Page 52 of Ensnared By Silence
Chapter 18
Hayden
Ihated to wake her, seeing how tired she was when I walked into that shitty motel. Realizing how scared she must have been to hide in a place like that solidified my resolve to protect her from any and everything that tried to hurt her. With James standing by me, she would never have to experience pain and betrayal again. I may not be a killer like the Callahans are, but I would battle the devil all the way to hell to keep her safe.
I pulled into the parking garage and turned off the car, blanketing us in a serene quiet. Gently, I reached over and brushed a piece of hair from her cheek, and she stirred, nuzzling into my hand as she blinked her beautiful green eyes, trying to wake up.
Yawning, she stretched like a tiny kitten in her seat before she said, “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
I leaned over and brought her beautiful face to mine before kissing her. I wanted to keep it chaste, but as soon as my lips touched hers, a bolt of lightning shot down my spine and I licked the seam of her lips, demanding entry. She opened with a gasp and I forced my tongue into her mouth until neither of us could breathe.
“Wow.” Placing her small hand on her swollen lips, she appeared dazed for a moment.
I wanted to keep her out of the dark place I saw her slip into yesterday, and knowing there was a difficult conversation coming, I needed to remind her that she wasn’t alone. She would never be alone again.
Placing my forehead against hers, I asked, “Are you ready?”
She looked me in the eye and inhaled deeply. Exhaling, her shoulders dropped, and she answered, “As ready as I’ll ever be. Something tells me there’s more than what James told me, and I want to know what the plan is. I don’t want to be left in the dark.”
“Whatever happens, I’m not leaving your side. Ever again.” I wanted the weight of my words to sink in.
Aubrey was mine in every way, and as soon as humanly possible, I was going to make her my wife. It may be quick in some people’s opinion, but I never gave a fuck about other people’s opinions. I was hers and she was mine.
Using my keycard, I opened the elevator doors and held her against me, her back to my front as we climbed the three levels to the office. The elevator didn’t stop and when the display showed five, I grew confused. The doors slid open and Elise was standing inside the entrance, eagerly waiting for us.
When she saw Aubrey, she ran to her with tears in her eyes and pulled her into a hug, whispering into her ear. Whatever they were saying was causing them to cry, and as I stood near the door, Devlin appeared behind them. He watched them with a look in his eyes I had never seen before.
Compassion.
Shaking his head, he looked at me and nodded toward the living room. I brushed my hand on Aubrey’s back and she broke the hug, her cheeks wet. I looked at Elise, whose eyes were red and puffy, and realized how much our friends missed Aubrey, how this strange little family we were creating protected and loved with a fierceness I never knew existed.
They forgave without animosity, they loved without limits, and they destroyed without mercy.
Aubrey took my hand, and we walked into the living room to find Devlin sitting on the couch. Elise joined him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest and kissing the top of her head. She snuggled into him and he whispered something into her ear that made her blush.
Aubrey and I sat on the couch facing them and she pulled our interlocked hand onto her lap. A moment later, the elevator opened, and Amaya, James, and Skid walked in. Amaya had tears in her eyes as she met Aubrey’s gaze, and James kept his hand on her lower back as they sat down in the two chairs to the right of us. Skid took a chair to the left as James looked at his sister.
“Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah,” she replied and looked at me before continuing, “I’m really good.”
“I can’t believe you’re James’s sister,” Amaya said, and tears rolled down her face. “All this time wasted. If he would have known . . .” Her words trailed off, and I felt Aubrey tense next to me.
“Will you tell us what caused you to run?” Elise asked, her voice small and cautious as she held Devlin’s hand. Aubrey looked across at her, worry written on her face as Elise added softy, “We’re the last people who will ever judge you for what you lived through. For what you survived. We just want to help . . . and for you to know you aren’t alone.”
Aubrey kept secrets for so many years, caught somewhere between a whisper and a scream. To be sitting in a room full of people who all knew, at least to a degree, what she experienced, must be overwhelming to her. I looked at her and her chest was rising faster than normal.
Ignoring everyone, I turned her to face me. “In and out. Deep breaths.”
She mimicked me for three breaths and closed her eyes briefly. When she showed me her beautiful emerald eyes again, there was a peace in them. She turned to the group, and with a bravery that was an honor to witness, she spoke. There was no judgement in their eyes and the respect I saw from them was endearing.
“You all know that I grew up in the Flats, and when I was twelve, I was placed into foster care in a home in Lincolnville. My foster parents were nice, and I had a wonderful home for those years. They invited me to stay until I left for college, even though I’d aged out a couple of months into my senior year.” She smiled fondly, and I made a mental note to find who they were. She swallowed thickly, and I kissed her hand. “I struggled to act like everything was okay, dealing with my past and the usual teenage bullshit.”
I saw James shift in his chair. Amaya reached over, took his hand into hers, and he settled as Aubrey continued.
“The night I graduated, I went out with a group of kids for one last hooray. I never spent much time in the party scene and I wanted to cut loose for once. I had one drink at the party, and after everyone got dropped off, the guy I was dating, for lack of a better word, and I went back to his house. He gave me a drink in the limo, and when we got to the pool house, I was struggling to keep my eyes open.”
She blinked, and I could see the tears building in her eyes. I whispered, “You don’t have to do this.”
