Page 50 of Broken Bonds

Taking small, wobbly steps, I bit my lip so hard, I feared it might bleed, but I made it to the door before Ace could wake up again and stop me. I followed the sound of Oscar’s deep laugh, the rich baritone a comfort. I held the wall for support and limped one small step at a time until I was finally standing before the family in the kitchen as they attempted to make breakfast.

“Can I help?” My voice was still scratchy from sleep, and I coughed to clear it. Barbara and Donna looked up at once, big smiles stretching over their faces.

“Oh, yes, my dear. Come take a seat.” Barb rushed over, throwing an arm around my shoulders to take some of my weight as she guided me to a metal stool near where they’d been working.

She and Donna did most of the work while I talked with Oscar. Well, I listened as he told me stories from his youth and all the shenanigans he got into. His wife and daughter listened,laughing along when he recounted crazy stories from his days in school and the first time he asked Barbara out.

An hour later, with Donna’s help, I hobbled back to the gym and saw that Ace was still sleeping. She had given me Tylenol a while ago, and it was starting to take the edge off the pain, but every step still burned, was still agonizing.

She took most of my weight, making us slow and ungraceful as we crossed the big room, wobbling from side to side. She helped me sit down on my heap of rumpled blankets before leaving with a smile.

“I thought I told you to sit and look pretty,” Ace mumbled, lifting his head and locking his bleary eyes with mine.

“Oh, you did, but I don’t listen to assholes.” He rolled his eyes, dropping his head onto the pillow with an annoyed huff.

“Why can’t you understand I’m just trying to help you, Celine? I don’t want to see you in pain. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but you keep painting me out to be the bad guy, and I’m not.” He sat up quickly, hurt flashing in his blue eyes, but he turned away from me before I could open my mouth.

“Ace, I’m?—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” he grumbled. He turned around in a flash, his words cutting like a whip. His hair was standing up in the sexy bedhead kind of way, and his clothes were rumpled. And those damned blue eyes, full of hurt, cut me to my core.

He swung his arms under me and pulled me into his hold, my head right next to his. Without a word, he walked us over to where everyone was gathering for breakfast, friendly banter filling the once-silent air.

Ace and I sat next to each other, our arms brushing while we ate, the tension growing between us with every passing second. A rumble of thunder filled the air, reminding us of the doom outside. I’d thought it was finally passing, but apparently not. It’d only been a small reprieve—a tease of what we all wanted sobadly. Oscar had the radio dialed into the news report, and we were eagerly awaiting the next advisory.

“Just in, Dawson has finally cleared through the county of Billiardsand is losing strength.”

A loud cheer erupted in the big room, people clapping and yelling in excitement. Ace and I shared a brief relieved look before I looked over at Oscar, who was frowning at the radio.

“We can leave now, Oscar. Why aren’t you happy?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“Because we can’t. There’s flooding, and the doors are barricaded shut.”

“What do you mean barricaded shut?” Ace asked, his booming voice catching the attention of the cheering crowd. I winced. I mean, I wasn’t happy about the news either, but Ace soundedpissed.

“Some trees fell down, and we can’t get out until the rescue teams come. It could be days…” he trailed off, looking at the ground, disappointment lacing his voice.

Everyone was tense after the news Oscar delivered, and the big gym was once again coated in silence. Ace and I didn’t speak a word—not even to each other. He was silent as he carried me to the women’s locker room after breakfast and was still silent, just waiting as I showered.

I was shivering after the cold shower, grateful when Ace wrapped, his strong, warm arms around me. “Shit, you’re freezing,” he gritted out, and that time, when I shivered, it hadnothingto do with the cold seeping into my bones. How did a man sound so damn sexy?

It was my turn to wait for Ace while he showered. He left me sitting on a bench near the door, and after a few minutes, the main door opened and closed. My blood instantly ran cold at the thought of getting caught in the men’s locker room.

The three greasy-looking men who couldn’t keep their eyes off me walked in, their laughter bouncing off the lockers until they saw me, and then, it went deadly silent. Icy fear ran through me at once from the hungry look in their eyes.

“What do we have here?” one of them taunted.

“A bitch having her boyfriend carry her around like a wannabe princess,” another sneered, his voice high-pitched.

“You mean her fake boyfriend?” the third spluttered, laughing. Fear made my palms slick with sweat. Couldn’t Ace hear them?

“Why do you look so scared, little one?” the last one spoke up again, his greasy, black hair in a ponytail.

“I don’t want any trouble,” I said, hating the lack of confidence in my voice. It even fucking cracked on the last word.

Ponytail laughed. “Neither do we. We just want to have some fun.” He took a step closer, and I scooted further back, my ass almost falling off the bench.

“P-please, leave me a-alone,” I stuttered, my bottom lip trembling.

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