Page 20 of Bound By Secrets

He lifts an arm, his hand cupping the back of his neck as he gives me a soft smile. "Are you gonna get that?" My eyebrows raise in confusion and that's when I realise the noise is coming from my phone.

"Shit, shit, shit." I yank my phone out of the pocket in my jacket, still cursing myself inside my head, not only for not realising that my phone was ringing but also because of what I just did with Nate. I answer the call without even checking who's calling.

"Callie, you need to leave. Derek's on his way back. You have about forty minutes!"

The phone call ends before my brain can properly compute what Uncle Johnny said. I curse again and quickly shove my phone back into my pocket, straightening out my rumpled dress and turning to walk back down the hallway.

That’s when I remember Nate's still standing in front of me, looking nervous and fidgeting on his feet.

"I'm sorry, Nate, I have to go. But we'll talk later or something okay?" I go to rush past him but he grabs hold of my arm, lightly pulling me towards him. I face him and he looks at me, concerned.

"Are you sure you’re okay, Princess?" He glances over at the wall where I was just leaning, the place I was standing when his finger was inside me. Shit. I step towards him and kiss him on the cheek.

"I'm fine, we're fine. I was enjoying it, and I wish I didn't have to go, but I really need to." He nods and leans down to give me a peck on the forehead before he releases my arm.

I jog away from him, panic engulfing me because of Johnny's words but also due to the situation with Nate.

I can't believe I let someone touch me, and I enjoyed it. I'm not even sure why I'm panicking about it, I should be glad because after having Fraser rape me continuously for the past two years, I thought I'd never be able to enjoy anything sexual ever again, but I just did.

Maybe I'm less broken than I thought I was. Clearly, there was still something wrong with me because although I was glad, I still panicked when he bit me after telling me how tight I was.

I rush through the club, towards the darkened narrow hallway that leads out of this place. Forty minutes isn't a lot of time for us to get back home before my dad. It takes almost half an hour to drive home from here, and I don't know how much time I've wasted since Johnny called.

I push through the door that leads to the car park and crash into someone's solid back. I look up to see Ryker staring back at me with that usual glint in his sparkling blue eyes.

"Don't worry, I know you have to go. I won't keep you, just wanted to say that I'll be hiding out at the outhouse in the back of Mum's garden, just in case you need me at any point." He walks backwards, staring at me as I stand there glued to the spot. My brain is being so slow tonight because as he reaches a black car in the middle of the car park, his words only just hit me. Ryker's going to be just a few houses down, staying with his mum... I haven't seen Jasmine since a couple of weeks after Ryker left two years ago.

She was like a second mum to me when we were younger, but after my Mum left and we'd read that letter, we tried to go see Jasmine about it but Dad wouldn't let us see her or Ryker.

After a few months, we managed to get around there but she wouldn't tell us anything. Told us she couldn't. It caused tension between her and Ryker because Ryker didn't like that his mum was keeping damning secrets from us. When Ryker disappeared, I'd gone around there multiple times, banging on the door, begging for Jasmine to let me in and tell me where Ryker was but she never did. Not until the last time I went.

I was banging on the door, and at first, there was no answer like usual, so I went to go and look over the side gate, but then the front door swung open and there stood Jasmine with herhair piled on top of her head, some rumpled pyjamas and she had big black bags underneath her eyes and tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

She told me that she didn't know where Ryker was or what had happened. She didn't even know if he was alive. She'd spoken so quietly that I had to walk closer to her to hear her properly. She fell apart after she finished talking, and all I could do was cuddle her and cry with her.

She asked me not to come back because it was too upsetting for her. I accepted that and never went back.

I did have Uncle Johnny check up on her once a week so that I knew she was okay. And she let Johnny know when Ryker had contacted her, so then we both stopped worrying about if he was dead or not.

I mainly kept my distance from her because two weeks after Ryker left, that same day that she'd fallen apart in my arms, was when I turned eighteen. And the night after my 18th birthday was the first night that I had to be Fraser's little plaything.

I knew that if I saw Jasmine after that, I'd break. I'd end up telling her and I couldn't put her in danger like that. So, I stopped going there, cut all contact and haven't seen her since. I haven't even caught a glimpse of her even though she only lives down the street. I thought she'd moved, but clearly not.

Chapter Thirteen

Callie

"Connor, you're gonna kill us if you keep driving so fast!" Ignoring my shouts, he continues driving recklessly, swerving through the other cars on the main road, trying to get us home as quickly as he possibly can.

I'd stood frozen for a few minutes after Ryker told me he'd be staying with his mum until the twins rushed out and hurried me into the car.

"My poor baby is gonna need new tyres after this."

I roll my eyes at Callum. He's the one who let Connor drive, knowing he'd most likely get us back home before our dad got there,. He can’t really complain if his tyres or anything else on his car ends up fucked.

Connor spins the wheel and takes the turning at a worryingly fast pace. We’re only a few minutes from home now.

Surely, we've got here first.

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