Page 69 of Ensnared By Silence
We settled into the couch with a fire burning, warming us as I rested my head against his chest, the strong beat lulling me into relaxation. The dark sky was filled with twinkling stars, and as I stared out the window into the darkness, I snuggled closer to my light.
Hayden found me when I was lost and encouraged me to speak my truth, never loving me less for the silence I wrapped myself in. With his love, I could step out of the darkness and finally put my nightmares to rest.
Chapter 24
Hayden
Aubrey sleeping inmy arms quickly became my favorite thing. The guilt of her silence, fearful she caused other women’s pain, weighed heavily on her. Shortly after she spoke with Elise and Amaya, she appeared more at ease.
After the incident with Tucker, I was fearful she would struggle with any form of intimacy, but she was stronger than I gave her credit for. Expressing her desires to me, I vowed to make every one of her fantasies come true. When I told her about the cameras in the rental house, her beautiful face broke into a sexy smirk. She was insatiable when I showed her a video of us, and we lost ourselves in the freedom her voice gave her.
No longer was she afraid of her darker needs, and every day, she stepped farther and farther into the light.
I met with my lawyers a few weeks after New Year’s, starting the paperwork to finally sell the family estate and rid myself of the albatross I called ‘Mother’. When the appraiser came to value the property and the contents that belonged to the estate, Agnes called me yelling louder than I’ve ever heard before.
“How could you do this to me, Hayden? Where will I go? Richard is struggling with his business, and after Tucker and now Wesley, we’ve had trouble at the club,” she whined, and I shook my head.
“I guess it’s hard to climb the social ladder with one son dead and the other under investigation, huh?” I replied, unable to keep the anger out of my tone at the audacity of her questions.
“Damn it, Hayden. I’m your mother. You can’t just throw me out on the street.”
“Watch me,Mother.”
I slammed the phone down and tossed back a shot of whiskey. Aubrey asked me if I was sure about closing that chapter of my life, and I realized it was past time to rid myself of the last chains of my familial obligations. I still had access to my trust fund, and after the sale of the house and contents, Aubrey and I wouldn’t ever have to work again. I wanted to travel the world with her, showing her all the beauty and wonder of the planet, but she seemed content to life a small life in Pierce Bluff.
I decided it was time to make a change in my life, so I hired Claw from the Death Hounds, who owned a construction company, and planned major changes to the cabin. I wanted to make it more of a home, and he was designing almost a complete tear-down and rebuild. With a promise to have it finished before the beginning of summer, I moved into the rental house with Aubrey and we started our life together.
James and Devlin kept me up to date on what was happening with Jared and Wesley. The news of Wesley’s Securities and Exchange Commission investigation was an unexpected and pleasant revelation. The first thing that happened when it was announced was he lost his job and was confined to house arrest, and when Jared’s sister broke off their engagement, the walls of his life started to crumble.
Devlin reported he was spiraling and the only person who kept in contact with him other than Agnes and Dick was Jared. He was drinking to excess and watching him lose control, being shunned and ignored, isolated and alone, was rewarding to the spiteful part of me. Devlin promised there was a plan, and I trusted him to deliver.
If you would have told me three years ago that asshole would become a friend, I would have laughed in your face and asked what kind of weed you were smoking. Now, James, Devlin, Skid, Needles, Chuck, and I had poker night once a month, enjoying an evening of cigars and whiskey at the condo.
I kept the app for the camera at the house turned on, monitoring Aubrey during the evening. I caught Devlin’s smirk once and shook my head with a laugh, realizing my obsession with Aubrey was nearly at the same level as his for Elise.Almost.
Knowing the full story of how he saved her as a small child and watched her throughout her life, protecting her and saving her from a nightmare, made my respect for him grow. He saved Aubrey from a nightmare no one should experience, and his devotion to her, to his family, was inspiring.
