Page 26 of Bound By Redemption
Katie let out a heavy breath as she walked over to the huge bed and plopped down on it. “It’s just the call at work had me freaked, and then that big doofus over there.” She pointed to the other room. “He’s just …” She didn’t finish.
“He’s Micah’s friend from the Marines. Micah trusts him.”
“Do you trust him, Ensley? You don’t really know Micah.”
I sat next to her on the bed, feeling the plushness depress with my weight. “You should’ve seen him, Katie. He shielded us with his body from the explosion. Not knowing what was going on, his focus was on Remy and me, getting us out of there quickly. Even before that, he’s so understanding about everything going on. Not to mention, he’s Blaze and Tug’s kid. They are awesome people.”
Katie fell to her back. “So really. Two houses blew up right in front of you?”
“Yeah. One second Remy was playing on the playground, the next we’re down on the ground with Micah on top of us. I was terrified, and Micah was so damn calm. It was unreal.”
“Wow. Why?”
“That I have no idea. Micah wanted us to be here safe. He trusts it here. And no offense, sister, if we’re safe here, then you’ll be safe here, and that’s all I care about right now. Ryker is here, and you know he wouldn’t let anything happen to us. You may not know Micah, but trust Ryker.”
She sighed, conceding my point. “How long will we be here? I have work, Ens.”
“I know, and I have no answers. Can we just take this moment by moment please? When I have answers, I’ll let you know. Try to be nice to Dryerson.” Her head turned to me and her brows raised. Before she could say anything, I did. “I know. I’m not saying he has to be your new BFF. Just chill out and take all of this as it comes. Really there isn’t a whole lot else we can do.”
Katie sat up and looked around the room. “This place is nicer than ours.” And this was my sister, up in arms one second, and mellow as they come the next.
She wasn’t wrong. The place kicked ass and had to be fairly new. Everything looked like it had just came from the store.
This room was like the middle one except the kitchenette was a bit smaller. Other than that and the crib, it was the same.
“It is. Let’s just roll with it right now and do the best we can.”
“Isn’t it crazy that only a few years ago we were living a life so different than this one? Could you imagine explosions back home? Everyone would lose their minds and not know how to handle it. These ladies and gents just talk like it’s another day at the office. Don’t you find that strange?”
I gave her a shrug. “Different, yes. But you’ve been around here. It’s just their way.”
Katie loved Ryker and the help he gave us. She was just a little more fearful of the club. I blamed her watching every season of Sons of Anarchy in a week. She had this idea in her head, but if she stopped and really got to know the club, not just on a hi and bye way, she’d know that they were a very close family.
We were lucky for them to take us in with such open arms. Not everyone would do that. Our old family would have never ever taken in two people, one pregnant, and do what the Ravage MC had done for us. Our family was super strict with the rules, and nothing or no one stepped out of line with those rules.
The men had all the power. While the women had zero but had it all when it came to the children.
They didn’t accept outsiders. Ever. It would taint the bloodline, and we wouldn’t make it to Heaven. Or so we were told.
A cult. That was what we grew up in. I didn’t realize that at the time, but watching Netflix and Hulu there were some kickass documentaries where I learned what the outside thought of us. See when you were in it deep, that was life. I never questioned it. I thought this was how it was for everyone.
Until Remy.
When it came to her life, or staying in place with what I knew as home, there was no hesitation for me in knowing what I had to do. Now, understanding what the world was like, I saw everything differently.
Life has a strange way of happening.
“Get some sleep, and we’ll tackle everything tomorrow.”
Katie smiled up at me. “Yeah. Go sleep with your man.”
I laughed. “Something like that.” I stood and wrapped Katie in my arms, giving her a tight hug. “We’ll get through this just like we’ve gotten through life. Together.”
A tear formed in the corner of her eye. I asked, “You gonna be okay here tonight?”
“Yeah, as long as my door stays locked.”
I smiled. “You have to admit the man is handsome.”
