Page 5 of Bound by Vengeance
My father glares, which was expected.
Silence falls over the room as the air gets sucked out of it. The tension becomes so thick it’s almost making me rethink my decision. Almost.
I can only be thankful Nox, Cooper, and his woman, Bristyl, aren’t here to add their two cents to the mix. That would only add to my discomfort. No more of that is needed.
“It’s time for me to get on with my life and not live in the past.” Gripping the napkin, it tears and breaks into smaller pieces, but there is no stopping.
My father pushes away from the table and crosses his arms, looking very imposing. “That fucker is still out there. He had you tied to a table and stuck blades in you. Repeatedly. And you want me to let you out of my sight?” The pain in his eyes is stark, his features tight.
He doesn’t need to remind me of what happened. I remember every agonizing second of it.
Memories flood my mind. The pain. The fear. The unknown. The way he looked at me, smiling as he pushed the knife inside my flesh slowly so it would be more painful. I still feel those moments when the metal entered my flesh.
The man hates me, but not as much as I hate him.
“I lived it, Dad.”
His eyes soften just a touch at my tone and words. He was at my side while I recovered and saw the pain that man inflicted.
He heard me cry and had to cover my wounds after adding ointment to them. My father is a man who likes control, and him not getting that, not having him, has been eating at him. I know it.
“I know, and I’m sure as hell never going to let you go through that again. We’re working on finding him, but he’s gone ghost.”
The club has been searching for him since it happened. That’s what my brothers Nox and Cooper, who are patched members of the club, have told me. They couldn’t tell me anymore because it’s club business, even though it’s also my business.
Since no one said anything about finding him, I suspected this would make things harder.
“I get that, but I can’t let him win. Being cooped up in this house isn’t living. Me working. Having my own place. Going to the clubhouse for family things. That’s me living.”
“We get that, Austyn,” my mother finally speaks. “But he could come at any moment, and we won’t know.”
I think fast, knowing this opportunity could be slipping through my fingers. It isn’t an option I can lose. My parents are great, but they are demanding, as well.
“The apartment has a security system, and we were thinking Buzz and Breaker could come and amp it up. If you wanted, they could put cameras on the outside of the place to watch who comes and goes.” This is a bit of a stretch, but if it will make this happen, I’ll suck it up. As long as the cameras aren’t inside the apartment, watching my every move, I’ll be good.
“Why is this so important to you?” my mother asks softly, which is not her style one bit. She’s more straight to the point and in your face. Her being on the gentle side tugs at my heart.
“I’m taking my life back, Mom. What he did to me, I can’t change. What I can control is what I do now.” In more ways than one. This is just the first major step.
“I should put you on lockdown,” my father grunts out, and my stomach falls like a lead weight.
Being on lockdown at the clubhouse will ruin everything. Not being able to leave the compound and having all the brothers watching me all the time is not an option at this point. Having the cameras at the new place is a stretch, but this can’t happen.
“No, no lockdown, Dad.”
He studies me for long moments, face blank, not giving me anything. I feel it slipping away—my control—and I hate it. I need it back to feel whole again.
“I—”
“I’m having the guys go full-out with security,” he cuts me off. “They will monitor the place twenty-four seven.” He runs his hand through his dark hair that has a little more salt in it than it did a few weeks ago, giving it a tug. “Fuck, I can’t believe I’m letting you do this shit. If I have one inkling that he’s in town, you’re on lockdown, no questions asked. Something isn’t right, your ass is at the clubhouse.”
That isn’t good, but I’ll take it … for now.
Relief falls over me like a warm rain. “I’ll take it.”
Step two of the plan—check.
C H A P T E R T H R E E
