Page 48 of Where We Ended

Grabbing his hand, I pulled him out of the room and toward the back door. “Tonight, Silas. Marry me tonight.”

Silas followed me into the starry night, and with my hand firmly in his, I knew I could face whatever was coming next simply because I’d face it as his wife.

THIRTEEN

SILAS

PRESENT

He bound her to himself with a pair of metal cuffs.

He fucking trapped her in that house, in his clothes with no help, and no way to run. Natty had no idea what it looked like when I walked into that kitchen. How feral her features had turned when she was clawing at Alec, yanking and pulling to be freed.

I’d never seen her like that before. It took me back to when she’d been traded out of the Death Raiders club, and Simon Stone had taken her. I remember how angry I was, how out of control I felt…and even that didn’t seem to compare with the image I walked in on, or what it did to my insides.

Pure shrapnel sat in my chest after seeing her chained to my brother. Her wrist was red and irritated, as if she’d been trying to get free for some time. Her face was pale, her hair frizzed and wild. Her eyes were red and watery, as if she’d been crying and couldn’t hold back the emotions.

She was a shell, a husk of what she once was…and that fucking killed me.

Jameson’s truck slowed in front of me as we approached the Stone Riders clubhouse. I followed suit as did Killian and Wes. We eased in through their new gates that had been set up after the attack. Once we were inside, we went at a snail’s pace down the long drive until we were all parking in front of the newly-restored entrance.

Several members were milling about, their cuts all on, and I noticed quite a few had shotguns in hand. Patrols were set up, and it seemed there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t on edge.

I parked my bike, indecision warring in me as I saw the back door open to the truck and Penelope climbed out.

I should leave.

Let Natty get back to her life and disappear. This had become her home, and I was just a visitor here. A trespasser that would never be welcome.

“What the fuck, Silas?” Killian yelled, briskly walking up on my left.

I parked my bike, and stood so we were nose to nose. “We waited for you…just like we agreed, you were supposed to call us, not walk in there by yourself.”

“Didn’t need you endangering your people.” I explained, flicking a quick gaze to Jameson’s truck. That was half true, the other half was simply that I refused to wait for them to get their shit together. Killian narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth about to say something, but I saw Natty’s door open, and she was about to climb down on her own.

I moved, leaving Kilian standing there while I walked toward her. Familiar green eyes met mine, red-rimmed and cautious. The fact that she looked at me like she wasn’t sure she could trust me was like a knife in the chest.

“You’re not getting down on your own, Caelum.” I held my hand out, and she accepted, sliding into my arms from the door. I held her to me as I set her down and let her walk. I’d carry her but her shirt would ride up and her ass would likely be on display. I was already on edge; I didn’t need these fuckers seeing her exposed right now.

She kept her head down while we walked, and I found that I was desperate for my bright, shining ray of sunshine to come back to me. I wanted her to reach for me, try to touch me. Do something that reminded me we were husband and wife. That we weren’t so far down this road of separation that we couldn’t find our way back.

She’d welcomed my touch before the explosion…she’d answered my phone call, had run into my arms when I had called for her that night in Wes Ryan’s house. So why was she acting so cold toward me?

“Oh my gosh!” someone called from the side, and I knew it was Callie.

Sure enough, she walked briskly over to us, holding her pregnant belly. Tears gathered in her eyes as she took us in, and Natty opened her arms for a hug. Laura came next, baby Connor in her arms as she walked over to us.

The girls all hugged, and Natty reached for Connor only to stop when the metal cuff came into view. The empty one still had blood smeared all over it. The women all went silent at the sight of it.

“We need to get that off you,” I murmured from behind her, gently pushing at the small of her back to get her moving again. It used to be that her hand would find mine when she needed to feel grounded, but she wasn’t reaching for me. My stomach twisted with tiny pricks of fear as I reached for her and pulled her hand into mine.

She faltered for only a second when we connected but she recovered quickly, smiling as we passed more Stone Riders.

There were people muttering hellos and gasps as Natty walked back into the club. Laura, Penelope and Callie all trailed closely behind her, giving her all the support I ever hoped she’d have. Emotion swelled in my chest as I saw how the people in the club responded to her. She’d finally found a family here. People who cared for her.

The woman who maintained the kitchen, and as far as I knew was considered the club mother, came forward. They all called her Red from what I remembered.

She had white hair pulled up high, her lips painted red, her lashes long and exaggerated. Her chin wobbled as she saw Natty, then her arms opened wide as she pulled her in for a tight hug. I caught sight of Natty’s legs and a spike of irritation went through me again. She needed to find some fucking clothes.

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