Freedom

by KC Kean

  I don’t know when it started or how to make it stop, but he doesn’t seem to mind, even though I feel like a fool.

  Ever so slowly, he washes my face, taking extra care with all the cuts, bruises, and my damaged nose. Once he’s done, he brings my head forward, leaning me against his chest, resting his head against mine.

  Even with the vanilla scent of my products filling the room, I can still smell my Maverick. His sandalwood and leather signature scent teasing my senses.

  A knock at the door bursts our bubble. “Maverick, our guest is awake,” West calls out, and I can’t stop the frown from taking over my face. Leaning back, I look to Maverick, who has a new level of intensity in his eyes.

  “I have to leave for a little while, but I’ll still be in the building,” he whispers, but I can tell he doesn’t really want to leave.

  “Where are you going?” I ask, but I don’t expect an answer.

  “Frankie Winters is chained up in the basement. I was torturing him to find you. Now, I’ll be torturing him for what he did to you.”

  His words leave me stunned. All I can do is gape at him, but why aren’t I telling him to stop? I should encourage him to step back and walk away, but I just can’t do it. My heart pounds in my chest as I nod slightly in response, the numbness washing over me again.

  Bringing his lips to mine, it’s the softest kiss we’ve ever shared.

  Standing, he grabs a towel from the rack and holds his hand out to me. Wrapping me up in the soft material, he then does the same for himself. I still refuse to look in the mirror, not wanting to see the damage yet as Maverick quickly dresses again.

  “While I’m gone, you may tell your story. Just know, I won’t ask you to repeat it to me if you don’t wish to. I will get the information from others.”

  Who is this guy right now? All kind and caring. Where is the jackass that usually growls for every piece of information? As if seeing the questions in my eyes, he lowers himself until we’re eye level and places his hands on my shoulders.

  “I can see your pain, petal. I won’t add to that.”

  With a simple kiss on my forehead, he leaves, yet I’ve never felt closer to him.

  Jess

  The second I step out of the bathroom, I’m wrapped in Juliana’s arms. Clutching the towel to my chest, with my arms trapped between us, I let her hold me.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay, Jess,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion as her body shakes.

  I don’t know how to handle someone caring for me like this. Holding me, treating me delicately, and crying with emotion because of my condition. This isn’t a surprise since my mother didn’t even bat an eyelid at the state of me. I can’t even bring myself to look.

  Placing her hands gently on my shoulders, she leans back, moisture in her eyes as she offers me a sad smile.

  “Oh, honey.” She strokes her finger gently over my face, and the swelling I know is there. “We’ll make them pay for this. I promise.”

  All I can do is nod in response because I’m completely aware that my room is filled with a lot of people, and I feel like a spectacle. Like I’m standing in an antique shop window, and everyone has their eyes on the fragile piece holding center stage.

  “We’re overwhelming her,” Kai murmurs from my sofa, and I blush under the awkward analysis, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, but his statement is true.

  Rafe stands from the other sofa, patting his legs as he does, and looks around the group. “How about we give Jess some space? Only a few people really need to be here right now.”

  Nobody speaks their agreement, all looking around each other silently communicating who should stay and who should go.

  Walking towards me, Rafe takes the lead. Juliana gently squeezes my shoulder before murmuring her goodbyes and stepping towards the door. Rafe fills the space she just vacated, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

  “I’m glad you’re safe, darling,” he murmurs in my ear before following his sister to the door.

  Bryce is next. I know he’s Luna’s father, but I haven’t really spoken with him since his magical return from the dead, likely because of the scandal, to be honest. I’m secretly mad at him for staying away from my girl for so long. But the fact that he’s here showing me support because he knows how much I mean to Luna is warming.

  “I’m going to leave two bodyguards outside of the room, no matter how many people are in here. Okay?”

  I nod in response, and he pats my head, which surprisingly doesn’t make me feel like a pet, which leaves Aiden, West, Luna, Roman, Parker, Oscar, and Kai in a stand-off.

  Clearing my throat, I find my tiny voice. “I really appreciate you all being here, but I know I will find having this conversation easier with Luna.” I look to Aiden and West, and if they’re upset with my words, they do well to hide it.

  All I see shining back in their eyes is relief that I’m standing before them.

  “I’m here, Red,” Luna says, jumping from the sofa and racing to my side in an instant.

  “Anyone can stay in this room. I just think I’ll be more comfortable in bed. I hurt everywhere, but now that a lot of the adrenaline has worn off, the pain has only intensified.”

  I fidget from leg to leg, trying not to put too much pressure on one spot, but they hurt all over, and it only makes me curl in on myself even more.

  “Of course, beautiful.” Aiden rises, moving towards me with a softness in his eyes that makes me want to cry. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he places a kiss on the corner of my lips, carefully avoiding the cut. “I’m going to stay here, maybe sleep on the sofa or something, okay? I just need to be close to you still.”

  “I’d like that,” I respond with a watery smile. Wanting him just as close but not wanting to see the pain in his eyes when I tell him the events from last night.

  Luna wraps her arm around my shoulder, ready to head towards my bedroom when West steps in our path. Luna must anticipate his move because she releases her hold on me so West can wrap me in his arms, just like he did downstairs. Resting his head on top of mine, I could let him cocoon me like this until I was mended.

  “I can’t tell you how desperate I am to know what happened so I can make it all go away, but I understand. Whatever you need, sunshine, we’ll be here.” He releases me, and I instantly miss his touch.

  “I’ll get my hugs later, Jessikins, when you’re dressed and the weight of last night has lifted a little.” Oscar’s words catch me by surprise. I smile gently in his direction and all the other Aces, as they nod in agreement.

  “Thank you so much. All of you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You would kick ass, Red. Just like you clearly did last night. We are lucky to have you.” Luna’s words are filled with awe as she wraps her arm around my shoulder again, and everyone hums in agreement, making me blush once more.

  Slowly walking to my bedroom door, I pause, turning to face everyone as a thought comes to mind. “You can’t hurt Reece.”

  Everyone looks at me with raised eyebrows. “Why not?” Roman grunts, but I focus on West because I remember him sending Reece to his room here at Ace.

  “Because my father’s life hangs in the balance if I don’t marry him.”

  Luna pulled a magical box of ointments and creams out of nowhere, covering every cut and bruise with Arnica cream. Working in complete silence, I think Luna needs time to process what questions to ask first so she can understand what has happened. I’m just relieved I don’t need any bandages.

  But as we lay side by side on my bed, each wearing shorts and an oversized t-shirt that belongs to someone in my living room, silence stretches out around us. I know I need to start the conversation, get over the first hurdle, and I decide to start at the beginning.

  The second my mouth opens, Luna speaks. “I’m sorry you couldn’t confide in me about the guys.”

  My eyes widen, and my body freezes. That’s not where I expected this to start. “Wh
at? Don’t apologize, Luna. I was, am, going through some stuff, and your life is literally crazy. I wanted to find my feet first, explore this with them, but in all honesty, I expected my relationships to have crashed and burned by now.” I admit, struggling to maintain eye contact.

  “Are you crazy? Have you seen how they look at you? I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before, but I guess now they aren’t hiding their feelings it’s obvious. They’re looking at you like you are the only light in the room.”

  I try to stop my cheeks from turning crimson, but it’s no use. Although, the thoughtful glint in her eyes as she reveals what she sees from the guys relaxes me.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I almost did when you were getting ready before your party, but I didn’t want to take away from your day.”

  Squeezing my arm, she gives me one of her classic eye rolls, and it makes me smile. “I love you, Jess. Your secrets are my secrets, and your happiness is important to my happiness, okay?”

  My heart swells at her words. Her softness and caring side has grown like crazy over the past few months, and I’m lucky to be on the receiving end. Nodding in response, she smiles for a moment, then her face becomes sullen, and I know the serious talk needs to happen.

  “What happened, Red?”

  Licking my lips, I look down at my hands and start at the beginning. I explain how I couldn’t deal with the fall out in the hallway, the secret marriage arrangement between bloodlines I knew nothing about, and when I stepped outside, Gina pointed out the SUV. How blind I was to climb in and not notice I wasn’t alone until it was too late.

  “I woke up in a tiny room with no windows, just a mattress, and a chair. My hands were zip tied together, and there was duct tape around my ankles and across my mouth.”

  Looking into her eyes, I can see the pain my words are causing her already, and we aren’t even to the worst of it yet.

  Luna nods for me to continue, and I explain how Frankie hit me, trying to get information on Maverick, The Ring, and Featherstone in general.

  “I said nothing, not a word. I would have let him kill me before I gave up Maverick, Juliana, or any of you guys,” I whisper, meaning every word. I feel numb inside like I’m almost telling a twisted fairytale instead of my own recount of last night.

  I feel agitated, like I should be screaming, crying, or at least shaking, but nothing except for a migraine as the mental toll of retelling it outweighs the physical pain.

  “I know you would, Jess. No matter what, you are always loyal. Even when all that shit went down with Trudy, you knew you were doing the right thing, listening to her, even when I said not to, but it was for the right reasons.”

  Hearing her say that is another weight off my shoulders. I know Trudy only told me a snippet of what happened to her, but the information was important because it made Luna step back and better assess the situation. I’m glad that’s no longer hanging between us.

  “I hate seeing you like this,” Luna admits, and I try to muster up a soft smile as her eyes scan over me.

  “To be honest, I just feel numb everywhere. These bruises remind me I survived. I’m here and alive. What else should I have expected from being a part of Featherstone?” I shrug. “It’s the mental scars I’m worried about,” I whisper, admitting my true concerns.

  Luna frowns slightly as she registers my words, and I continue.

  “Frankie is completely unhinged. He was like Jekyll and Hyde in front of me. A guy burst into the room, yelling about people showing up, and when he left me with only one bodyguard, I knew I had to take my chance.”

  I struggle to find my next words, never thinking I would have to explain killing someone.

  “It’s okay,” Luna soothes, and I take a deep breath, finding the strength to own up to what I did.

  “I killed him, Luna.” My words are barely audible, but they’re there. Fresh, crisp, and guilty in the air between us. “He was trying to take me back to the small room, touching my chest and insinuating what he was going to do to me. I had to survive.” My face stings with pain as I scrunch my nose in disgust, unable to make eye contact with her.

  “Jess, it’s okay. Everything is okay. You did the right thing.”

  I don’t respond, knowing my mind probably doesn’t work like theirs, and even though it was a matter of survival, I won’t forgive myself for what I did.

  “I just wish you hadn’t run off after you did that.” Her words confuse me, making me frown before she continues. “The people that were there? That was us, Jess.”

  “What? How?” My blood pumps in my ears as I try to register what she’s saying.

  “We knew you had been taken. After searching the surveillance footage and interrogating Gina, we found your location.” Her eyes search mine, seemingly confused with the frown lines on my face. “Wait? What do you think we were doing?”

  “I didn’t know if you guys knew or not,” I answer honestly, and she shakes her head.

  “Jessica Watson, do you really believe we wouldn’t come running at a time like this?” She gapes at me in surprise, and I shrug my shoulder, embarrassed.

  “I assumed you guys would have just believed I’d gone back to my room.”

  “Jess, even if Frankie hadn’t called Maverick, someone would have come searching for you to check you were okay.”

  I swallow past the lump in my throat. “It’s hard for me to remember people care. My mind isn’t used to it, so I wouldn’t automatically think that.”

  Luna reaches out, her fingers twirling a lock of hair that hangs by my face.

  “Oh, Jess. You are stuck with us forever. You’ll learn that one day.” I offer a smile in response, still not knowing what to say. “So, what happened when you got back to Featherstone? Who was in the car?”

  I gape at her in shock. “Oh my gosh, you guys are crazy stalkers.” I chuckle, trying to relax the atmosphere, and she appeases me with a short laugh.

  “I thank my handsome, Kai, and his surveillance skills for it all.”

  I giggle at her response, but it soon dies when I remember who was waiting in the car for me.

  “It was my mother, Luna.” Biting my lip, I try to contain my emotions, but it’s proving difficult. “She has my father held somewhere, and unless I marry Reece, she’s going to kill him. I won’t be allowed to see him for myself until the wedding day. I don’t know what to do, Luna. She trapped me in my old bedroom at Diamond, with just a mattress on the floor.”

  I feel the tears track down my face as my heart aches, for my father, for me, for my WAM sandwich.

  “That fucking bitch,” Luna growls. That’s one way to put it. “That’s why West omitting the truth about the other bloodline agreement hurts so much. It reminds you that your mother has been doing this to you all of your life.” Does it? It angers me that decisions were made behind my back, that they seem to forget that I’m an actual human being, but deep down, I know the situation isn’t the same as my mother. “We’ll figure it out, Red, we always do.”

  “But how? One word from Reece to my mother that I’m not doing exactly as they said and my father winds up dead. I don’t even clearly understand between the two of them who is issuing the orders. I can’t – this world was never meant for him. He was dragged into it, and I can’t be the reason he dies at the hands of Featherstone.”

  My cries turn a little hysterical as all my emotions rush me at once. Wrapping me up in her arms, Luna pulls me close, murmuring calming words in my ear the whole time. My heart bleeds, and my bones shake, and she doesn’t stop trying to hold those shattered pieces of my soul together. I feel broken and vulnerable. Like I’m sinking in an ocean of pain.

  Eventually, my eyes grow heavy, the sleep I’ve been deprived of finally taking over as I lay in my best friend’s arms. But I don’t want to dream.

  Because every dream I’ve ever had ends up smashed into a million pieces.

  West

  I try to absorb Luna’s words, but my brain can’t comprehend the
absurdity of it all. Mix in the fact I still haven’t slept, and I’m fried. Sitting on the sofa, my arms braced on my thighs, my eyes feel heavy, but the more Luna speaks, the more alert I become.

  “As if Jess hadn’t been through enough, her mother randomly shows up at the academy? Then tries to coerce Jess into doing as she demands?” I question, making sure I’m hearing her right.

  I want to seek out Maverick right now and help him tear Frankie apart, but I also want to do the same to her weak excuse of a mother. And Reece as well. He’s lucky Jess’s father is important to her. Otherwise, he’d be dead by now too.

  “Does the situation open your eyes a little more now, though? To how fucking stupid it was for you to keep her in the dark like that?” Luna grinds out, standing above me, waving her arms out at her sides while glaring at me.

  I can feel Roman’s eyes burning into my skull from the sofa behind me, but I don’t bother to turn around. All of Luna’s guys were dozing when she slipped out of Jess’s room, and in a blink of an eye, they were all up on their feet and rushing towards her.

  I waited patiently with Aiden while they all had their moment, but I didn’t want her to tell them any details of what Jess may have said without her also addressing Aiden and me.

  I sagged with relief when she encouraged her guys to take a seat while she repeated exactly what Jess said, word for word, and we all listened in complete silence. Everyone’s anger kicked up a notch when she shared the details of Jess’s time with Frankie, and my heart sank, knowing she’d had to kill a man to survive. We all know what that does to your soul, except Aiden, thankfully.

  But if Maverick doesn’t take Frankie’s last breath, I fucking will because he dared to lay a fucking finger on my sunshine. I can’t imagine what she has truly endured.