by Bella Jewel
I stop and gather my thoughts.
“So I started talking to him. It took months to get more than two words, but I tried, every day he came in and gave me food, I spoke. Eventually, he started talking back. And, I don’t know, something changed. Riley became my friend. And eventually…he helped me leave. He said I deserved my life back, and that he was going to help me get it, but he couldn’t let me see where I was, he couldn’t let Paul get taken away. So, I guess, in a sense, he was still protecting him. Still, he got me out.”
“So you’ve no idea where you were? No hints, no nothing?”
I shake my head. “No names, or places, but I do know that when I got away, the one time I tried to escape, I realized I was in a church. Well, under a church. I know that doesn’t help, but he’s a man of God.”
Maverick scowls. “Piece of…”
“Calm down,” Malakai orders. “Ellie, do you remember anything about that church? Structure? A picture? Anything at all?”
I try to remember back from when I was running, and I do recall seeing a huge glass window, the big colorful ones, and it had a big design filling nearly a whole wall. I don’t really remember what was on it, except for it had a huge flurry of birds flying off in the top corner. I’ll never forget them, they were all blue, and they stood out because there was so many of them.
“I do remember a big glass wall,” I tell them. “As I was nearing the front door. It was the biggest one I’ve ever seen. And I don’t remember the picture, except that it had a mass of blue birds that looked like they were flying away, up in the corner. That’s all.”
Malakai nods, and turns to Maverick. “Get the men onto looking up every church in every major city. If there are none that sound similar, give them all a state and start searching the towns. See if we can find it.”
Maverick nods.
“And Slater,” Malakai looks to him. “Look up Paul, Riley, see if there is any sort of relation to those names, and a church. You can do that while you watch Ellie. He’s close, and he’s going to be looking for her a whole fuckin’ lot harder than he has been previously. Gotta get him, and do it fuckin’ now.”
“We’ll start throwin’ names around underground, too,” Lincoln says. “Couldn’t get fuck all out of the man we took a few nights ago. He maintained he was paid to look for her. That he doesn’t know who wanted her, just that he got given a fuck load of cash to find her.”
The man at the club.
I had almost forgotten about him in all the chaos.
“You deal with him?” Malakai asks.
Lincoln nods.
They hold their gaze, and then look away.
I know what that means, I know it as well as everyone else in this room.
These men might be kind to me, but I know, out there, in the world, they’re brutal. And they’ll go to any length to protect those they love, including taking a life.
“Slater, you make sure she’s got watch. You’re with her, or someone else is. To and from work, and anywhere she goes. She does not go alone,” Malakai orders.
“If you think I’d let her out of my sight after tonight, you don’t know me well, Malakai,” Slater growls.
Malakai holds his angry glare. “Just makin’ sure, brother.”
Slater’s jaw clenches, but he exhales and clenches his fists, looking down.
“We’ll take turns, if you need,” Damon says. “Finn and I will be more than happy to hang out here with Ellie.”
Oh thank god.
Not that Slater scares me, he doesn’t, but the thought of it just being him and I, everywhere I go, terrifies me. He’s intimidating, and I wouldn’t know what to say half the time. Staying here, well, that’s going to be weird enough. I know I don’t have much of a choice, and I also know Erin won’t like it, but I know I have to do it. I’m not safe. And the only person going to keep me safe is going to be living in this house with me.
I’m terrified.
I find it hard enough fitting into social situations, and Erin has become somewhat of a comfort bubble.
The very idea of having to stay here is scary.
I know I’m not overly comfortable, but, as I said, I also know I have no choice.
I try to push it from my mind, because the more I think about it, the more I’ll stress.
And I have enough to stress about.
Maybe Erin can stay with me a few nights?
Or Scarlett.
Or one of the other girls.
Someone.
My phone rings, and I reach into my pocket and pull it out, seeing Erin’s number on the screen. I answer it immediately.
“Oh thank god, I just got all the messages,” she says as soon as I answer. “What happened? Slater said I need to call as soon as I get the messages, and Tatiana tried to call, and you…tell me you’re okay, Ellie.”
“Not really. I’m at Slater’s house. Come past and I’ll explain everything.”
“What happened?” her voice is low and frantic.
“He came to the bakery, when I was there. I’ll tell you more when you get here, please, I need you to hurry over.”
“I’m coming, right now. Send me the address.”
I hang up the phone and send the address.
Slater stands and walks over, kneeling in front of me with a bandage. He wasn’t finished cleaning my hand when I moved. I don’t say anything, I just stare at him, not noticing everyone else staring at us.
“He’s not goin’ to get anywhere near you again, do you understand me?”
I hold his eyes.
He holds mine.
And for a moment it feels like the rest of the world disappears.
I nod.
“Do you trust me, Ellie?” he asks.
I hold his gaze, and this time, I don’t hesitate at all.
“Yes, I do.”
And I do.
I have to.
He might be the only thing to save me.
~*~*~*~
THEN- SLATER
Six months later
“Gotta stay on the low, Slater,” Lincoln says. “Fucked up, bad. Sold drugs to the wrong person, now I got people after me. Big people. Shitty people. People who are going to want blood.”
I stare at my brother, horrified by what he’s tellin’ me. “How bad is it, Lincoln?”
“Bad enough that I gotta go away for a while. Kept the trail clean, never gave my real name, address, nothin’. So they don’t know anything about me. They won’t link it back to any of you, I made sure of it.”
My chest tightens, and I glare at my brother. He’s smart, but somehow, he’s fucked up. Bad. “Runnin’ ain’t goin’ to fix it. We need you, Lincoln. Fuck me, how do you think I’m goin’ to keep it all goin’ when you’re gone. Dad is going to need money…this house…”
“I’ll have you covered, Slater. I’m fighting still. It’s bringing in the cash. Not much but it’ll be okay.”
“And is it fuckin’ worth not seeing any of us?”
Lincoln’s eyes flash. “For now, it is. For your own safety, it is. You gotta hold things up here until I can figure out what to do. I can’t be seen around any of you, if I am, they’ll link it back and I can’t have any of you coppin’ the heat for me.”
“Fuck,” I bark, grabbing my hair and tugging. “How could you be so fuckin’ stupid? I told you this would end badly. I fuckin’ told you but you didn’t hear me, and now we’re all in fuckin’ danger, and we’re losing you.”
“You’re not in fuckin’ danger, Slater!” Lincoln barks. “I told you they can’t trace it back.”
“Bull-fuckin’-shit. They’re smart. You know they’re fuckin’ smart. They’ll find out what they need to know, and it’ll be us they come lookin’ for.”
“Fuck,” Lincoln bellows.
“Running won’t fix it. Let me help. Let me help you fix it.”
“How the fuck you think you’re goin’ to help me fix something like that, Slater? What’re you goin’ to do, go and get all t
heir fuckin’ money back!”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m goin’ to do,” I growl.
It only came to me then, but it isn’t a bad idea. I can go in, sell some drugs, get some extra cash, make them happy and wipe Lincoln’s name clean.
“You fuckin’ so much as go anywhere near them, Slater, and I’ll beat the ever lovin’ fuck out of you,” Lincoln growls.
And I’ve had enough.
He can take control, if it makes him happy, but I don’t fuckin’ have to listen to it anymore. Not now. I do just as much as he does to keep this family running, so I’ll be the one to help fuckin’ fix his mistakes.
“Listen here,” I growl, stepping up to him. We’re nearly the same size, and for the first time, I might actually have something over him. “I’m not a fuckin’ kid anymore, do you hear me? You got us into this mess.”
“Not us, myself…” he hisses.
“No, Lincoln, us. Because what one of us does, has an effect on all of us. Which means we could end up in the firing line of your mistakes. IT isn’t just about you anymore, it’s about all of us, and fucked if I’ll let anything happen to Damon or Finn because of your poor fuckin’ decision making.”
“I swear to god, Slater…”
I turn, walking out, not giving him a chance to finish. He can talk all he likes. I will find a way to solve this, because I won’t let everyone sink because of his fuckin’ mistakes. I get into my truck and stop when I see Ellie coming out of the house next door. She looks over to me, and waves, her big smile melting my heart. As if I’m going to leave now. Seeing her, it makes my days better.
Being with her has been the best six months of my life.
Nothing can compare.
She rushes over and opens the truck door. “Hey,” she beams. “I was just coming to see you. Are you okay?”
Her face drops when she sees my hands curled around the steering wheel, and my jaw tight. I try to relax, but it’s hard when I’m so wound up. Lincoln walks out of the house, and I say to Ellie, “Jump in and come for a ride with me.”
She doesn’t argue, she glances at Lincoln, but she doesn’t argue. She gets in and we take off. When we’re down the road, and my fingers have relaxed a little, she says, “Are you and Lincoln fighting?”
“Yeah, guess you could say that.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, nothin’ to worry about, we’re just…butting heads. I guess we both want to be on top.”
She rolls her eyes and playfully shoves me. “I can only imagine. You shouldn’t fight with him, though. He’s your brother, and you guys are the only thing each of you have got. Don’t ruin that over silly arguments.”
My voice of reason.
My Ellie.
“We’ll get over it, just a brother fight.”
I hate fuckin’ lying to her, but there is no way in the world I’m telling her that Lincoln is in trouble, because then she’ll worry, and she’ll tell me not to try and fix it, but she has to understand, I need to. For my family. For everyone. I have to fix it. So it’s best if she doesn’t know, because there is no way I’ll ever fuckin’ risk anything happening to her.
I don’t know where I’m going to start, but I’ll find out who Lincoln is working for, and I’ll get shit sorted.
One way or another.
I will fix this.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Ellie asks me, studying my face.
“I’m fine, baby. How are you?”
Swift change of subject.
“I’m okay, just finished work.”
Ellie finished up school a little early, and went off to work. She’s been working down at a nearby café five days a week. She wants to save some money, and do a course to get a certificate of some sort. She isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, but she has a goal and that’s fuckin’ great for a girl her age. Hell, at her age, I could barely stay sober for a fuckin’ day, let alone think about my future.
She’s a damned rare find, which is why I’ll never be letting her go.
“You liking being out of school?”
She looks to me, and nods. “Yeah, I’m enjoying spending more time with you.”
I grin at her, and she reaches over, grabbing my leg.
“Takin’ you away this weekend.”
Didn’t have it planned, but just decided it then and there. I need to be alone with her, away from the rest of the worlds fuckin’ dramas that I have to deal with when I get back. The only way I can do that is to gather myself by spending a weekend with my angel.
“You are?” she says excitedly.
“Yeah, fuck yeah.”
“Where are we going?”
“Surprise.”
I don’t know exactly where we’re going to go, but I do know I’m going to make it worth her while.
I want to make her smile.
I want to make her laugh.
I want to make her mine in every way it counts.
I want Ellie to never forget me.
Because god knows, I’ll never, not for a single second, forget her.
~13~
NOW – ELLIE
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Erin says, staring around the massive room Slater put me in.
I’m not sure about anything right now, all I know is that I’m not safe and the only place I’ll be safe is here, with Slater. Combining his protection, and the clubs protection, is what might just keep me out of the hands of that monster. And I’m willing to put myself in a little bit of an uncomfortable situation, to make sure that I remain out of his grasps.
“You and I both know it’s the only option, Erin,” I smile at her, trying to make her feel less panicked.
It doesn’t work, because she knows me, and she knows my smiles. She knows that smile was so damned forced it isn’t funny.
“You’re not convincing anyone, Ellie. Not even yourself…”
“Perhaps not, but I do have to do this. They’re going to keep me safe. Tonight…tonight scared me. I don’t ever want to feel that awful fear again. I was so sure he was going to take me…”
My voice wavers, and I look away. Erin scoots over and throws her arms around me, hanging onto me. “I’m so sorry I didn’t answer. And I’ll talk to Tatiana about leaving you, she knows-”
“No,” I say firmly, pulling back. “No, this is not her fault. She didn’t want to leave. I insisted. I should have gone with her, this isn’t on her.”
Erin nods, understanding. “Yeah, okay. But honey, things are dangerous now, you have to be…more careful. Be more aware.”
“Yeah, I know,” I tell her.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”
I shake my head. “You have to work really early tomorrow, and you have nothing here. Go home, get some rest. I’m okay here.”
“But you’re not familiar with this place, or Slater, and I know you’re uncomfortable right now.”
“Yeah,” I admit, because it’s the truth, I am. “But I know I’m safe, and Slater won’t hurt me. So, I’ll be okay.”
Erin exhales. “Okay, well, I’m going to call you first thing, and come and see you as soon as I’m finished work tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, trying not to look upset, even though I feel it.
So bad.
Erin hugs me, and we say our goodbyes, then she leaves.
When she’s gone, I have a shower, get changed into some clothes she ran home and got me, and then look around the huge room. It’s lovely. There is a huge bed right in the middle of the room, and a big desk looking out the large window. I even have my own bathroom. This house, it’s incredible, and homely. I can see why the boys haven’t let it go.
My mind drifts to Slater, and I wonder what he’s doing right now?
Am I making him uncomfortable, also?
I decide to go downstairs and get some water, I can’t sleep without some by my bed. I tiptoe out of the room and down the stairs, walking through the halls until I r
each the kitchen. Only when I get to the kitchen do I realize my body automatically led me here. I haven’t yet been into the kitchen, and somehow, instinctively, I knew where it was.
My chest clenches.
I wish my mind and body would meet up, hell, even somewhere in the middle.
I open the fridge and get out some cold water, pouring it into a glass. Then I put it back and turn around, squealing a little when I see Slater standing at the counter, shirtless, hair messy like he’s been laying down. His eyes on me. For a moment, we stare in awkward silence, and then he says, “You okay?”
I nod, holding up the glass. “Water.”
“You can’t sleep without it.”
He’s stating a fact he knows, not asking a question.
And it only frustrates me more that I can’t remember.
I’m wide awake, the events of the night having stolen my sleep. I look to Slater, and say, “Can I ask you something?”
He looks at me, and then murmurs, “Yeah, if you’ll let me ask you something.”
That’s fair.
I nod and walk out of the kitchen and into the living room, sitting on the sofa and crossing my legs. He follows, sitting on the sofa across from me, and leaning forward, elbows on his knees, causing his muscles to pull and tighten. I try not to look, but it’s hard. It’s so damned hard. He’s beautiful in every way it counts, and I am still a woman, regardless of everything I’ve been through.
And I still have urges.
And I still crave the touch of a man.
Which is something I’ve had very little of.
I think.
“You wanna go first,” he says, looking into my eyes with that intensity that makes me squirm.
“Yeah,” I nod. “Yeah of course. I, ah, I wanted to ask you…and it’s okay if you don’t want to answer but…”
I swallow.
“Spit it out, Ellie. Not goin’ to make it hard for you. You can talk to me.”
I nod. “What happened…to get me in the hands of whoever sold me to Paul?”
Slater’s eyes flash, and he looks away for a moment, pain and regret filling his vision. I already know it has something to do with him, payment of some sort. I’d overheard conversations in the past about me being payment for someone’s mistake. I have figured out enough to know that mistake is Slater’s.