Page 74 of Bound by Adoration

NYX

“Come on. Let’s go,” Raid told Liam and me, standing at the door. He wouldn’t tell us why we were leaving or where we were going. I was just happy to get out of this small room in the clubhouse.

My house was small, but it was my own and something I didn’t want to go back to. I’d worked hard for that place, but it wasn’t the same.

I’d hoped for a fresh start. It wasn’t like we didn’t have the money because we were overloaded with it thanks to my mom and the Hamiltons.

“Hold your horses,” Liam told him, grabbing his wallet and putting it in his back pocket, and I grabbed my purse from the couch.

“Ok. Want to tell us where we’re goin’?” I asked Raid who smiled.

“Nope. Everyone in Liam’s truck.” He looked to Liam. “Keys?”

“You’re not drivin’ my truck,” Liam retorted.

“Yeah, I am. Keys.”

Liam didn’t mean it, considering he handed Raid the keys, and we all got into the truck.

The drive was only about twenty minutes, and we were on the opposite end of Sumner from where the safe house was.

“I’ve decided not to go back to the bar.”

“Sounds right,” Raid said, reaching over and squeezing my leg.

“Know you like to have your own thing, but you’ve got a ton of cash and will probably never have to work again,” Liam said, and I smiled.

It was true on both parts. “I’ll probably go back to working at something eventually, but I need time.”

The conversation was light and comfortable.

I never realized what the feeling of actually being free was like. At first, I didn’t believe it. Didn’t believe it was over. But I trusted my guys, and they said it was. It took the better part of the past week to finally feel like I didn’t have a target on my back.

But it would be a long time before I truly felt at ease without looking over my back. After so many years, it had become habit. Survival. Now, I could live. One day at a time.

Raid drove with ease.

He pulled into a wooded area, the truck weaving between the trees.

“You scratch my truck, you’ll be buffin’ it,” Liam groused.

Raid chuckled. “It’ll be fine.”

“You say that now, before you have to buff a thousand scratches out.”

The terrain was a bit bumpy, but I had to admit it was beautiful. The trees were so tall with specs of the sun shining through them.

It was only a minute or so before Raid stopped and parked the truck. “Come on,” he told us, and we all piled out of the truck. The air was cool with all the covering of the trees.

“Want to tell me why we’re in the woods? Did you turn on us and are now going to kill us and feed us to the wolves?” I asked.

“You watch too much of that10 to Lifeshow on YouTube,” Raid told me, and I chuckled. I did like that show even if the true crime stories were hard to relate to actually being real. People were bat shit crazy out there.

“It’s good. Annie Elise has a good voice. Now do you want to tell us what we’re doin’ here?” I asked again, trying to get us back on track.

“What do ya think of this place?” Raid asked both of us.

“Nice. Quiet. Calm,” Liam said.

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