Chapter 10 Amberly
AMBERLY
Everything was a blur. And I mean, everything.
The only thing I latched onto was the feel of Saint’s shoulder in the dip of my stomach.
The way his shirt felt in the palms of my hands.
Being thrust into the van was a blur. Even the ride as we pulled away from the motel was a blur.
What the hell just happened? What in the world were they doing?
Who were these people that Saint was with?
Had I just been saved from the mafia only to be captured by this motorcycle gang?
What the hell does Saint think of seeing me again?
The questions made me tremble. I scooted to the corner of the van and wouldn't let anyone touch me.
Including Saint, every time he tried coming near me.
I curled my knees up to my chest and buckled in on myself, trying to make myself as small as I could.
Sutton cooed in my ear. Rubbing my back. Reassuring me I was finally safe.
Then, the van came to a grinding halt and the doors flew wide open.
“No. No! Don’t touch me! Don’t take me!” I exclaimed.
I kicked and punched at the person trying to touch me.
It was a simple defense mechanism I’d developed after all these years.
But it didn’t seem to do anything as the brute tossed me over his shoulder.
I screamed for help. I yelled out for someone to come get me.
Even though I heard Sutton’s voice telling me I was okay, my fight or flight mode told me I was in danger.
“Amberly. It’s me. Look at me. It’s me, Amberly. Amberly!”
I flopped down onto something soft. Something warm.
Something… nice. And the second his eyes met mine, my breath caught in my throat.
I saw those eyes again. Those comforting, brooding, beautiful icy blue eyes.
I reached out and touched his cheek. I felt those cheekbones that hadn’t changed since our high school days.
I ran my fingertips over his brow. I danced them through his hair.
And when he crouched in front of me, settling his hands tenderly onto my knobby knees, tears rushed down my cheeks.
I looked over and saw a man kissing Sutton. Holding her close. Crying with her as they sank to their knees. I didn’t know who that guy was, but apparently this was where Sutton wanted to be.
Apparently, we were safe.
And that settled my racing heart a bit.
“Amberly, can you hear me?” Saint asked.
I nodded quickly as tears dripped from my jawline onto my bare thighs.
“Can you talk?” he asked.
I nodded quickly, but I was still too shocked to say anything.
“What happened?” he asked.
My eyes danced between his at still images bombarded my mind. The day my parents kicked me out. The day I met Vlad. The day I had Mason. The day I realized everything wasn’t what it seemed.
I shook my head quickly, my breathing raging out of control.
“It’s okay. Hey, hey. It’s all right, Amberly. You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re safe, I swear it,” he whispered.
He stood up, wrapping his arms around me, and I clung to his shirt.
I cried against him, feeling everything from high school rushing over me again.
That fluttering feeling in my stomach as I gazed into his eyes.
The girlish giggle I always got whenever he talked to me.
The lighter-than-air feeling he bestowed upon me every time he touched me.
All those feelings came rushing back, leaving me unable to say anything.
But I fought them back down as much as I could.
Because I knew he’d never forgive me for my secret.
He’d never forgive me for why I was kicked out.
For why my parents never took me back, despite me going back to visit.
He’d never forgive me for why I never contacted him.
For why I went with Vlad instead of trying to figure out where he was.
He’d hate me for it.
“It’s okay. I’m right here. And you’re never going back to that place,” Saint said.
I cried and cried. Shedding tears I didn’t even know I had as he sat on the cushion next to me.
He pulled me into his lap, cradling me against his warm skin.
His strong arms. His chiseled chest. He’d changed so much.
He was no longer the lean, mean high school kid I’d fallen in lust with.
And as I tucked my face against the crook of his neck, I drew in his scent.
The smell of his sweat. The smell of gunpowder. The smell of his aftershave.
It shivered me, causing goosebumps to pucker against my skin.
“Tell me what happened. How did you end up there?” he murmured.
But all I did was shake my head.
“You guys here!?” a man exclaimed.
I jumped and screamed, trying to scramble out of Saint’s arms. But he held me close, picking me up as he cradled me closer against him.
“You guys have to be calm. She’s still spooked,” I said.
“Who is that?” another man asked.
“It’s a long story. But she’s someone I know from way back when,” Saint said.
“Make her a room. She needs to stay with us. She protected me. She kept me safe by throwing herself at the guards every time they came into the room. She needs to stay with us. She’s my family now.
She protected me at all costs. Gave me her food to eat.
Her drink to have. She kept me nourished when I should have starved. Please, Diesel,” Sutton said.
Diesel? Was that the guy talking so loudly?
“Of course. Get her a room. Get her a hot meal. Get her anything she needs. Toxin, Bear, and Grave are still at the motel, dealing with the girls in captivity. But we wiped them out,” Diesel said.
“What?” I asked softly.
I peeked out from the crook of Saint’s neck and saw way too many men in the room for my liking.
“They’re gone, sweetheart. All those men that hurt you, you’ll never have to deal with them again,” a strange man said.
“But Mason,” I whispered.
“Who’s Mason?” Saint asked.
Dread filled my gut as I began crying again. What did this mean for my little boy? Would they kill him? Would they take him and groom them to be one of their own? Oh no, what did all of this mean for my sweet, gentle little boy?
I sobbed ferociously against Saint as my body went limp.
“I need to get her into a room,” he said.
“Come on. I’ll help you clear one out.”
“I’ll cook her some food.”
“I’ll get her some water and some other clothes to wear.”
“I’ve got toiletries, too, that she can use when she takes a shower.”
Voices came out of nowhere. Women. Female voices that made me more comfortable than ever. I clung to Saint as the sound of soft snores poured from bedrooms. Snores that didn’t belong to adults of any sort.
Were there children in this place?
Did they already have Mason?
“Here. You can stay in here for tonight. There are fresh clothes, some things for you to use in the bathroom. I’ll have Sutton bring in a nice dinner for you two to eat together since you seem to be more comfortable with her, okay?” Saint asked.
He settled me against a mattress, and more tears fell from my cheeks. It was the first mattress in years I’d sat on that didn’t puff out dust or mold the second I touched it. I smoothed my hands over it. I closed my eyes, taking it all in as I drew in the fresh scent of the room.
“Amberly,” Saint murmured.
He crooked his finger underneath my chin, pulling my eyes toward his. And as my neck softly craned back, I saw him gazing at my lips. Like he always did back in high school. I gasped softly, my eyes dancing between his as our foreheads fell together.
“I need you to get some sleep, okay? And in the morning, there will be a nice, big breakfast. With coffee, and anything else you want,” he murmured.
I nodded softly against him before his nose nuzzled against mine.
My gut fluttered with billions of butterflies as he ran his fingers through my hair.
I closed my eyes, ashamed of the state of my hair.
Then, he kissed my forehead and made his way out of the bedroom.
The door closed behind him before I opened my eyes, finding myself alone in this strange room.
And as I slowly stood to my feet, the only thing that entered my mind was Mason. How worried I was for his safety. How worried I was for his nourishment and the life he was living.
Because if I didn't contact Vlad somehow—like he asked me to three times a week—I knew he’d kill my baby boy.
Without a second fucking thought given to anything else.