Page 5 of Bound By Fate
I was the sister of an ol’ lady. That was it. I had no role in the club life. Had no purpose. In that I had no right to be around them at get-togethers that didn’t center around Ensley or Remy. I wasn’t part of their close-knit family.
“Been busy.” This was true. Netflix and I were becoming the best of friends. BetweenBridgerton,Arrow, and all the documentaries, I’d been very busy. Countless hours of binge watching. Oh, and I couldn’t forget Hulu andThe Handmaids Tale. That one was awesome. A bit scary in its truth, but I loved how the main character was strong and did what she had to do to make it through. I couldn’t wait until the next season.
“Are you healed up?”
My hands stilled on the can opener only turned halfway around. My mind started spinning. I was there once again. In that warehouse. In that underground pit. My screams. Their hands on me. In me. The black tunnel was starting to close in.
A hand touched my arm, and I jumped, taking the can with me and making some kind of noise I didn’t recognize as I snapped back into the present. Ensley stood there with wide eyes, and mine flashed to everyone around me. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at me.
The damn room was so quiet I swore they could hear my heartbeat as it felt as though it was coming out of my chest. I felt the urge to pull down the sleeves of my long shirt, even though it would do no good. The marks were still there.
My heart raced so fast I thought I’d pass out, but I had to get it together. I was at Ensley’s home. I was safe. Those men were dead and gone. No one here would hurt me like that.
Luckily, I came back to myself, shaking off the ghosts that still haunted me, and slipped the mask back into place, thankful the lid was still semi on the can so the juice didn’t spill everywhere.
“Sorry.” What should I say? Crap. I plastered on a smile and gave a little chuckle, trying to deflate the tension I’d caused. Not that it worked.
I just wished everyone would forget about what had happened. Forget seeing me the way they did. Forget the marks covering my body in disgusting scars. Forget my cries and whimpers. Forget seeing Dryerson carrying me out of that place a ball of mess. Just forget everything that had happened that day. Unfortunately, they were all there. They witnessed the cuts and blood. There was no getting around that.
“Katie. What’s wrong?” Ensley drew closer, her eyes boring into mine. I couldn’t let her see what was behind them, and she could, always had been able to. One thing I didn’t like one bit. I closed them momentarily and evened out my breathing, then opened them and met her gaze, hoping that the unease was gone from my eyes.
“Really. I’m fine. Get a little jumpy when I don’t expect something, but I’m good.”
Ensley’s eyes narrowed. “Because of…”
She trailed off, and I had to stop her from saying anything about that night. I didn’t want to talk about that night … ever. “Stop, Ens. I’m begging you to stop. Please.” I darted my attention from Ensley and Austyn; I just wanted them to let this go. “It’s Remy’s birthday. The first one she’s able to have with her whole family. Can we just focus on her?”
Ensley and Austyn shared a look, then Ensley sighed. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”
I didn’t think it would be.
“Unkey WyWy!” Remy yelled, and my next bit of torture was about to ensue.Hewas here, in my space. Yay… It just kept getting better and better. One punch after another. At least I was still standing.
“Can we get back to the food?” I asked, not waiting for them and not looking up. Instead, I finished opening the can, then moved to the sink and drained the olives. The chatter in the room picked up once again, and I felt as though I could breathe.
Loved my niece, but I really wanted to sing, have cake, and open presents so I could head back to my apartment. It would be so much better if I could spend one on one time with her instead of all of this.
As Ensley would say ‘clusterfuck of epic proportions.’
Listen to me. Even in my thoughts I was cussing like a biker babe now.
Too bad I’d never fit in.
2
KATIE
With nothing else to do,I finally lifted my gaze to the room. My breath caught at the sight. Dryerson with Remy. He started tossing her up in the air, catching her and then tickling her all the while she laughed uncontrollably. The beautiful sound filled the room, causing the people around them to stop and take notice. She was the star of the show today after all.
A wide smile graced his perfectly formed face. His longish blond hair was flung back out of his eyes when he lifted from giving Remy raspberries.
Yes, he loved Remy; that was perfectly clear. It was something we had in common. Mutual ground on which I kept our relationship on. There was no other choice.
His arms flexed in the tight navy t-shirt that was spread across his chest. The leather on his back fit him just as perfectly, proving he belonged right where he was. He had his place in this group. Now a prospect in the club. He was one of them which only drew the wedge wider.
He put Remy upside down, her little hair swinging in the wind as she laughed and giggled. Dryerson twisted Remy back up and held her in his arms.
“Adin!” Remy yelled, and Dryerson didn’t disappoint, doing everything once again; his smile turned into chuckles. She used him like a jungle gym, and he had the perfect body for it. Strong and sturdy. And he didn’t seem to give a care in the world who saw them or what they thought.
