Page 22 of Ruckus

“Ruckus showed up at my trailer this morning, he came to convince me to come and speak to you,” she lies, and more scary than anything, she does it well. “He saw the state of my face and dragged Drew out the door. I agreed to come here with him if he didn’t kill him.” She looks down at the floor when she realizes how many people are surrounding us.

“That fucker needs to be dead.” Wrath seems to have no issue buying our story, but, why would he? I’m his best friend, he trusts me.

I’m an asshole.

“I’m still gonna find that bastard an?—”

“Aaron, please don’t. I’ve left the show. I wanna put all that behind me,” she admits, bursting into tears. He rushes back toward her, wrapping her up in his arms, and I can’t help wish it was me who was comforting her.

“I gotcha, you’re home now.” He looks at me and mouths a‘thank you’over her shoulder.

“Freya.” Polly comes from behind her and carefully takes over from Aaron, pulling her in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.” She looks as if she’s about to cry.

“It’s good to see you too.” Freya laughs and cries all at the same time when she figures I was right about her being welcomed, but when Raze stands up from his seat she suddenly looks nervous.

“Welcome home, Freya.” His stern lips raise into a smile and I see the relief sag in her chest. One by one, people step up to say hi or introduce themselves, and I fade myself into the background.

My job here is done. I made her safe, I brought her home, now what I gotta do, is stay the fuck away from her.

“I owe you.” Wrath eventually comes to find me at the bar. Polly is busy fussing over our new guest with her new partner in crime, Anita. So I make my own coffee, and although I can’t remember the last time I ate… I don’t think I could eat right now.

“You don’t owe me shit,” I tell him, lighting myself a smoke and resisting the urge to turn my head around and check she’s okay,again.

“Ruck, you brought my sister home. I lost one, and I ain’t losing another. I’m gonna convince her to stay.” He looks over to the crowd that has gathered around her with a huge toothy grin on his face.

“You think that's a good idea, given the circumstances?” I remind him of the fact there’s a serial killer on the fucking lose and a war about to break.

“We can protect her,” he assures me.

“We.” I laugh back at him the way you’d expect a best friend to.

“Yeah, the club. She’s where she belongs now, Ruckus. Way she’s talking, she's looking to move on, we just have to find a way to keep her here.” He taps me on the shoulder before heading back over to her, and when she takes a second to break away from the conversation she’s having with Peyton, I swear it’s me she’s looking for as she searches the room with her eyes. I know it’s me when she finds me and smiles.

“Breaks ya heart, don’t it?” I glance over my shoulder and see Sinner looking at the same scene that I am. “Another untouchable. I always think it makes them all the more appealing.” He sniggers as he knocks back the vodka he’s got poured.

“You stay the fuck away from her,” I warn, pointing my finger in his face, and he looks down his nose at it and laughs. The guy’s a headcase, he has no fear and, in my opinion, he’s dangerous.But he and Saint are a package deal. Their disorder means we don’t get one without the other.

“I mean it, Sin, she’s off fuckin’ limits, even to you.”

“Don’t get teasy, Ruck. It don’t suit you.” He picks up his bottle of Vodka and laughs as he sways off in her direction. I notice that her eyes are still on me and something about the way they look at me tells me that she needs me. I decide the best thing I can do is get out of here, she has her brother to take care of her now. She can depend on him. I can’t be that guy for her, and that’s something we both have to learn to deal with.

“This is the room I was staying in, up until I moved into the house boat,” Eden tells me as she opens the window to let in some fresh air. “Ignore what Anita was saying back in the bar room, you're safe here. Raze has men on the gate twenty-four hours, front and back, and Sasquatch has moved into a room on this floor for the foreseeable,” she assures me.

“I feel safe.” I take a look around me and think about the last time I was in one of these rooms. I was staring at Ruckus, watching him sleep. Allowing myself to imagine how good we could be if things were different. Not that any of it matters now. He made it quite clear this morning that nothing’s ever gonna happen. I was just another hook up back then, and now I’mWrath’spoor, abused little sister.

I know I have to accept that, but it’s hard when I keep thinking about the way he kissed me.

“You can fix it up, make it more homely.” Eden tries to sound encouraging as her eyes move around the sparse room.

“I don’t plan on staying very long. I just need to find my feet and figure where I’m heading.” I match her enthusiasm and start to unpack the gym bag full of someone else's clothes. It’s been a while since I saw Eden and she’s changed a lot. She’s just aspretty as I remember, and as kind… which makes me feel even more guilt.

“You know, Aaron is really glad to have you here,” she tells me, looking a little awkward. “You should give this place a chance before you write it off.”

“This place isn’t an option,” I assure her. I need to make that as clear as possible. I don’t have a plan yet, but with some time and a little breathing space I’m sure to come up with one.

“Freya, you can tell me to mind my business, but I think it should be. We all have bad memories of this place, but are you really prepared to sacrifice the good ones you could make because of them? Aaron is your brother, he loves you, and Ruc?—”

“What the hell has Ruckus got to do with any of this?” I snap at her.

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