them were driving me up the fucking wall. Note to self, never get stuck in an elevator with the three of them, ever.
Then you have Davina, Lydia, and Gina, who are so quiet that you wonder if they are secretly plotting your death. I'm going to fucking kill Gage when I see him. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't get stuck in a room with all these crazy females.
I sat on the couch with my feet propped up on the coffee table as most of them were pacing around the room. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop fucking pacing! It won't make them return any quicker, even though I wish they would." They all stopped and stared at me. "Now, you stare? Take a picture. It'll last longer."
"Someone sure is crabby," Scarlett said.
I gave her a look. "Look, red, you would be crabby if you got stuck in a room with a bunch of crazy females and don't think you aren't. You hunted down my cousin."
"Liam, there's no need to be an ass," Davina said.
"And there's no need for your input either, but here we are," I retorted.
Mom walked over and smacked me upside the head. "Shut the fuck up." I glared at Mom, and she glared back at me. "Act like an ass all you want, but you won't act like an ass to us."
I smirked at Mom, and she hit me again. "What the hell, Mom?" I yelled.
"Knock it off you, you pain in the ass! I swear your mouth get you into trouble," Mom huffed.
Finally, everyone returned. "Oh, thank god," I groaned.
"Jordan, you deal with Liam, or I will," Mom said as she marched over to Dad.
Dad looked at me. "Can't you behave for a few minutes?"
"A few minutes, try a few hours stuck in a house full of very anxious women," I answered, feeling annoyed.
"Well, we're back, so get your ass to bed," Dad ordered me, which I was more than happy to do. Once I reached my room, I climbed into bed carefully. I heard a knock at my door.
"Ah hell, can't an injured man get some peace?" I huffed. I looked over and said, "Oh, it's you."
"I came to say that I'm going back to my dorm. Leo's brothers offer to take me back," Mel said to me.
"Okay," I said.
She quickly walked over and gave me a quick kiss then ran out of the door. A smile grew upon my lips, and with that, I drifted off to sleep.