Chapter Eighteen #2
“Dude.” Spider's expression had idiot written all over it, except it wasn't for himself, it was aimed at me. “What did I just say? We've been a little too busy.”
Waving away his condescending dickheadness, I cleared my throat. “Fine, okay. Look, there's something I found out today that I'm… I'm not sure what to do with.”
Both men's ears pricked up, their heads turning to me. I rubbed the back of my neck, letting my head fall back in frustration. When I righted myself again, they were glaring.
“As you know, Brit knew that place because of a woman who left the compound a few months ago.” I paused until they nodded. “Well, when Brit asked the lady who worked there for her friend, I… it was…”
“Just spit it out,” Moth insisted.
“Her name was Audrey-”
“No!” Spider interrupted me before I could finish.
“Yeah. Ant's aunt.” I looked between them; my eyebrows raised in an unasked question.
They blinked several times and Moth puffed out his cheeks.
Back when we were thirteen, and Alia's stunt had led us to being found, the cops had taken us to Audrey. She had been last to join The Reason, only moving to the compound after we’d returned.
We’d been hopeful that she would stay in her home and take us in.
Except, as soon as the cops brought us to her, she called our parents, despite us begging her to let us go.
It wasn't long before she moved to the compound, joining us all. Ant had disowned her and her family the moment she had betrayed us. She had watched us cry, at fourteen years old, while they dragged us, kicking and screaming, into our families’ vehicles.
She had doomed us to five years of hell and Ant hated her for it.
“So she got out?” Spider asked. “Even though she was determined to get us in?”
Sighing, I shrugged. “I don't know the story. Brit just said a friend told her where to find her when she was leaving. We found the women's refuge and she asked for Audrey. I left before she arrived, even though the older woman didn't confirm she was definitely there.”
“What do we tell Ant?” Moth paced in front of the mirror and I watched his reflection, going still when I heard the front door open.
“That's probably him.” I looked over my shoulder. “We should tell him, she is on his hit-list, after all.”
The others hummed an unsure affirmative as Ant entered the room. There was something about a trauma bond that gave you a sixth sense about one another. I had known that Ant was arriving the moment the door opened, and oh how I wish he'd stayed away, just so I had more time to figure it all out.
“You don't think he'll become suspicious of Brittney?” I asked them as Ant stopped to talk to Bella, who was grabbing a drink from the vending machine.
“There's a chance.” Spider, usually the calmest of us, clenched his hands into fists. “It does kind of fit that she would now lead Audrey to us.”
Frowning, I shook my head. “Trust me, that girl has seen the light. He took her to a ceremony for the first time while we were confined. It was one of her friends. She completely rebelled.”
Moth spat the water he'd been sipping. “Wow, I never saw a woman at one of those. Was he trying to get her to comply or something?”
“Yeah.” I watched Ant flirt with Bella, smiling when she blushed. He was the bull-headed one of us, but the charm oozed from him when he wanted something. “I think it was a test to see if she would stick by him once she knew what he was doing for the greater good.”
“Motherfucker.” Both men hissed the same word at the same time.
“So,” I said as Ant said goodbye to Bella. “Do we tell him?”
“Honesty is the best policy, my friend.” Moth stood and clapped me on the back. “We'll help you protect Brittney.”
Nodding, I watched Ant stride across to us, an envelope in hand. As soon as he reached us, he nodded a greeting and handed it across.
“I found this in the car you asked me to get rid of.” He tapped the edge of it. “Proof that Brittney was better off out of there.”
“Really?” I frowned as I untucked the flap of the envelope and looked inside, bringing out the pile of papers. “I don't remember seeing her with this.”
“Maybe she kept it hidden under her clothes or something.” Ant rubbed his shaven head. “But that report is scary.”
I scanned the pictures before finding the report. Seeing Brittney so closely monitored scared me. She was his daughter, why didn't he trust her to be his aid? She was so dedicated to him; she had kidnapped me to impress him.
Reading the headline of the report, I froze, my skin crawling from a sudden chill. He was going to kill her? How had Brittney had this information and not told me?
“She was in danger from him there,” I said, reading the first few lines. “Let alone out here.”
Turning, I grabbed up my phone and keys. I had to go and get her; to keep her somewhere he couldn't find her. He would turn everything over to find her now that she was free with all his secrets.
“Wait,” the others called, trying to get me back.
I turned towards them and held up the report. “Audrey might be a pawn in his game. She could've reported to Chad already. I've got to go and get Brittney.”
“Audrey?” Ant barked. “Audrey who?”
Waving a hand in dismissal, I swung away on my crutches, heading straight out of the door. There were raised voices as the others explained that his aunt was at the refuge. No doubt my friend was losing his shit and about to come running after me.
I made it to the street before he caught up with me.
“You weren't going to tell me that my aunt had escaped that place?” He gestured to where he'd parked his car. “Over here.”
“Yeah.” I huffed. “I just hadn't had a chance before you showed me Brit's death sentence.”
“And why do you care if he kills her?” Ant reached the car before me, opening the passenger door and snatching my crutches away.
Climbing in, I waited for him before I answered. “I spent time with the woman; she's just another victim in that sick man's game. I swore to protect her when she defied him and escaped with me.”
Grumbling, Ant started the car and sped out onto the road. “As much as I hate to admit it, I understand. If I was stuck with a hot chick, I would've enjoyed her company too.”
“I did not…” The sentence trailed off as my body heated remembering the moment in the shed.
Yeah, I had fucked her, and probably at her most vulnerable. I should've been sorry for it, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. It had felt incredible to be inside her and my cock hardened every time I thought about it, begging me to do it again.
Ant grinned at me and I sneered at him, hating that the son of a bitch was gloating. He knew me, just as the others did, and as much as I wanted to play it cool, everything we'd been through made us more intense than most.
“Alright, alright,” I admitted, cringing at my own thoughts. “I want to save her because I want to own her, even if it goes against everything in me.”
“Shit.” Ant shook his head. “You're fucked, dude. Well and truly pussy-whipped.”