Chapter 19 Here Lies Atticus’s Sanity #2
Her rage comes back with a vengeance as she levels her lethal stare on me. "What? Because you always think things through before you, I don't know, hold a woman at gunpoint? A woman you just fucking slept with?"
The reminder is a slap and my fists clench at the sting of it.
I want to have this fight. We need to, but we can't do this here.
"And it's funny," she says with no mirth in her tone. "You calling me a whore when you need to contract sex with women because you can't form a real connection with anyone outside of your brothers!"
It's a low blow, but at least now I know she ready my fucking letter. There is one point I need to clear up.
"You're not a whore, Aurora. I never should've said that."
She scoffs, but there's a slight tremble where her lips are pressed tightly together.
"And you're right. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I did something hurtful and stupid."
Her expression grows even more tense.
"I let my emotions get the better of me. I let myself spiral. I thought it was what I needed to do to protect them."
She flinches.
"To protect them," I say again, because it's worth repeating. "They're all I have, Aurora. They're the most important thing in the world to me. My only family. What were you trying to do here other than piss me off?"
Her head drops, brows knotting, lower lip caught between her teeth.
I want to say more, but I don't. Unsure I can stay calm with the smoke still clogged in my throat and the acid still burning in the pit of my stomach.
Before I turn to retrieve my bike, I notice the torn fabric on her jacket sleeve, and my teeth click with how hard I clench them. Did she actually jump out of that speeding car?
So fucking reckless.
"Did you hurt yourself pulling off this little revenge stunt?"
I squeeze my eyes shut and blow a hot breath through my nose. I could've said that better, but goddamn.
I didn't see this coming, but I should've. Knowing her history. Her trauma. Seeing the rage she kept bound inside of her freed after what I did to her.
It was in her eyes when she pointed the gun at me. Her darkness so like ours. But she hasn't had years to learn to temper that side of herself. She's only just discovering the full spectrum of it.
Aurora looks down at the sleeve of her jacket, her upper lip curling as she sucks in a breath, like she's only now feeling the pain.
I need to get her to a first aid kit, or a doctor. "How bad is it?"
This time as I take a step forward, she takes two steps back.
"I'm fine," she grits out, trying to cover the wobble in her voice. "It's just a scrape."
It better be. But if she won't show me then I have no choice but to believe her.
I release my fists, trying to remember how I felt when I realized how badly I'd messed up.
Even if she won't admit it out loud, I can tell she knows this went too far.
"We need to get out of here," I decide, and stalk toward my bike. "The police will be sending more units, and they're going to be on us any minute."
I curse as I lift my bike from the ground and see the chewed left side of its body, all fucked up from scraping over the road.
Breathe, man. Breathe.
As I wheel her around, I frown at the empty spot where Aurora was and find the shadow of her storming down the bypass on foot.
"Stubborn fucking woman," I snarl under my breath, kicking the ignition into gear before speeding alongside her. "Get on."
"No."
"Aurora, get on the bike."
"I said no."
Heat flares in my chest, and for one fleeting second, I consider dragging her ass onto the seat with me, but I think better of it.
I can't believe I'm fucking saying this right now, but I push the words out anyway, because even though she took this a thousand leagues too far, I can own up to this mistake. I did swear there weren't any other devices she needed to know about.
"Look, I'm sorry." The words scrape from my throat.
Her jaw tightens.
"I should've told you."
She winces as if my apology physically stings. Why isn't she saying anything?
Am I right back to not existing? Just like that?
"Aurora, would you please get on the bike?"
She picks up her pace, rushing down the road, trying to get away from me even though I'm on a damn motorcycle and she has no chance of outrunning me.
I growl my frustration, and when I speak, it's through my teeth.
"Fine." I rev the engine. "Walk, then."
I'm about to blaze down the road when I see the lights ahead. Not on the bypass yet, but farther to the east, on route this way. She'll never be able to make it before they find her.
"Shit."
I kick down the stand on my bike and hop off, jogging to catch up to her.
"Sorry about this, too," I growl before lifting her right off the road and tossing her over my shoulder, carrying her back to the bike.
"Atticus! Put me down!"
She kicks and I grunt as her knee connects with my sternum and her fists pound on my back.
I set her down next to the bike but grip her uninjured arm to keep her from pulling away. I take her chin in my fingers and steer her attention to the lights and sirens on their way here. "We don't have time for this. You can't be seen here."
She jerks her chin from my grip and only hesitates a second more before she silently gets on the bike, leaving space for me, jaw set and eyes hard.
I slide onto the seat in front of her. "You're going to want to hold on."
She doesn't move.
"Aurora."
She shoves her arms around me, locking them tight. As soon as I'm sure she isn't going to fly off, I gun it, getting us the hell out of here.