Chapter Twenty-Five
brISTOL
What the hell have I done? I don’t know what I expected arriving here, but the moment the car pulled up at the Hell’s Heathens gates, I knew there was no turning back. The unknown officially outweighed staying a moment longer in that house with Blake.
My tears have slowed, the salt drying on my raw skin as I sit alone in Rhys’ room, waiting for my mind to catch up.
I wring my hands together tightly in front of me, twisting and kneading my fingers.
I can’t believe I’m here, inside a motorcycle clubhouse, surrounded by men who look like they would eat me for dinner if given the opportunity.
But when I had a split second to make a decision, the only place I wanted to be was with Rhys. I have a key to Kira’s house, and I could have gone there, but I know that’s the first place Blake would look. I wanted to feel safe, and Rhys was my first thought.
Now the fear rushes in if Blake will actually come looking for me.
The reality of what I’ve done clings to me thick and heavy.
I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.
The club president didn’t seem happy at all that I was here.
Rhys said it’s their job to keep everyone in the club safe and protected, and here I am, a complete stranger, waltzing in and potentially bringing with me an abusive ex-fiancé who will do god knows what to get me back.
Scurrying and little whines break my current mental breakdown.
Looking over on the other side of Rhys’ bed, I see a large enclosure and a play area, and then it hits me.
His pet bunny. Getting up, I slowly walk over to the enclosure, looking in and finding a fluffy white and grey bunny chomping away at some leafy greens.
His little nose bunches up repeatedly, and my heart melts.
“Hi, sweet baby,” I coo. “Can I hold you? I could really use some animal love right about now.” My hands slip down into the enclosure, letting him hop over to me.
He sniffs me a few times before he seems content enough for me to pick him up.
He’s so soft, and I immediately bring him to my chest, nuzzling into his fur.
I get comfortable back on Rhys’ bed, his rich cedar and spice scent enveloping me in comfort.
Mr. Bun-Buns seems just as content, purring happily as he snuggles into my voluptuous chest. I chuckle, like father like son, I would imagine.
Rhys seemed to be fairly consumed by my larger-than-life breasts.
I pause to take in my surroundings. I don’t know what I expected, but I guess I never gave thought to what his living arrangements would be once I found out he was in a motorcycle club.
The space is sparse, half the room taken up by the massive enclosure for Mr. Bun-Buns.
My heart does a weird thing in my chest at the thought that Rhys gives so much space to his pet bunny.
He really cares about his health and well-being.
He has a tall wooden dresser that matches the finish of his bedframe, a closet, and another door that I’m assuming leads to a bathroom.
He doesn’t have anything on the walls, and I wonder how much time he truly spends in here.
The door creaks open, sending a wave of anxiety through my nervous system. My arrival didn’t exactly start off welcoming and warm by any means, and I can’t help but feel like I’m missing a bigger part of the picture here.
My body deflates as Rhys steps into the room, his large shoulders filling most of the doorframe as his deep-emerald eyes slowly rake over me. A smile plays on his lips, which he disappointingly masks with his hand, rubbing over the scruff of his beard.
“I see you’ve found Mr. Bun-Buns.”
“I still can’t believe you have a pet bunny. Let alone one named Mr. Bun-Buns.”
“But now you know what a big softie I really am, so it makes sense.”
“It does. His little purrs are better than a kitten’s. He seems very well-loved, Rhys.”
“That’s what you do when you love something. You show them. Over and over and over again.” His eyes never leave mine as he says the words. “As much as I want to stand here and stare at you holding him for the rest of the night, we have some things we need to talk about.”
I know he’s right; I have a lot to come clean to him about. I just don’t want him to react badly. Not that I truly believe he would, there’s just so much that I still don’t know and understand about his life. And after all the threats that came from Blake, I’m frozen in terror.
I shift, setting Mr. Bun-Buns back in his enclosure. He hops away, perfectly content and happy to stretch his little legs. I turn to face Rhys, giving in to the conversation.
“I know we do. I’m sure you didn’t expect that when you gave me this address that I would turn up here in the middle of the night.”
“Baby, I gave you this address because I could tell something has been going on that you haven’t verbalized yet.
The fact that you came here, though, in the middle of the night, no less, speaks volumes.
I’ve never asked you a single thing about Blake.
Mostly because I didn’t want to know anything about the man you were committing yourself to.
It was out of pure jealousy. But now I’ve got to know.
What happened tonight to make you run here? Did he hurt you?”
Sudden flashbacks slam into me of conversations Rhys and I have had about how his club handles people that cross them and the people they love.
Then another of Blake threatening to have Rhys murdered.
What have I gotten myself in the middle of?
Panic starts to claw at my chest, my goddamn traitorous eyes filling with unshed tears that had only just dried up.
The door shuts behind Rhys, an audible click of a lock flicking, and then the bed is dipping down, Rhys’ hands cupping my face as he peppers kisses all over my forehead and cheeks, collecting my tears with his lips and tongue.
“Don’t cry, my love. You aren’t in any trouble; I just need to know what happened so I can understand the situation better.”
“I’m scared, Rhys,” I confess.
“Baby, you have nothing to be scared of. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”
“Wh-what about harm to others?”
“You’re scared I’ll hurt someone else? Like Blake?” Rhys’ stare morphs when he says his name, like he’s already given it thought, and the outcome is grim. My heart aches in my chest.
“I can’t be responsible for someone getting hurt or dying, Rhys, I can’t. I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“Even if they’re evil, Bristol?”
Is he insinuating Blake is evil, and that’s how he’s going to justify it?
Is Blake evil? The controlling, demanding behavior, treating me as though he has ownership over me, just because I’m his fiancé—was his fiancé.
The way he’s threatened me with violence, threatened the shelter, was going to force himself on me, the way he hit me.
I’m terrified of him. But I don’t want him to die.
I just want him to go away. I can’t have his death on my hands any more than I want it to be on Rhys’.
“I can’t let you hurt him. I can’t let him hurt you. I need to save the shelter. I’m just so scared, Rhys.”
Rhys arches a brow. “I need you to talk to me, I’m begging.
I know you, and I know you’re keeping things from me.
I also know that you flinched that night at the gala when he touched you.
I saw how you didn’t want to be in his arms when he pulled you into his space.
I know how anytime you mention him, your entire demeanor changes and trembles.
I can see your fear. You know my past, baby, so you’ve got to understand that my mind is doing wild, dangerous things by imagining what’s happened.
Set me straight so I can breathe a little easier. Please.”
God, I’m so selfish. How did I not even think about that?
Of course, Rhys would be scared for me; he watched his mom endure years of abuse at the hands of his father.
I just didn’t consider Blake to be abusive because he wasn’t physically beating me.
Even though that’s exactly what he’s been this entire time.
Abusive. The control, the isolation, the insults and backhanded remarks, the threats. So, I tell him everything.
“He wasn’t like this at first, obviously, or I wouldn’t have fallen for him.
But the last year or two, things just slowly snowballed until they exploded.
It started with him getting a job as an accountant for this start-up.
But his pay was obscene. I never saw it since we have separate bank accounts, but he was able to purchase the home I lived in with him, and I definitely saw that price. ”
“That didn’t set off any alarm bells for you?”
“Not at first, but then he got another promotion, and then another one. He’s always worked intensely hard, and I thought the company just saw value in him. I met his boss twice, and he said that they take care of the people who are good for their business. He made me so uncomfortable.”
Rhys cocks his head to the side. “In what way?”
“Just the vibe I got, I guess? It was more than the money and the power; it was slimy. Like I knew I would never want to be alone with him.”
Rhys’ position shifts slightly. “And you weren’t?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Never. Blake was . . . territorial, but not in a protective way. In more of an ‘I’m his property’ kind of way.”
Rhys cracks his neck from side to side, his jaw clenched tightly. I can tell he’s teetering on the edge of restraint.
“All I really know is that Blake was easily making millions working for them and that he handled all the major accounts for their company and all the businesses they worked with. He never told me what type of business, and I honestly never asked. I knew he was an accountant, and I knew that he would have multiple companies he worked with, so it was pointless to ask.”
“I understand that, baby.”