16 | Addison
Two hours pass, and night is upon us when I hear the commotion. It starts off in the distance, yelling and a gunshot, and then I can hear my name being called. Pushing to my feet, I use my flashlight to navigate the ground as I do my best to move toward the sound. As I get closer, I begin calling back, yelling over and over until the voices become so much clearer and I know it’s Cade and Spike calling my name.
I yell until my voice is hoarse and I’m exhausted from walking, but finally I reach the path I left behind earlier, and I can see a light flashing ahead. Turning, I rush as fast as I can toward it, and when I see the familiar face of the man I love, I burst out crying. Throwing myself into his arms, I apologize over and over again for my stupidity. He holds me tight, covered in sweat and panting. With rage or relief, I don’t know.
“We gotta move,” Spike growls into the darkness. “They’ll have a fuckin’ crew on the way.”
“Move,” Cade orders, his voice gruff, and I know it’s rage he’s holding in. We all hurry toward the clearing before moving down to where Spike’s truck is parked.
There are two men lying beside it, bleeding from wounds in their chests. My eyes widen, and I look to Cade, who opens the door for me.
“Them or you. Get in.”
I know I’ve made a huge mistake, because I just got the club in some deep water that they really don’t want to be in. I should have left it alone, and now they’re going to have to clean up the mess I made.
Once we’re in the truck, Spike puts his foot down and flies down the dirt road until we reach my car, which has two men also lying beside it, bleeding. Skidding to a stop, Cade jumps out without a word and gets in, using his own set of keys to start it. Then, he’s following us as we move through the darkness.
For a while, I don’t say anything, I just sit in pure silence, but eventually, I speak. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”
Spike pauses for a moment, then growls. “Yeah, precious, you did. Big time.”
“I didn’t ... I didn’t think I’d actually find anything. I just ... fuck. I’m such an idiot.”
“Whoever you just messed with, it won’t take them long to find out who you are, and when they do, they’ll come for us. It’s very fuckin’ bad.”
Pressing my lips together, I swallow the lump in my throat.
My body burns from the multiple scratches on my skin.
“We’ve handled worse,” Spike tells me, as if that will make me feel better. “Not the first person to fuck up, precious. Won’t be the last.”
The silence in the car is deafening as we head back to the compound. The moment I get out, I see Cade already striding toward the shed. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, I know what I’m about to walk into. They’re going to be so angry with me, and they have every right. I made a huge mistake thinking I could go in and just check it out.
The second I step into the shed, I see Jackson standing, and the rage on his face is enough for me to pause. I open my mouth to speak, but I don’t get a chance. Cade whips around, his eyes firm when he growls, “Sugar, shut the fuck up.”
I close my mouth.
“What,” Jackson grinds out, his voice like ice, “where you fuckin’ thinking? Do you have any fuckin’ idea what you’ve done? The kind of fuckin’ shit you have brought on this club? Not only are we now dealin’ with dangerous fuckin’ men, but we have an extra problem we didn’t need. God dammit, Addison, I know I wasn’t around for most of your life, but I never thought you’d be so fuckin’ stupid.”
A lump forms in my throat and tears burn under my eyelids, but I don’t argue—what’s the point. He’s right. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t fucking hurt to hear him yell at me in a way he’s never done.
He’s never looked at me with rage like it.
“God dammit, I’m so fucking wild with you right now. The fact that you not only put your life in danger, but everyone in this club and your own fuckin’ daughter.”
That hits me like a blow to the chest, a blow that has me reeling back, pressing a hand to my chest as my tears burst forth and roll down my cheeks. I’d never do anything to hurt Skye, but tonight, I did something, and I didn’t think of how it could come back and hurt everyone else. That’s no different, really, is it?
“I’ve never been so fuckin’ disappointed in you,” Jackson roars, throwing his hands up. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”
A sob rips from my throat as I turn, rushing out before I can possibly hear another word that breaks my soul into a thousand pieces. Jackson has never spoken to me like that, and it burns. It burns in a way I never thought it could. Tears pouring down my cheeks, I reach the compound fence and grip it with my fingers, crying out loudly as pain courses through me.
What the hell did I do?
I’ve destroyed everything.
~*~*~*~*~
“OH MY GOD, ADDISON, are you okay?”
Janine is at our place, watching Skye. Cade must have called her over when I told him where I was. I know I look terrible; my body is all cut and bruised and my eyes are puffy from crying so hard. Stepping forward, Janine doesn’t even question me, she just puts her arms around me and holds me tight.
“I got you.”
“I fucked up so bad, J,” I croak. “I don’t know what to do ...”
Pulling back, she swipes the tears from my face and holds it in her hands. “You’re going to shower, you’re going to hug your baby, and you’re going to worry about the rest tomorrow.”
“I’m so sorry you had to come watch Skye ...”
She waves her hand, shaking her head. “I love that girl. She is such a good little one.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Once she leaves, I walk over to the mat on the floor where Skye is playing, already bathed and ready for bed. Leaning down, I pick her up into my arms and hold her to me. I breathe in her fresh, clean scent and nestle my face into her beautiful hair. Crying out, I know she’s ready for a bottle, so I hold her while I prepare it. Then, I go to her room and sit, feeding it to her as she slowly dozes off to sleep.
Once she’s tucked up in bed, I walk to the bathroom and stare at myself in the mirror.
I look absolutely horrible.
My entire face is covered in tiny scratches, some blood spots, and it is puffy and bloated from crying. My eyes are bloodshot, and my hair is a mess. Slowly, I take my clothes off and inspect the damage on my body. Mostly scratches, some bruises, and a few larger cuts that might take a little longer to heal but nothing major.
Turning on the shower, I step inside, crying out when the warm water hits my skin, causing a slight burn to radiate through my body. Every single part of me has something that is irritated by the water. Closing my eyes, more tears slip from my eyes as I stand under the water, exhausted and not lifting my hands even to wash myself.
A moment later, the shower door opens, and I lift my head to see Cade, fully naked, staring at me. The rage in his eyes has died down and now he looks a little calmer. Stepping into the shower, he surprises me when he pulls me into his arms. The moment my face hits his chest, I burst out crying again. It feels as though there is nothing left, but here it comes all the same.
He holds me until the tears subside, and then he washes me, carefully running a cloth over every inch of my body, ensuring each trace of blood, dirt and muck is gone. Then, we get out and he wraps me in a towel, leading me to the bedroom. As if he couldn’t get any better, he takes my pajamas and he helps me dress before running a brush through my hair.
I couldn’t possibly love him more in this moment.
I fucked up, in the biggest way possible, and he’s still taking care of me.
Once he’s done, he takes my chin in his hand and stares down at me. “You fucked up tonight, sugar, in a big way, but your intentions were pure. Your dad had no right to say the things he did.”
“He’s right,” I croak. “I am a god damned idiot and I put everyone at risk. I just ... I just wanted to help, to find answers. The idea of Clara being out there, being tortured ...”
Cade presses his finger to my lips. “Didn’t get it, for a long fuckin’ time, but I do now. You can’t close your eyes at night knowin’ she could be livin’ the life you did. I’m sorry I didn’t see that before. The fact that you care so much about someone you never met is a fuckin’ trait so few people have.”
“I might not have met her,” I whisper, “but she’s your blood, and that makes her my family.”
His eyes soften, and he lowers his mouth to mine, a soft kiss that has me melting into him.
“Your soul is as pure as they come, sugar. We’ll find Clara, I promise you that, but you have to promise me you will never fuckin’ do somethin’ like that again.”
I swallow and nod. “I promise.”
Scooping me up as if I weigh nothing, he carries me to the bed and places me down, bringing his body down over the top of mine until our eyes are staring deep into each other’s.
“I love you more than you could ever fuckin’ understand,” he murmurs.
“I understand, because I feel exactly the same. I’m sorry, Cade.”
“Baby,” he growls, running his finger over my bottom lip, “it’s all good.”
“I found something out there ...”
“Later,” he rasps, sliding his hand down until he reaches the top of my pajamas. “Right now, I’m goin’ to make love to my woman.”
My body gets warm. “You are?”
“Yeah, baby. I am.”
And that’s exactly what he does.
He devours every inch of my body.
He makes love to me until we’re both utterly exhausted.
Then he holds me while I sleep.
I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve him, but I’ll be forever grateful.
He’s my happily ever after.