Chapter Four
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ANNISTYN WAS GOING into town for the first time today.
Since bringing her to the clubhouse after the auction, she hasn’t left the compound for any reason.
Cali and I have tried to get her to go to the store or just for a ride with us and she always refuses.
The second we even start talking about leaving, fear enters her eyes and she starts to shut down.
If you haven’t spent any time with her, you wouldn’t notice anything.
Cali and I have though. So has Viper. He’s been in a similar situation so it’s easy for him to realize what’s happening on a personal level none of us will ever understand.
When she came to me last night and mentioned wanting to go to a park Cali had mentioned taking the kids to, I was all for it.
When I suggested going with her, she immediately shut the idea down and said she wanted to go on her own.
To prove to herself she could do something for herself without someone holding her hand.
I respect her need to do things for herself so I didn’t put up a fight or say anything to her about going.
It did take everything in me not to go talk to the Prospects and have one of them follow her to ensure she was safe and nothing happened to her.
Annistyn deserves the right to live her life and make decisions for herself because it’s never happened before.
I went to work and kept my phone on me all day long instead of leaving it in Caleb’s office like normal.
If something happened, I wanted to be the first one to know.
Yes, I know Annistyn doesn’t have a phone because she hasn’t wanted one.
However, that’s a situation that needs to change because she can’t be on her own without some way to contact someone to save her if it’s needed.
I will rectify the situation immediately because she can’t be away from the compound with no way to call someone if she’s ready to come back and can’t make the walk on her own.
Annistyn’s still way too weak to be walking long distances.
Fear and worry consumed me the entire day and Caleb had to pull me out of my head several times over the course of our work day.
Now, I’m finally back at the clubhouse and the first thing I do is look at Evan.
He’s been here all day long and I know he keeps an eye on who comes and goes from the clubhouse.
Evan works for the security company and is constantly watching his surroundings in a way I’ve seen very few times in my life.
“Evan, has Annistyn made it back to the clubhouse yet?” I ask him, stepping up to the bar as Caleb walks in the clubhouse behind me and doesn’t stop until he’s at my side.
“I haven’t seen her walk inside. I’ve been here all day cleanin’ the bar and reorganizin’ things,” he answers, handing over a bottle of water to Caleb and myself.
“It doesn’t mean she’s not here though. She’s been spendin’ a lot of time outside on the nice days.
She always has her camera with her and takes pictures of anythin’ she finds beautiful. ”
“Thanks,” I say, leaving the common room and heading down the hall leading to the door that opens on the back of the clubhouse. Without turning, I know Caleb is following me.
The two of us walk around the back of the clubhouse in search of Annistyn.
I call out her name several times as a knot settles deep in my gut and I worry something happened to her and she can’t answer me.
When I stop in the middle of the yard, spinning slowly to search for any sign of her, Caleb stops me.
“Kreed, I’ve never seen you like this before.
You’ve always been protective as hell for those you care about, but this is on an entirely different level,” he says, folding his arms across his chest and keeping his eyes locked on me as I continue to scan the yard around us. “What’s goin’ on with you?”
“She’s not here, Caleb. If she is, she’d answer me. Unless somethin’ happened to her. I need to find her and make sure she’s okay,” I respond, my voice wavering with all the pent-up fear filling every inch of my body.
“So this is about Annistyn?” he questions me with a knowing look in his eyes as I turn my attention to him for a brief second before searching once more.
“Of course it’s about Annistyn. The second I saw her in that fuckin’ warehouse, I knew she was mine, Caleb.
I’ve never felt that way about anyone and you know this.
Annistyn calls to the depths of my soul and I know she’s my other half.
My better half. I want to protect her, love her, and make her realize she can overcome everythin’ that’s been done to her over the years.
You’ve heard what Master said about her past. She’s been traumatized since the time she moved in with her aunt and uncle.
We’re the only two who know that information and it will kill Annistyn if she realizes we do know as much as we do.
Caleb, I need to find her and bring her home,” I tell him, my voice pleading with my best friend because I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.
“You gonna introduce Annistyn to Mom?” he asks me, slipping into calling my mom that as he did when we were younger.
“Of course I am. Mom will love her and never let her out of her sight if she has her way. You know Mom always wanted me to find my other half and she doesn’t give a shit about all that status bullshit.
The only thing she’ll care about is if I’m treatin’ Annistyn right and helpin’ her with anythin’ she needs.
That I love her, am faithful, and my entire world centers around her.
Everythin’ I already want to give her because it’s no less than what she deserves,” I tell him, walking closer to the woods where I wonder if Annistyn has ever ventured on her own before.
A memory hits me from one of her nightmares.
“No! Please don’t make me go in there!” Annistyn screams, her voice breaking and raw as she once again becomes tangled in the blankets covering her frail body.
One of her arms lashes out and she punches the wall with a deafening crack.
I immediately grab her hand and pull it gently toward me and away from the wall to examine her knuckles, hand, and wrist. I honestly don’t know if she’s broken something with how hard she connected with the wall at her side.
It doesn’t look as if she’s done damage to herself, but I want Doc to take a look to be on the safe side.
“I don’t want to go in the woods! It’s dark in there and I’ll get lost!
Please, don’t make me go in there. Nothing is in there I need to get,” she pleads, tears rolling down her face as she continues to thrash about while I carefully slide into bed next to her and hold her against my chest like I do every single time she has a nightmare.
This happens just about every single night since she came back here with me.
Annistyn starts to whimper in her sleep as she slowly calms down.
This is taking a lot longer than it typically does and shatters my heart into a million pieces because there’s nothing I can do to combat and slay the demons in her mind when she’s in the middle of a nightmare like this.
The only thing I can do is be there for her and try to offer her the slightest bit of comfort even if she doesn’t realize it’s happening.
“I promise I’ll be a good girl from now on.
I won’t ever take food without your permission again!
Please, don’t make me go in there!” she screams one last time before I hold her as tight to my body as I can and whisper words of assurance in her ear while running my fingers through her hair and trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.
Clearing the memory from my head, I know without a doubt she won’t go in the woods on her own for any reason. They terrify her and she’d rather stay as far away from them as possible.
“You’ll give her all of that and so much more, Kreed.
You’ve been waitin’ for your person for as long as I can remember.
If Annistyn is her, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you end up with her.
Though, you have to make sure you do things at her pace and don’t rush into anythin’ because you’ll scare her away.
You already know this though. Cali and I will be right there with you and do anythin’ we can to help you out,” Caleb promises me as he thinks of something and I realize he’s putting everything together.
“You called in Tank. You want his help with havin’ that conversation with her. ”
“I did. Tank is the only one I can think of who will remotely know how to broach such a sensitive subject with Annistyn. Tank has a way of talkin’ to the women surroundin’ him that gets them to open up in ways no one else can.
I’m desperate for Annistyn to open up to me and let me in.
She doesn’t share anythin’ about her past and is completely closed-off from everyone around her.
My girl doesn’t trust anyone and is always tryin’ to see the negative impact her actions will have.
I don’t even think she realizes I hold her almost every single night because her nightmares are so bad.
I’m doin’ what I can, but I can’t do much more than what she actually says or gives me clues about,” I answer him as we remain outside and I wonder if Annistyn is still actually at the park.
“Honestly, that was a good call to make. If anyone can help you figure this situation out, it’s gonna be Tank.
He’ll figure out somethin’ and make sure Annistyn has what she needs and realizes you’re one of the best guys in her life,” Caleb says as we stand in silence for several minutes and I simply enjoy the sun beating down on me, wondering if Annistyn was ever allowed to enjoy the sun heating her body from the inside out.