Chapter Twenty-Four
Cayden
“ M aybe we should give them some space,” Grayson says quietly.
Harley stares at them, conflicted, she wants to help or say something, but I think she also recognizes there is nothing we can do to help this right now.
Letting out a sigh, Harley nods, and me, her, and the guys head downstairs. “I want to pop in on the others,” she says as she keeps walking towards the med room with us following behind her.
Harley peeks in the room to make sure it’s okay for us all to go in. When we get inside, we find Presley sitting with the three of them.
The twins, Anthony and Anna, are sitting together on a bed, still hooked up to their IVs. They look happier and more relaxed than they did yesterday, which is amazing to see so soon. Tia, the other girl, is laying on the other bed, still sleeping.
“Grayson!” Anthony’s face lights up when he sees him.
“Hey. How are you both feeling?” he asks them as he walks over to stand by Presley, who is sitting by their bed.
“Okay. Did you find—?” He pauses, pressing his lips together and glancing at his sister, who is half leaning against him and keeping her eyes down.
Grayson smiles. “I promise we are working as fast as we can and as soon as I have news, you will be the first person I tell.”
Anthony nods and then answers questions Grayson asks about how they are feeling. Harley smiles at the twins and then looks at Presley, who gets up from where she was sitting and walks over to Tia’s bed where we meet her.
“Has she woken up?” Harley asks quietly.
Presley shakes her head. “Not yet. She should be anytime soon, though. I cleaned her up a little, but did you notice that her and Anna’s hair are braided perfectly?”
Harley nods as she looks down at Tia. “Yeah I did. Sammy and Oakley have them, too. I have some suspicions, but I want to talk to Oakley when she can have a conversation.”
Harley continues to fill in Presley, and I look for Ryker who has stepped back out into the hall. Walking out, I pull the door shut behind me. “You alright?”
“Yeah. I just got a text from Vance’s tech guy. They weren’t able to figure out who the girl in the freezer was. It just feels so wrong that she is probably going to end up in some unmarked grave all alone.” He paces the hallway and runs a hand through his hair before stopping and looking at me. “She had red hair. Coppery, beautiful red hair. She had to have been our age.”
Connecting the dots, I murmur, “She reminded you of Harley?”
“Yeah. She really fucking did. I know she isn't, but just the fact that it could have been Harley really shakes me, and I feel like we need to do right by the girl.”
Glancing back at the door to the medical room, I say, “Well we can see if any of the others might have known her name, and then we can put something together for her. I’m sure Grayson or Nerds could figure out a place for us to bury her. What about the other girl, Sammy?”
Ryker blows out a sigh. “He found her family and is sending the contact information to Grayson. Both of the girls are being kept at a morgue that Vance has a connection with apparently.”
He must notice the confusion on my face because he shakes his head.
“I didn’t ask, and I’m not even really sure I want to know how they have that connection,” he finishes.
The door opens, and Harley glances at both of us before stepping out and closing the door behind her. “Are you guys okay?” she asks, and we both nod. “Tia is awake, and she really wants to see Oakley. Grayson is talking with her now about her family so he can figure out where she can go. But I want to go back and see if Oakley is calm now. I don’t think Tia should see her until we make sure she’s good.”
“That’s a good idea, baby girl.” Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pull her against me and press my lips to her forehead; affection seems to come so easily when it’s with Harley. “Harley is staying with me tonight, just so you know. And no, you can’t sleep outside my door.”
I narrow my eyes at Ryker, who just bares his teeth at me before flipping me off and walking down the hall.
“I wouldn’t dare interrupt your time with our girl,” he huffs.
Harley chuckles quietly and we follow after him, heading back upstairs to where Oakley is. We find the hallway empty and when we go into the room, only Brielle is in there with Oakley, who is sitting up eating some soup and drinking water.
Harley gestures for Ryker and me to stay back by the door as she approaches the side of the bed next to where Bri is sitting, who smiles up at Harley before looking back at Oakley.
“This is Harley. She is one of the people that was there last night to get all of you out of there. By the door is Ryker and Cayden; they were also there last night helping. Are you okay with them being in here? Remember, all the decisions are yours and yours alone,” Brielle softly tells her.
Placing the spoon back in the bowl, her eyes roam over all of us before she gives Bri a small nod. “How are you feeling right now?” Harley asks her.
“I’m okay,” she croaks.
“Do you feel up to answering some questions, or would you prefer to just rest and be left alone for now?”
“You can ask me anything.” She takes a big breath. “But I want to know how the others are doing first.”
Harley gives her a knowing smile and tilts her head in acknowledgement. “Of course. You were taking care of them, weren’t you? Braiding their hair, keeping them as safe as you could.”
“It’s complicated,” she mumbles, averting her eyes.
Harley doesn’t push it; she just continues on. “Anna and Anthony are both doing well. We’ve gotten Anthony to talk with us, and they will get to be with their mom again soon. Tia is also doing okay. She has been sleeping a lot but is awake right now and talking with another guy, Grayson, so we can help her figure out what is next.”
Oakley has a small smile on her face as Harley talks about them. “And Sammy? Angel?” she presses.
After a quick glance at us, Harley slowly explains, “Sammy was there. But… she unfortunately didn’t make it.”
“She what? No.” Oakley begins rapidly shaking her head back and forth.
“Oakley? I know you took care of them. It was you who told Sammy to be strong, wasn’t it?” Harley asks, squatting down so she is eye level with Oakley, who nods. “She was trying to protect the others when we came in. She fought and was unbelievably brave because of you.”
“She was so scared. I was trying to reassure her. And then—and then everything happened, and I told her to be strong and brave. Angel—” Her eyes jump up to Harley’s. “What about Angel? Please tell me you got to her in time,” she cries.
Harley presses her lips together and glances over at us, her brows lowered in confusion. Ryker stands up straight from where he was leaning next to me and takes a few steps closer to the bed.
“Did Angel have red hair?” he asks, frowning slightly.
Nodding, Oakley says, “Yes. There was—there was a situation, and Angel she tried to—I heard them say they were taking her down to the freezer. The guards would—” She shakes her head again. “Is she alive?” she asks as fresh tears fall down her cheeks, and she looks at Ryker like he is her life line right now depending on his answer.
“No, I’m so sorry,” Ryker chokes slightly, clearing his throat. “She was gone when we found her.”
Oakley rocks back and forth, scratching at her arms. “Is there more?” she asks Brielle breathlessly. “Can I have more? Please? I need… I need more. Please.”
Brielle stands from the chair she was sitting in and walks over to the bed, sitting on the edge by Oakley’s hip. “Honey, I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Then I can have more?” Oakley’s eyes shine with hope at the prospect of getting more pills.
For someone to be so dependent on another for their drug of choice, they must have used her addiction against her for however long she was there. It was her reward and punishment and more than likely how they kept her in line, because I can’t imagine this woman being willing to just accept her situation if she wasn’t being blindsided by the drugs.
Brielle inhales, obviously not wanting to continue giving her pills, but then she says, “Yes. Then you can have more. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three,” she answers immediately.
“Do you have any family that we can contact for you?”
Pulling out my phone, I shoot Grayson a text and ask him if he’s done with Tia or not because he should probably be here for this conversation. Or Nerds, but I have a feeling he’s out of commission right now.
Are you done talking with Tia?
Grayson: Yes. I am looking for her family right now. In tech room.
Can you come up here? Oakley is talking. Or send up Nerds.
Grayson: I’ll come. Sugar said Nerds is at Rage’s house right now.
Reading that Nerds is at Rage’s dealing with whatever is happening and not doing what he loves to do, all things tech, makes something inside of me hurt. I’m… I think I’m worried about him. I knew he went through something years ago just from what little Noah let slip, but I didn’t know it had to do with drugs. I really hope he hasn’t relapsed.
It’s quiet for a while before Oakley answers, almost defensively, “No. I don’t have any family. Or friends. Or anyone. Just me.”
Brielle rests her hand on top of Oakley’s arm, pausing the scratching. “Okay. Would you mind telling us how long you were trafficked?”
Blowing out a breath, she says, “I’ll tell you the basics because I just want to get this done.”
The door opens slowly, and Grayson steps in, not walking over to them just coming to stand by me with a tablet in hand.
“I’ve been addicted to opioids for seven years. My parents are addicts, and they got me hooked, but then my dad overdosed and ended up in the hospital. I got taken from the home because it was an unsafe environment. I was put into a group home specifically for kids who have been through traumatic events.”
Staring down at Bri’s hand on her arm, she explains, “Instead of telling them how bad my problem with pills actually were, I went to the streets to get them. I did anything and everything to get my hands on the drugs. When I was almost eighteen, my mom started visiting. She was sober and going through all the motions so she could get me back or at least have a safe home for me to go to when I turned eighteen.
“Me being the teen I was, I got angry at her for being able to pull her life together while I was struggling because of her, so I ran. I worked on the streets for a while, and then I got tricked by someone I thought was a friend and woke up one day in the hell that I have been trapped in since.”
“You aren’t trapped anymore,” Harley promises. “You’re free now, and we can help you with whatever you want. Anything. But you are free, and it’s over.”
Oakley snorts and glances up at Harley. “Don’t get me wrong, you guys helped. That warehouse holds horrors for more people than I could even count. But that’s just the holding center. There is so much more. There are sick, vile people out there who won’t stop just because this one place is gone. They will find somewhere new to get their fix. Nothing stops them. Not until they die,” she spits.
Harley grimaces. “We are aware there are more, but as for you, right now, you aren’t trapped. I promise. I would help every single person who has gone through the same hells right this second if I could, but unfortunately it’s a slow fucking process.”
“Okay, well, you don’t have to tell us anymore right now. Thank you for sharing what you have. If you ever want to talk more, any person in this club would be willing to speak with you,” Brielle says softly. “In the meantime, we need to know if we begin the process of getting rehab set up for you so you can get sober, would you go? Do you want to?”
Her face scrunches up and flushes red in embarrassment as she says, “My mind may not be as sane as it used to be after everything, but I am painfully aware that I am a slave to the drugs. You dangle them in front of me and I will do anything to get my hands on them. I do not want anyone to ever have that kind of control over me again.”
Brielle nods, and then I speak up for the first time, “Like right now? You don’t trust us, do you?”
Her dull steel blue eyes look up at me. “No, I don't. But after years of this, I know how it works. The sooner I give you what you want, the sooner I get what I think I need.”
I nod, and Grayson says, “You can, though. When you’re ready to. We will all be here. A lot of people in this club have experienced horrible things, so we understand the hesitancy when it comes to trusting people. I will work on finding a good rehab for you and we will help you.”
Oakley gives a small nod and then looks back at Brielle, who sighs sadly but gets up and grabs the bottle of pills from her bag, taking a few out and giving them to her.
“Tia wants to see you. Are you up for another visitor?” Harley asks.
Oakley nods, biting her lip. “Yes. I would like to see all of them.”
“We will bring Tia up first and then if you're feeling okay tomorrow, we will see if the twins want to visit,” Harley says as she walks towards the door.
The guys, Harley, and I step out into the hallway.
“I’m going to the tech room to work on figuring everything out for them,” Grayson says, pulling Harley into his arms and kissing her. “I love you,” he murmurs, brushing her hair behind her ear.
She beams up at him, and surprisingly I don’t feel any jealousy towards them. Even knowing that Harley and I haven’t said those words yet. We will when the time is right, and Grayson deserves her love.
Ryker approaches them. “I’m going to go with Grayson and see if I can help at all, if you’re okay with that?”
Harley gives Ryker a knowing grin. “I have Cade. I’m good. Go.” She pecks him on the lips, and then Grayson and Ryker walk off.
“Ready to go get Tia?” I ask.
Nodding, Harley takes my hand, and we head back downstairs.
Harley
After letting Tia know that she can go up and see Oakley, Presley reaches out to Raven and has her bring over some clothes for all three of them.
The twins are resting again, curled up in the same bed, which both heals and shatters my heart at the same time. I am so thankful they have had each other, but it's heartbreaking that they have had to go through this and Anthony has had to grow up so fast to try to keep his sister safe.
Tia comes out of the bathroom that is in the same hallway as the medical room. She is wearing some gym shorts and a t-shirt with socks. Raven said she is going to go out and get them each a pair of shoes now that we know what size they all are.
“Ready?” I ask, and she nods with a grin.
I love seeing how much progress she is already making. She is still pretty quiet, but she seems to trust us, which is good and slightly worrisome that she is willing to trust so easily.
I can only imagine what she ended up going through by trusting the wrong person.
When she was getting dressed, Presley let us know that Tia told Grayson her parents are amazing, and she misses them. She was taken from an afterschool program four months ago.
Grayson is going to look into her parents before actually trusting that they are good and contacting them. But we’re hoping for the best.
I hold my hand out, and Tia takes it with ease. With Cade following behind us, we start walking through the club to go upstairs. The second we step into the main room, I pause, and Tia pulls my hand to try to get me moving again.
Glancing down at her, I say, “Do you think you would be okay standing here with Cade for a minute? I just need to walk across the room to that girl over there. It won't take long, I promise.” I gesture towards the front door where Parker stands with Lex.
Tia looks hesitant but nods her head anyway. Cade steps up slightly closer, and I head over to Lex, who is looking from me to Tia with furrowed brows.
When I get up close, she grins at me. “Hey! We haven’t talked much since prom, and you weren’t answering your phone. I guess I got a little worried and decided to come by. Parker was coming to find you,” she says, pointing at him.
“Hey, I’m sorry. My phone has been off mostly because we’ve just had some family things going on around here. Sorry I worried you.” I grimace.
She shrugs casually. “Oh, it’s okay! Is that who the girl is? Is she family?”
Feeling guilty for lying but not wanting to draw her into this, I reply, “No. Well, she’s family of one of the guys who lives here. Cade and I were just keeping an eye on her today. I can’t really hang out or anything right now. But I can promise to call sometime next week and we can do something?”
“Of course. Are you sure everything is alright?” she asks, her eyes moving all around the room before focusing back on me with pinched brows.
“Yeah, it’s all good,” I respond with a smile just as Colton comes into the room from the back door, yelling over at Axe who is sitting at the bar with Stone.
“Axe, where is Doc? Find him and have him come to Rage’s house. We need him now.”
I feel Lex touch my arm. “Harley, are you sure everything is alright?” she whispers.
I let out a chuckle. “Yes. Things are just always chaotic around here. But I will text you, I promise.”
Lex smiles at me, appearing reassured by my answer. “Okay. I’m going to hold you to that.”
“You better.” I grin.
She turns around towards Parker, who says, “I’ll walk you out.”
Lex nods and glances back at me once more with a wink and mouths, He’s hot. I shake my head at her and head back over to Tia and Cade.
“Everything good?” Cade rumbles.
“Yeah. I haven’t called or texted her in a while, so she was worried.” I give him a genuine smile.
As much as I hated having to lie to her, it warms my chest to know that someone else cares enough about me to come and check on me. It’s new, and a welcomed feeling.
“Alright Tia, let’s go,” I beam, holding my hand out which she automatically takes, and we head upstairs to the guest room.
Opening the door, the second Tia spots Oakley, she releases my hand to run across the room and throw herself at her. “Tia, I’m so glad you are okay!” Oakley exclaims with tears in her eyes.
“I was worried,” Tia whispers, curling up in the bed next to Oakley.
“I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me,” Oakley promises her.
Walking around the bed to where Bri is sitting in a chair in the corner, I check in with her. “How are you?”
She smiles. “I’m alright. Atlas is bringing Oakley and I dinner, but I think I’ll have to tell him to bring something for Tia, too. I doubt she’ll want to leave her side anytime soon.”
I nod. “Okay. Cade and I are going to go for a run and then we’ll probably call it a night. Everything has been so hectic lately. Is there someone to take over up here when you need a break?”
We have been keeping someone in the rooms with them at all times just to be safe for now. And after what they’ve been through, I couldn’t imagine being left alone.
She nods. “Yes. Raven and Stone are going to be up here for the night. Don’t worry, honey. Go take a break. You deserve it.”
Nodding, I give her a hug and then take my leave while Oakley and Tia lay together talking quietly.
“I need to change real quick and then we go for our run,” Cade says as we walk towards our rooms. Giving him a peck on the cheek, I hurry into my room to put on different shoes since I am already in workout clothes. “Ready?” Cade asks when he comes out of his room.
“Yes. I could use a good run right now.” I grin at him.
When we get outside, we head up towards the gatehouse where one of the paths lines the inside of the fence around the property. Taking off at a slow jog, it doesn’t take more than five minutes for Bear to join us, forcing his way between us and keeping pace.
“Ready for more?” Cade asks. Confused, I say yes anyway and then he grins wickedly at me and picks up his pace, sprinting down the path.
Smirking, I do the same and attempt to keep up with him, but with his ridiculously long legs his pace is faster than mine. Although running behind him leaves me a nice view of his ass. That is, until he slows down slightly and spins around, jogging backwards.
“Come on, baby girl, keep up,” he taunts.
Rolling my eyes at him, I pick up my pace again to catch up, but right before I do, he spins back around and takes off again. “You’re an ass!” I yell, growing winded.
We keep running with Bear circling us. Cade mostly stays ahead of me, but I don’t mind because he is pushing me to run harder and I love pushing my body to its limits. By the time sweat has soaked through my t-shirt and my legs feel like they are going numb, I slow to a walk.
“You good?” Cade asks as he faces me, jogging backwards.
“How the fuck are you still just fine?” I gasp, my chest rapidly rising and falling.
He shrugs. “I’ve been running out here for years. Before you, I probably spent more time out here than I did in the club.”
I stop walking and drop my hands to my knees, bent over as I breathe heavily. I haven’t been pushed to this point in a long time.
“Here, come sit down,” Cade says.
Glancing up, I watch him turn off the path to the small, wooded area with trees that are down, the same exact spot the guys and I had a long talk almost a year ago now. I plop down on one of the tree logs and glance around, noticing the same thing I did the last time we were all out here, but then I didn’t say anything.
“This is your spot, right? You come out here?” I ask, still catching my breath.
Cade plops down on the ground and stretches his legs. “I used to. But I don’t as much now.”
“Is that yours?” I wonder, pointing to the car part. It looks like the hood of a car, but it’s off to the side and half buried by branches and weeds, appearing like it hasn't moved since the last time we were out here.
Cade glances at it and then looks at the ground, focusing on his stretches. Knowing how far he has come with communicating, I give him all the time he needs to talk.
After a few minutes he does, but he doesn’t look up at me. “Yeah. When I was really young, I would use sharpies to draw on myself. And then I would draw on anything I could get my hands on. Notebooks, sticky notes, sometimes walls. My father found out and flipped. He told me how I was acting like a girl, and he beat me.
“It was right before I started doing the work for him, but it was something he held against me for a long time. Anyway, when Noah got me and we moved in here, I found this spot and might have stolen some old car parts from a junkyard in town and painted on them out here when I wasn’t running.
“It was nice to do it again, but I just never wanted to turn it into anything much less ever tell anyone. I stopped around the time we met you and haven’t painted since. I just sometimes sketch in a notebook that’s under my bed.”
Biting my lip, I watch him as he keeps his head down and focuses on his leg stretches. Glancing at it and then back at him, I ask, “Can I see it?”
His eyes fly up to mine, wide with surprise. Something I am all too familiar with. I really fucking hate how one single person can berate you enough that it would seem impossible to you that someone could see something differently. Positively.
“I’ve been curious about it, but I never wanted to ask. But I think this might help you. Show me. Please,” I say softly.
Cade murmurs, “There was one time that I considered showing Ryker and Grayson because part of me knows they wouldn’t judge or anything, but I couldn't do it. I don’t even know why I told you. Words are just really easy when I’m with you.”
Grinning at him to remain calm when internally my heart is jumping and doing flips, I stand and gesture towards it. Sighing, Cade gets up and starts clearing the branches off before pulling it out.
It’s an entire car hood and is painted in all black and white. Mostly small things like objects, guns, dying flowers, vines, knives, skulls that have knives sticking in them, bleeding things, and so on.
Everything is painted with insane precision, looking like they are so real you could reach out and pick them up. “Wow. This is insane, Cade. You are really talented.” My eyes go wide in awe.
Shrugging, Cade glances down at the hood and then back at me. “It’s just for fun. I would like to pick it up again, but I don’t really want to spend all my time out here anymore.”
“I understand. I think you should consider telling at least Ryker and Grayson. Or maybe Noah. Then from there, maybe you can do it more often in your room and work your way up to more people knowing. Or we can just keep it to ourselves, but your brothers should know. Let them help you not feel shame for wanting to do something you love,” I tell him as I approach him and wrap my arms around his waist.
“I’ll think about it,” he says softly, giving me the best response he can. He grips the back of my head and bends down, pressing his lips to mine and like always, I lose myself in him and his all-consuming kiss.
After we talked for a while, in between making out, we finally make our way back to the club. I tell Cade that I want to go talk with Gabe before we go to bed.
“He should still be at his house. I’ll get Bear settled and meet you in my room.”
Smiling at him, I head over to Gabe’s back door and walk in. I don’t find anyone until I round the corner to the living room and spot Colton and Gabe sitting on the couch.
“Hey,” I greet, nodding at the two of them.
Colton smiles at me while Gabe says, “Hey, Harley.”
“Are you alright?” I ask him as I walk over and sit a few feet away from him on the couch, curling my legs up under me.
“I think I should be asking you that.” He gives me a small smile.
Chuckling, I say, “If you’re talking about what I found out earlier, I don’t think I’m mad. I just wish you would’ve talked to me about it. I know we might have argued about it—”
“Might?” Colton interrupts, raising a brow.
I roll my eyes and continue, “But I would prefer to argue with you and figure it out together rather than you going behind my back and doing things like this. That will just cause me to lose the trust I am learning to have in you.”
Gabe runs a hand over his face. “Fuck. I just keep failing at this parenting thing. I apologize and will work on it. I promise.”
“You’re not failin’ Rage. You’re learnin’. You both are. Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll both figure it out. Together,” Colton says.
I glance between them, biting my lip. “Is everything alright with Nerds?”
Gabe frowns. “He won’t be working for a bit, but don’t worry about it. I promise we are helping him and figuring it all out.”
I nod and understand that it’s not his story to tell. It makes me respect him a little more that he won’t just air everyone’s dirty laundry. After saying goodnight, I head back to the club and up to Cade’s room.
He’s not in here, so I steal one of his t-shirts and take a shower in his bathroom. By the time I’m done, I’m braiding my hair as I walk out of the bathroom to find a shirtless Cade putting snacks on his nightstand.
“Braids again?” he asks, his lips quirked in a grin.
I nod. “Yeah. I really need to stop washing my hair at night. Sleeping with wet hair is a nightmare,” I groan. “What did you do?”
“I checked in on Ryker and Grayson. They’re both still in the tech room but plan to stop and go get some sleep soon. And then I grabbed snacks for us.” He waves a bag of chips at me like a little kid.
Tying off the end of my braid, I crawl into his bed and pat the blanket in front of me. “Well, what all did you grab?” I chuckle.
Dumping the rest of the snacks on the bed, he picks up a remote from his dresser and turns on the TV at the foot of the bed. “Movie?”
“Sounds like a perfect night.” I smile at him as he climbs in behind me and stretches his legs out on either side of me. I lean back against him, and we spend the night watching the Harry Potter movies which I have never seen.
I think Cade is a secret nerd, but he claims he only knows them because of Grayson. We eat way more food than we should, cuddle, and laugh for hours.
It’s perfect.