Chapter Thirty-Three
I was pleased when Mason agreed to come outside with us. I didn't think he would. He seemed a little nervous at first, but when Georgia explained that the park was at the back, he seemed pretty excited to come out.
We've been sat here for over an hour now, Mason is happy to just sit on the climbing frame and draw. He did go down the slide a couple of times, and played on the swings for a bit, but after a while he said he wanted to just draw and ran back in for his book.
I have been stuck inside all day, so it's nice to be out in the fresh air. I lean back, my elbows resting on the picnic table, my legs stretched out in front of me, and I close my eyes, letting the sun warm my face.
"Thanks for suggesting this, Georgia, I had seen this the other day when Ice brought me out here, but I’d completely forgotten about it. I appreciate you bringing us here," I say.
"You're welcome. Figured you could use a little bit of air. It can get overwhelming in there with everyone being in your space all of the time," she says.
I glance up at her, perched cross-legged on top of the table and smile. "You find it overwhelming sometimes?” I ask.
"Yeah. The guys are great, but it can get a bit much sometimes. Always in your business," she says with a smile. "I love everyone, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just wish they would let me live my life without having me followed all of the time."
"They have you followed?" I ask, suddenly feeling concerned.
"Don't look so worried, it's a club thing. When you're a female in the club, the guys tend to be a little overprotective. And when you’re Club Princess, it's even worse." Blowing out a sigh, she looks sad.
"Club Princess?" I ask, confused.
She nods. "Yup. Daughter of a member. And sister of one too. I have a permanent bodyguard. It's annoying, especially when you want to go out with a guy and one or more of these idiots turn up and ruin it for you."
"Er, okay." I don't really know what to say. I've never had that issue. Who am I kidding, I've never even had a date.
"Uh oh," she says, swinging her legs over the side of the table and resting her feet on the seat. "This looks like trouble." She points behind me, and I turn to see Ice, Nitro and Wrath walking toward us.
I swallow, nerves swirling in my stomach as they approach. Something feels off.
"Georgia, can you give us a minute, please?" Nitro asks her, his eyes fixed on her face. I look back at her, and she glances down at me and smiles then nods at Nitro.
"Yeah. No problem." She jumps from the table and starts to walk back to the building when Nitro calls her back.
"Georgia. Can you please take Mason with you.
" It might seem like a question, but he didn't pose it as one.
I look over at Mason who grabs his things, and I watch as Ice walks over to the climbing frame and reaches up to lift him down.
He winks at him then whispers something to him.
Mason smiles and then rushes over to Georgia, grabbing her hand.
I watch them head back into the building; he didn't even say goodbye to me.
I bite the inside of my cheek and turn to the men. They're all watching me. Feeling intimidated, I look down at my hands.
"Nova, you okay?" Nitro asks me.
I look up at him and nod. But he raises an eyebrow, not convinced. "Can I be honest?" I ask him.
"Of course."
"I sometimes find you a little intimidating," I tell him quietly.
Wrath laughs, while Ice looks worried and takes a seat next to me, grabbing both of my hands in his.
"I'm sorry, Nova," Nitro says. "I don't mean to intimidate you. Is there anything I can do to put you at ease?" he asks, and it surprises me.
"Oh, no. It's just me, I think." I don't really know what to say and I don't want to upset him. He walks over, taking a seat on my other side. He places a hand on my arm, and Ice clears his throat.
"I don’t want you to think that it’s you.
I know I can be intimidating, I'm trying not to be, but if there is anything that I can do that would put you at ease, I would really like for you to tell me.
If any of the guys intimidate you or scare you then I'd like for you to say something to us.
We want you to feel comfortable here." He watches me, trying to get a read on me, I guess.
"It's not you, Nitro. Really. I'm a little intimidated by some people, that’s all. There isn't anything you can do, it’s just something I need to work through." I smile at him, then glance at Wrath before turning to Ice. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Baby," Ice starts, and I pull my hands out of his grip. He looks a little hurt, and I didn't mean for that, I just want to ball my hands into fists. It helps me control my emotions. He looks up at Nitro who takes over.
"Nova, your uncle, he held a press conference this morning—"
"Oh god." I cut Nitro off, pushing to my feet and walking a few feet away. Shit, I knew this was coming. My mouth feels dry and my head begins to pound. I can feel my heart start to race, and I think I’m about to have a panic attack.
"Dragonfly. Breathe." Ice is in front of me in seconds, his hands gripping both sides of my face, forcing me to look at him. "Focus on me and just breathe. Remember you're safe."
I nod and take a few deep breaths; he pulls me to his chest and places a kiss on the top of my head. "You're gonna be okay, just breathe. Let’s sit you down, okay?" he says, leading me back to the bench.
"I'm sorry," I say to them all. "I hate that I keep freaking out, but—"
"Hey." Nitro cuts me off. "Don't apologise, you've been through a lot, you're allowed to freak out, okay?"
I nod and drop my head. Partly because I'm embarrassed, and partly because I need a few seconds to breathe. Ice has one hand on my leg, the other he rubs up and down my back, trying to keep me calm.
"Dragonfly, your uncle held a press conference saying that you and Mason had been kidnapped and that they just wanted you guys to be found." I stare at Ice, trying to process what he just said.
"Wait. Hold on. What?" I ask, confused. "He said that we had both been kidnapped or that I kidnapped Mason?"
"That you had both been kidnapped," Nitro states.
"They are claiming that they think it's something to do with one of the many arrests your uncle has made over the years.
We should probably tell you that we've had Data monitoring your aunt and uncle's texts and emails since you got here.
Your uncle has been messaging someone from work, and they believed that it was best for them to claim you had both been kidnapped, they think it raises less questions than saying you ran off with Mason.
" Nitro looks over my head to Ice behind me and then over to Wrath.
"Nova, you remember Andrea Bennett. Your mums friend?" Nitro asks.
"Yeah. We stayed with her for a little while after our parents…" I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "Anyway, we ended up at my uncle’s within three weeks," I tell them.
"Baby.” Ice turns my face toward him. "Be honest, please."
"Nova," Nitro calls me. "We know bits of information, but we'd appreciate if you were honest with us and told us what really happened."