Chapter Fifteen
Fly
“We need to abandon the car here,” I said, pulling into a small car park behind a bunch of houses. “Do you think you can walk for a bit?”
Brit hadn't been very talkative on our way back into town. It had taken a couple of hours to drive, and luckily for us, the tank had been full when we’d taken the car. I hadn't had much to say either, too caught up in my own thoughts now that we were free.
“You should've let me drive,” she said for the fifth time.
Eyeing her, I frowned. “I told you, I don't have to use my bad leg to drive. I've been able to rest it. Anyway, let's go.”
I climbed out of the car, grabbed the stick I'd been using, and locked the car behind us. Brit stood beside it, her hands on her hips as she faced me.
“What's up?” I tried to keep my voice light, but inside, my irritation level was slowly rising.
I had spent enough time with the woman to know that something was brewing, and quite frankly, I didn't have the fucking energy.
“They're going to kill me.” She stared at me, “And I don't deserve that. I don't have the will to deal with their pettiness.”
Stepping closer to her as a fire lit in my stomach, I crowded her frame. “Petty?” I sneered. “I thought you'd had a wakeup call? How can you call any of our experiences petty, including your own?”
She tried to fake bravery with a hard expression and a nonchalant shrug.
Yet, under that charade, her eyes were filled with fear.
Shit, and that ate at me, despite my desire to stay cold to her.
Yes, we'd fucked, but it was in the heat of the moment, a one-time thing.
Now we were free, I had to quash any type of feelings, even lust.
“I don't want to walk out of one hell, into another, that's all.” She raised her eyebrows, daring me to disagree with her.
Closing my eyes, I breathed through my nose and resisted the urge to give her the car keys and tell her to fuck off somewhere else.
As tempting as it was to go home without the complication of her around my neck, I couldn't let her just disappear.
She had no fucking idea about the world out here, and if I wanted my revenge on Chad, she would be a good tool. In fact, a great one.
“I already told you,” I snapped, “I will protect you, even from them. Have I given you any reason to doubt me so far?”
Slowly shaking her head, she swallowed. “No, I suppose not. I still don't completely trust you. You did promise to kill me.”
I waved a hand in dismissal and turned, walking away. It was her choice whether she came with me or stayed at the car, I didn't care anymore. Why did the woman have to fight me constantly?
“I don't trust you either, Brittney baby.”
“Baby?!” Her huff of exasperation reached me as her footsteps sounded behind me.
“Well, I can't exactly call you daddy's girl, anymore.” I glanced down at her sideways as she joined me.
She dropped her eyes when our gazes met, watching the ground. I smiled to myself, remembering the way it felt to bury my cock inside her. She definitely wasn't daddy's girl any more. She had most certainly tainted herself with me.
Spotting the name of our road, I sped up until she could barely keep up. I took hold of her arm, guiding her quickly. The sooner we were inside, the safer it would be. Luckily, the car had been too old to have any fancy tracker on it, which was a relief.
“What are you going to tell them?” Brit asked, her eyes scanning the pathway ahead.
I shrugged, checking over my shoulder as we turned onto our street.
Our converted apartment building was in the distance, just as I'd left it.
I couldn't wait to get inside and see my brothers.
I had to check that they were all okay. The last time I'd seen them, we'd disposed of Alia's ex, who had terrorized her and kidnapped them both.
I had no idea how Moth and Alia were actually doing.
I'd been so engrossed in my own captivity, I hadn't thought much about their situationship.
“Nate?”
Snapping my gaze to her, I scowled. “Don't call me that out here.”
“Sorry,” she said sarcastically. “Fly. It just sounds so odd calling you by a bug name. Do people not question you in the real world?”
As we neared my home, I grunted a reply, not really concentrating on her question. I was craving a hot shower and some food. I was fucking starving.
“Just let me deal with them,” I said when she nudged me in the side. “You can have some time alone in my apartment.”
She gave a slow nod. No doubt she was relieved that she wouldn't have to face the guys right away. I had to talk to them first, to let them know exactly what had happened without her input.
I spotted the van pulled up on the drive, beside the house. The back doors were open and Moth was fiddling in there, moving stuff around.
“Stay here,” I told Brit, maneuvering her to stay behind the tall hedge. “I'll call you over in a moment.”
She looked at me with big eyes and my chest squeezed, just for a second. Oh no, there was no way for me to be soft on her out here. In there, it had been fun to flirt, and taking her had been pretty fucking blissful, but now? We were free and nothing more than acquaintances.
Leaving her, I slipped around the edge of the hedge and onto the drive, being careful not to make a sound. Moth chattered to himself angrily as he shoved a hammer into a small rucksack.
“What are we doing?” I asked as I stepped beside him.
“Going to the…” His sentence trailed off as realization hit and he turned to face me. “Dude, what the fuck?”
Surprise crossed his features, pulling at his handsome face. Ah, I'd missed his annoyingly good looking face and I was extremely pleased to see that he was still around.
“Fly!” he shouted, throwing his arms around my shoulders and patting hard. “You… how…? Fucking hell!”
I laughed and shook my head. “In the worse-for-wear flesh.”
“Guys!” Moth stepped away and flew back towards the property. “Fucking come here!”
There was grumpy chatter in the hallway as the others came out, each filing from the door and frowning at Moth.
“We're getting the last supplies, dipshit,” Ant barked, his gaze flipping to me before it returned to Moth. “What do you want?”
Again, it took a second, but when realization hit, Ant's mouth dropped open and he swore. Spider came straight over and grabbed me, hugging me tight and slapping my back hard. I patted him a couple of times before prizing him off me.
“How the fuck are you here?” Moth snapped.
Glancing over to the hedge where Brit's head was just visible, I huffed out my breath. “It's a long story and I have someone with me.”
Their gazes all travelled in frowning unison. My chest squeezed in anticipation. My friends were my family, their opinions mattered more than anyone’s, although I still didn't give enough of a shit to actually listen to them.
“Brittney!” I called.
She came around the hedge, wringing her hands in front of her. The engine noise drowned out the gasps of the men, but I still caught them.
“Chad's fucking daughter?” Moth barked, his cheeks burning red. “Are you serious?”
Holding up a hand as Brit came to me, I silenced them with a scowl. “There's a lot to explain, but now, we're both starving, dirty and exhausted.”
“Where is everybody?” a feminine voice sounded from the hallway inside.
Alia appeared, her blonde hair tied up and her eyes heavily made up. It wasn't like her to wear a ton of make-up; she must have an evening at her bookshop. It felt like a million years ago that we'd rescued her and Moth from the grips of her psycho ex.
“I'm glad to see you're in one piece,” I said when she paused on the step and stared, her gaze flicking between us.
The men stayed quiet, thunderclouds hovering over their faces. I closed my eyes, about to get ready for a fight that I hadn't envisioned. I knew they wouldn't be pleased about having our biggest enemy's daughter in our home, but they had no idea what had happened.
Alia skipped down the step, burst through the men and approached Brit. “Sorry about them,” she said kindly, “They're not used to having women around. Shall we go inside?”
Scowling at Moth, Alia led Brittney between the men and up the steps.
“Take her to my apartment please, Alia,” I called after her. “I'll be right there.”
She stuck her head back out and raised her eyebrows at Moth, who sighed and went to join her, handing her his keys. We all had an emergency copy of each apartment key, just in case.
“How come your woman is nicer to my guest than any of you?” I crossed my arms over my chest, wincing from the aches and pains of the last few days.
“Guest?” Ant spat. “Her? Did they perform a lobotomy? Are you a spy for them?”
They all stared at me, clearly interested in my answer. Fuck, we'd been paranoid about the cult finding us before I'd gone missing but now? I'd turned up with the leader's daughter in tow. No wonder they were questioning me before even allowing me to shower.
Holding up my hands, I shook my head. “No, it's not like that.”
“We managed to find CCTV of their men kidnapping you,” Spider said, “We were literally about to come to the compound to kill the motherfuckers and bring you home.”
“You have my word that she's no threat.” I pointed towards the house. “And once I've showered and checked out my fucked-up leg, I'll tell you everything. You have to trust me.”
They glanced at one another before nodding. Jeez, I'd only been gone a week and their trust was tested. Although, I couldn't be surprised, the cult did fuck with our heads, hence the hit-list in the first place.
“Go,” Ant snapped, “but make no mistake, if she tries anything, we'll…”
He stared me down in warning and I scowled, my hands balled tightly. Heat ran across my skin and I had to clear my throat to stop the return threat that sprang to my mind.
“I promised to protect that woman because her dickhead father was pure evil, even to her.”
I closed my eyes when the guys scoffed, looking at one another and almost laughing. It was going to take some persuasion when they heard my story. It would sound unbelievable, and I hoped, when they knew the truth of what had happened, they would trust what I was saying.
“Fuck you,” I said, barging between them.
My leg was heavy as I set off and the pain radiated from my toes to my hip again. Before I could get far, Moth appeared next to me, ripping my makeshift walking stick away and lifting me up under the arm.
“I'll help you up the stairs,” he offered, the corner of his eyes pinching. “You look like fucking hell.”
“I feel it.” My confession was met with a smile.
It had been a long fucking week and my healing had been hindered massively. I should've been at home, lazing around after Alia's ex had run over my leg and broken it. Fuck, that felt like a lifetime ago.
“You stink awful too.” Moth maneuvered us up the stairs, his arms straining to help shift me.
I laughed then, unable to hold it back. Of course I smelt, I'd been running through woods, jumping in rivers and fucking Chad's daughter. Not that he would know that. I didn't want my brothers to think I’d betrayed them.
Once up the first flight of stairs, I grunted and paused, keeping my weight off my leg. When I rested it, the pain wasn't actually too bad. However, the running had completely fucked it again.
“Come on,” Moth urged, “I'm curious to know what the fuck happened and how you managed to get back here on your own.”
Hobbling through my open door, I went to the island in the kitchen area. Our apartments had been designed with basic need in mind, no frills or prettiness. I was happy with it and pleased to be home to the white lines and modern decor.
Brit and Alia emerged from the archway that led to the hall. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom beyond that, again, with nothing fancy in either of them.
“Are you okay?” I asked Brit, studying her face.
She glanced at Moth her face pinched with fatigue and worry. He was scowling in her direction. “I take it you haven't explained what happened yet?”
“Oh,” Moth drawled, “even when he does, I doubt we'll be as forgiving as him.”
Reflexively, I reached out and punched him in the side, jolting him so suddenly, he stumbled back.
“Moth,” Alia warned, her tone sharp. “Be kind.”
He challenged me with his stare and I returned it, daring him to battle me over this woman. He couldn't exactly stand on high ground with his lover standing right in front of us. She had been an enemy to all of us, on the hitlist too. At least Brit’s name wasn’t officially on the list.
“I told you outside,” I snapped at Moth, “I swore to protect her. Now, piss off and give me some space.”
“You can come to our apartment,” Alia said to Brit. “Moth will be with the others, so you can shower in peace.”
I frowned as I watched the pair start towards the door. “You don't want to shower here?”
“You need to shower.” Alia's statement was non-negotiable. “And Brit needs a bathroom to herself too.”
Itching to disagree, I glanced at Brit, who stared longingly at the door. Okay, that was the only sign I needed to let her go. I wasn't her keeper, even if I had promised to keep her safe.
“I'll keep the others out of our apartment, too,” Alia added as they filtered out, “If that'll make you feel better?”
Nodding, I didn't dare make eye contact with Brit, who hovered, waiting for her new friend. Alia was kind and nowhere near as evil as we'd made out in our minds. A bit like Brittney really.
“Something has happened between you.” Moth stared after them thoughtfully. “I can tell.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I barked, heading towards the bathroom.
Moth moved to help, but I waved him away, too pissed off to have him help and too stubborn as well.
“You're acting like I did.” He followed me to the archway, leaning on it as I hobbled to the bathroom. “Angry but protective. As if you're frustrated that you care.”
Holding onto the bathroom doorframe, I looked over at him. My friend looked fit and healthy, even if he did have a tinge of pallor about him. Was he enjoying being in a relationship? Did he find it easier or harder to have to care for someone else?
“And how's it going? With Alia?”
A flash of – was that happiness? – crossed his face before being replaced by that darkness we were all famous for. Oh, I could see the love that he was trying to hide. The son of a bitch had well and truly fallen for her.
“I'm glad,” I said, waving away his objection when he began to get defensive. “Now, fuck off, I need a shit and a shower.”