Page 35 of Dark Biker Protector

Cinnamon jumped up on to the bed and began cleaning Clove’s head industriously. She laughed.

"Oh, I think they’re going to be best friends," she remarked, as she watched the two of them together. "And there I was, thinking you weren’t a cat person!”

"You changed my mind about that," I replied, planting myself on the bed next to her as she placed Clove down and let him wander across the covers. I planted a kiss on her temple, and she turned to me with a smile on her face.

"I can’t believe I’m really here," she sighed. "It feels so good, Chuck. And not just because of the kitten."

I chuckled.

"I’m glad," I replied. "You want some help unloading those boxes?"

"Sure," she replied, and she hesitated for a moment, as though there was something on her mind. I glanced at her.

"You okay?"

"I’m fine, I’m fine," she replied. "There was just...something I wanted to talk to you about, that’s all."

"What’s that?" I asked her, a little concerned as I sat back down on the edge of the bed. Everything had been going so perfectly lately, I didn’t want a damn thing to get in the way of it.

"I’ve been...I’ve been figuring out what I’d like to do my next big article on," she explained. "And I think I’ve decided."

"Oh, yeah?" I replied. I wasn’t exactly sure why she seemed so nervous about it – she knew I would have supported her no matter what she chose to do next. As long as she was happy, as long as she was doing what she loved, I would be there for her.

"And I want to do it on...Franco," she began. I parted my lips, about to protest, but she lifted her hand to stop me in my tracks.

"And don’t worry, I’m not going to put anything out there that might actually identify that he’s the guy I’m talking about," she assured me. "I’m not going to let anyone know that it’s really him. Iris and I, we’re getting together to share our stories, you know, so other women can be more aware of what to look out for."

I nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea," I replied. I still wasn’t entirely sure why she was bringing this up with me, but I knew she would get there.

"Because there are so many women who go through so fucking much when it comes to these kinds of men," she continued, her voice hitching slightly at the back of her throat as she spoke. "Your...your sister being one of them."

I tensed slightly at the mention of Anna, but forced myself to unwind. I was still getting used to having everything about Anna out there with someone else, but I could trust Abbey with this. It was why I had told her about my sister in the first place.

"You can say no," she assured me. "And I totally understand if you want to. But I was wondering...I was wondering if you would be willing to talk to me about everything that happened with Anna and her boyfriend. Everything that you saw, everything that you felt as someone who was looking in on it from the outside in. I think it would be really helpful, you know, getting that outside perspective – and showing people who are in those situations that the people close to them really care."

She paused, holding her breath as she waited for me to respond. The thought of it spun around my head, everything she had just said to me – it was a lot to take in, no doubt about that.

But she was right. One of the things Anna had struggled with the most in the months leading up to her death was this belief she seemed to have that everyone was getting tired of her, that nobody wanted to deal with her anymore, even though I would have dealt with years of that shit if it meant having her with me. Yes, there were times when I had gotten frustrated, there was no doubt about that, but I had always loved her – even now, I loved her, I loved her so fiercely it felt as though it was burning a hole in my heart.

"I’ll do it," I murmured, and she threw her arms around me and squeezed me tight.

"Thank you so much," she replied, pressing a kiss against my cheek. "I know it can’t be easy for you to even think about all of this, but I promise, it’s going to make such a difference."

I wrapped an arm around her. The rush of emotion that rose whenever my sister was brought up still caught me off-guard, but maybe there was something I could do with all of that feeling – something I could do to make it useful, put it out into the world and help other people going through similar things make sense of it.

I turned to her, leaning my head against hers for a moment.

"You’re so damn brave, Abbey," I murmured to her. She cocked her head at me, clearly a little confused.

"What do you mean?”

"Putting this out there," I replied. "Putting yourself out there like that. To help other people. There aren’t many people in the world who would be willing to even think about it. They would just want to move on with their lives, but you...you want to make a difference. That’s pretty fucking brave, if you ask me."

She smiled at me, her eyes softening.

"Thank you," she murmured. "That means a lot to me. Coming from you, especially."

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