Page 22 of True Me

Chapter Twelve

Cash

LAYING IN BED withRebel, Eagle and I watch as tears silently fall down her face while she sleeps. She’s hurting so fucking much right now and there’s nothing we can do to take this pain from her. Not only has she lost her grandma, but Chad decided to show up and put himself in a position for her to see him. He’s taunting her and letting her know he’s watching her. It’s a tactic we’ve seen before and one in many of the games he’s playing when it comes to our girl. I’d love to say that he’s not going to win this one because we’ll stop him before anything happens. However, we also know that’s not always the case. Even with the best intentions, shit gets fucked up and there’s always a chance for things to go wrong. Eagle and I can’t be with her twenty-four hours a day and no one else can. It will literally take seconds for Chad to get close enough to Rebel to take her and disappear. That’s what makes this situation so fucking hard because I know the reality of her getting taken by her ex.

“I don’t want her leavin’ the compound for a while,” Eagle whispers so he doesn’t wake our girl up after the day she’s had.

“I don’t either, but you know Rebel is gonna do what she wants. Right now, she’s gonna believe she needs to stay busy so her mind isn’t focused on what’s been goin’ on. That means she’s gonna wanna work and do everythin’ she can from the time she gets out of bed until she exhausts herself and can try to get some sleep. Our girl isn’t gonna let Doc give her anythin’ to help her sleep,” I answer him, my voice just as low as I lean forward and press my lips against Rebel’s forehead making her lean closer to my body.

“I know. Maybe she needs to choose one place to work for right now instead of tryin’ to take on Entice and Fallen Ink,” he responds as he snuggles closer to our girl from behind so she’s sandwiched between us even more.

“We’ll talk to her when she wakes up. We need to let Rebel feel as if she’s in control of her life. Right now, she doesn’t feel in control of anythin’ and that’s a big deal for her. Nothin’ about any of this is in her control and if we can make her feel in charge of somethin’ it might help her,” I state as I continue to look down while trying to softly wipe the tears from her face.

“Okay. Get some sleep. Neither one of us has been gettin’ too much,” Eagle says, pressing a kiss against Rebel’s neck before closing his eyes and trying to get some rest before our girl wakes up.

Rebel hardly sleeps at night. During the day she takes naps and rests if we force her. At night she has nightmares and sleeps so fitfully we know she wakes up more exhausted than before she fell asleep. It’s been happening since Grandma passed away and I know it’s only going to get worse after seeing the monster who has taken so much from her. We don’t need to know Rebel as well as we do to understand how horrible seeing that stupid fuck is going to make her feel. Our girl doesn’t have a lot of regrets in life, but giving so much of herself to Chad is her biggest regret of all times. She feels stupid for falling for his lies and manipulations even though he knows how to play the game and would fool everyone around him.

“No! You can’t take me!” Rebel starts screaming just as sleep pulls me under. “Please! Leave me alone.”

“Doll,” I call out, my voice low and gentle so I don’t startle Rebel while trying to wake her up. “Come on, Rebel, it’s time to get up.”

Eagle wraps his arm tighter around Rebel because sometimes just holding her is enough to make her nightmare stop. Tonight, that’s not the case. Rebel starts fighting, kicking her legs and trying to hit me while suffering through her nightmare.

“Doll!” I call out, my voice louder as I gently shake her.

Rebel throws a punch and lands her fist right against my jaw. I groan in response and pull my head back as she continues to swing wildly.

“Rebel!” Eagle shouts, turning her so she’s flat on her back instead of facing me.

I watch as our girl starts to slowly wake up, her eyelids fluttering open as more tears slide down her face. She looks from one side to the other, still not seeing Eagle and me as fear fills her eyes and clouds her vision from the nightmare she was just lost in.

“What happened?” she quietly asks, her voice full of sleep as she tries to sit up.

“You were havin’ a nightmare, Sweet Girl. Do you remember what it was about?” Eagle asks her, his voice gentle as I keep rubbing my jaw where she hit me.

“Chad was after me. He got close and I tried to fight him off but I couldn’t,” she answers in her broken voice. “I’m sorry.”

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