Page 15 of Ensnared By Silence
Tilting my head to the side, he poured two cups of black coffee and followed me to the doors leading to the back deck. I slid the door closed behind us, keeping my eyes on Aubrey as she and Mathias spoke quietly on the couch. Her posture was relaxed and the fear had ebbed from her eyes. I took the cup of coffee from an observant Skid and swallowed the hot, bitter drink as the anger deep inside grew with each passing second.
“What the fuck happened?” Skid asked, his tattooed hands clenching open and closed as he glanced inside at Aubrey and Mathias.
I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling as the sounds of her cries echoed in my head. For the rest of my life, the sounds of her pain and anguish would haunt me, and I swore at that moment to do whatever it took to protect and shield her from that kind of torment again.
When I looked at Skid, I saw more rage and malice coming from my friend than ever before. I knew he was a member of the Death Hounds MC and their reputation was cemented as a group of men you do not fuck with. I heard rumors over the years as people whispered speculations, and if they were responsible for half of what people say they were, I feared for whoever Skid directed his anger at.
“She freaked the fuck out, man. Screaming, wrestling in her sleep to get away from me.” I lifted the front of my shirt and turned my arms over, showing him the deep scratches crisscrossing my body. “When I tried to wake her, she fell off the bed in fear and huddled in the corner, rocking and crying like she was in a trance as I tried to get her to focus back on me. Fuck, man. It broke my god damned heart not being able to help her or stop whatever was playing in her mind.”
“Have you asked her what happened?”
“I wanted Mathias to talk to her first. He told me tonight she has some issues, but I swear, man, what I saw . . .”
His hardened gaze locked with mine as he said, “Did it seem like she was fighting against you or a memory?”
“She was fighting me but she wasn’t fighting me, if that makes sense.”
“I need to ask you something, but I need you to promise to keep your temper under control. Can you do that?” he asked as he drained his cup of coffee.
I motioned with my hand and he turned to the lake, watching as the black sky turned light gray, the sun quickly rising over the horizon. His words were spoken into the air, his eyes locked on some distant sight and his hands white-knuckling the banister.
“Did it appear she was fighting an attacker? Like someone was forcing her into something and she was trying to escape?”
I clenched my hands and turned to him “You’re asking me if it seemed like she was fighting a rapist in her dreams, aren’t you?”
He sodded solemnly, and I made one sharp jerk of my head to confirm his suspicions. The thought of someone doing that to her, taking something from her that wasn’t theirs to take, killed a part of me, allowing the darkened anger to fill the space.
I saw Mathias stand from the couch and I opened the door, re-entering the kitchen and walking to meet him near the island.
“She wants to go home,” he explained quietly, and I glanced at her.
She was staring at the fire, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. I wanted to pull her into my arms and make the pain disappear, but I knew that wouldn’t happen. Not tonight, anyway.
“Is she okay?” I asked as Skid stepped next to us.
Mathias shrugged and glanced over his shoulder before speaking. “I think she’s embarrassed more that you witnessed whatever it was that happened. She said she had a bad dream, but she won’t tell me what it was, though I have a fairly good idea.” The normally laidback man had a look of murderous rage filling his eyes.
“Me too,” Skid responded and clapped me on the back. “I’ll take them home and be back by ten. I need to talk to a few people before we do anything else.”
I knew who he was going to talk to, and I swear, if that pompous asshole caused any problems, I would kick his ass around his shoulders.
Devlin Callahan. The owner of Callahan Cyber Security, the husband of my friend, Elise, and a complete asshole to everyone who meets him. He only has eyes for Elise, and I promised I would cut him a break as long as he took care of my friend. He also had connections and the ability to find information with his contacts. If I had to play nice with him to find out who hurt Aubrey, I would.
“I’m going to talk to her before you leave. Thanks for helping,” I said, clapping them both on the back before walking into the living room and taking a seat next to Aubrey.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and wiped an errant tear from her cheek, her eyes still locked on the dancing flames in the fireplace.
I slowly reached over and took her hand, linking her fingers with mine, and she squeezed slightly. I spoke to her without needing her to look at me. Whatever happened to her tonight was an indicator of something traumatic that she lived through, so I wouldn’t push her. I would, however, do anything and everything in my power to protect her.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m sorry I was such a bother to you. I’ll have Skid take me home and you don’t have to w-worry about m-me anymore.” Her chin trembled, and I gently turned her face to mine.
She looked at her lap and I wiped a tear from her cheek, waiting for her to look up at me. Glistening green eyes met mine and I smiled at her.
“Aubrey, I don’t want you to think that what happened changes anything. Tonight was still one of the best of my life,” I admitted, honestly.
Even with what happened, having her in my arms was worth it. Now, I just had to get her to agree to stay in my arms.
