Page 14 of Deceit

“Brynn!” my dad calls out as I walk faster and ignore him calling out for me along with a few other people.

Before long, I’m running to my car. I pull open the door and get inside before slamming it behind me. Starting the engine, I put it in reverse and back out of the parking spot just as my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, Maddox, and Zoey run out of the clubhouse. It’s too late as far as I’m concerned. I plan on going to the house, grabbing my things, and leaving here for the last time. They can throw all of my things out for all I care. I’m over everyone here and no one’s going to change my mind. Today is the last straw and I can’t handle it any longer.

After gathering mythings and leaving the house, I knew I was in no shape to drive a long distance. The tears alone were enough to blur my vision to the point I could hardly see the road in front of me. I drive far enough to check into a motel on the outskirts of town. I know it’s not the best option for me to stay right now. This place is full of prostitutes, drug dealers, and all sorts of assholes who stare at me as I make my way to my room. Thankfully it’s on the first floor and not far from the office. I could tell the man behind the desk didn’t want me to rent a room, but didn’t stop me because of the tears still streaming down my face. He took pity on me and let me rent a room. I won’t stay here longer than tonight. For right now, I just need somewhere to get out of my car and a place to hide away.

I shut the door of my room behind me and make sure no one can get inside. Putting a chair under the handle, I lock the deadbolt and chain knowing those alone won’t be enough to keep someone from getting to me. I’m in a vulnerable position here but I couldn’t drive a second farther. The tears are still rolling down my face and I know they won’t stop any time soon. After securing the door, I make my way to the bathroom and turn on the water as hot as it will go. The bathroom instantly fills with steam and I know it’s going to be too hot for my skin. Turning on the cold water just enough to take the edge of the hot water, I strip out of my clothing and leave them in a pile on the floor at my feet.

Stepping inside the shower, I sink to a crouch and let the water pour down over me. Now no one can tell I’m crying as I let my head hang forward as I reach up and pull my hair tie from my hair so it curtains my face off from the rest of the world. I’ve honestly never felt more alone than I do right this second. Yes, there have been plenty of times over the years where I’ve felt so alone I couldn’t think straight. This is so much worse than anything I’ve ever experienced before. For the first time in my life, I’ve cut myself off from everyone. There is no turning to my family when things get too hard. And that means not telling them about my stalker because they won’t do anything about it. Zoey will say something about me faking or something for attention and that will be all there is to it.

I remain in the shower until the water turns cold. Getting out, my skin is pruned from being in the water so long. Wrapping a towel around my hair and body, I make my way out of the bathroom and straight for my bag where my clothing is packed. Grabbing out a pair of leggings and an overly large tee-shirt, I quickly dress and leave the towel in my hair. Before I can sit on the sketchy bed, there’s a loud pounding on my door. It’s so loud, it startles me and I jump.

“Brynn, open the fuckin’ door!” my dad’s voice comes from the other side of the door. “I know you’re in here and this isn’t the fuckin’ place for you to be.”

The fear and concern my dad is feeling fills his voice as I remain rooted to the spot where I stand.

“Brynn, sweetheart, you need to open the door,” my grandpa says, his voice loud and clear as the pounding starts up once again.

Finally, I make my way to the door with more tears falling down my face. Moving the chair, I unlock the deadbolt and chain. Opening the door, I find my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle, brother, and sister. They’re all standing in front of me and waiting for me to say something to them.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice a broken whisper as I look at the floor.

“You’re here where you don’t belong, baby girl,” my Uncle Ace says, his voice soft as he takes a tentative step toward me.

“I’m exactly where I belong. Away from the clubhouse and those of you who used to be my family,” I tell them, my voice breaking even more. “You’ve all made your stance on my place in this family over the years and it doesn’t have anything to do with me getting stronger or growing a backbone.”

“We were wrong, Brynn,” Zoey says, her voice wavering with emotion as she steps forward but remains a safe distance from me. “You’ve always seemed so fucking strong and we didn’t think the teasing bothered you. You have to know I love you and am so fucking proud of what you’re doing. You’re making a career out of the one thing you love to do in the world and you’re doing it all on your own. I know you’re not taking any money from our parents or anyone else. Everything you do is all on your own and I’m honestly jealous of how strong and independent you are. I’m sorry, Brynn. Please know it was never my intention to hurt you.”

“You’re more than anythin’ you said back in the clubhouse, Brynn. You’re my grandbaby and the best person I’ve ever met in my life. If you thought that guy was genuine, then I’m willin’ to bet he was. Did the way you met start off on a bet? Yeah. Does that mean he didn’t genuinely like you or want to be with you?” my grandpa asks me, his voice the softest I’ve ever heard it. “I think if you go back and talk to him, he’ll tell exactly what I’m sayin’. My biggest issue is that you were bullied for so long and you never once spoke up about it. I can’t do anythin’ to protect you if I don’t know what’s goin’ on. Your dad can’t protect you if he doesn’t know. Trust me, everyone else will be gettin’ their asses chewed out when I get back to the compound. This is long overdue and I’m sorry we didn’t notice how you felt about all of this until now. It took you breakin’ completely for us to learn shit we should’ve handled years ago.”

“I didn’t tell anyone because it didn’t matter. I was always an afterthought and my shit didn’t matter. Zoey was doing her thing. Maddox was so wrapped up in waiting to Prospect for the club. Everyone was so much older than me and I was always left out,” I answer my grandpa.

“Bullshit!” Maddox growls out, his voice hard. “You’re my baby sister and I would’ve been there for you in a fuckin’ heartbeat, Brynn. I love you and my heart fuckin’ breaks because you don’t see it. You’re the best person I know and I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you over the years.”

“Sweetheart, you might not have been planned, but it doesn’t mean we love you any less. Yeah, we were there for your brother and sister more than we should’ve been. You seemed so content to be in your own world and be by yourself instead of joinin’ in with everyone else. If we had known it was because you felt like you were a burden or that no one wanted to spend time with you, we would’ve told you that wasn’t the case. Yes, all the older kids had their own shit goin’ on, but it doesn’t mean you’re not part of their family and that they wouldn’t have been there for you like they were everyone else. All you had to do was open your mouth and talk to us, Brynn,” my dad says, pushing past everyone to pull me into his arms and hold me close.

My dad’s body is shaking and I know he’s crying. He doesn’t ever cry. He’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever met in my life and this breaks my heart to know he’s crying right now. In minutes I’m surrounded by my entire family in one large group hug. Everyone is touching me and trying their best to hug me. I can hear my mom and grandma crying as they move in closer to me.

“We all love you, darling. You’re the one person in our lives we never knew we needed. Your birth showed us all a new kind of love. Yes, we wanted to protect you and we failed in doing that. At the same time, we knew you were the one who had to do things on your own. You had to fight your own battles because that’s the kind of girl you are,” my grandma says as I look up to find my mom crying so hard she can barely breathe.

“I failed you,” she chokes out on broken sobs as she moves in closer to me.

“I don’t need to hear your words,” I state, not wanting to believe anyone surrounding me. “I’m gonna head back to Pine View and make a decision about what to do from there.”

“You’re gonna stay in Pine View,” my Aunt Blayke says, her voice hard as she pushes past everyone to get closer to me. “We all failed you when you needed us the most. That’s a burden we’ll have to live with for the rest of our lives. Because of our failure, you’re the strongest one of us all. Go back to Pine View and figure out what this guy truly wants with you, Brynn. If he’s only using you to win some stupid fucking bet, then you fucking leave his ass there and don’t let him chase you out of Pine View where you’ve started to build your life. Forget him and everything you thought you had with him. You live your life the way you want and continue building it in Pine View. Baby girl, you don’t ever let the rest of us or a man dictate what you fucking do or where you live.”

“Come home, baby,” my dad says, his voice soft and gentle reminding me of a day when he was teaching me how to ride my bike and I fell off and skinned my knees. He bandaged me up and wiped up my tears.

It takes me a long time to make a decision. “I’ll come home tonight. I can’t guarantee that I’ll ever come back again once I leave. You’ve all hurt me so much over the years and that’s going to take a long time to come back from. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but this is what I have to do for me. I need time and distance until I’m fully prepared to forgive you.”

“We’ll take it. And all of us will do everythin’ in our power to show you how truly sorry we are and how much we love you,” my grandpa states, walking over to grab my bags before leading me from the room.

Everyone follows us as my dad helps me in my car while Maddox takes the room key back to the front desk to turn it in. My mom gives me a hug and kiss on the top of my head before I get in my car and watch while the rest of my family get on the bikes they rode here on. My sister gets in her car and we wait for my brother to come back out and get on his bike. Together, we all leave the motel and head back to the compound. I’m in the middle and don’t get the chance to pull off to go to the house where I’ve been staying. I’m led to the compound where my parents take me up to their house and I make my way to the room I have here. My family leaves me alone and I’m grateful as I climb into bed and pull the covers up over my head where I promptly fall asleep.

---