27. Isabella
27
ISABELLA
G unner. It was the monster who’d abused her–the one her mind had carefully hidden from her these last three and a half months.
The memory hit her like a kick to the chest. Images of him flashed in her mind one by one. Leaning over a table to glare at her. Shooting her a warning look from across the room. Shouting in her face in the garage.
Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth–dry as the desert sand. It was Gunner. The cut on her shoulder blade. The nausea from hunger. The fear that gripped her neck like his hand for no reason. It was all a response to him.
Bella took a careful step back. “Sorry to bother you.”
“No problem. It was nice meeting you,” Jeremy said with a wave as she turned and sprinted down the aisle.
Gasping for air, Bella’s heart beat hard enough to ache in her chest. How had she forgotten?
The better question was how had she gotten away? The club didn’t allow defectors, but she hadn’t been a member of the Iron Fist Motorcycle Club. She’d been claimed by a member–Gunner.
Women were pawns controlled by the men and the club. If a member claimed you, you ceased to exist in the outside world.
That was why the investigator hadn’t found her. She’d been wiped from the population. The club had a way of making people disappear, and they were never found. People with ties to the club died all the time, but no one even knew about it to care.
It was so hard to breathe. She couldn’t even run because her lungs were screaming.
She bumped into someone and let out a terrified screech.
Grady, the older man who owned the Feed and Seed, grabbed onto her arms, steadying her on her feet. “I’m so sorry, Bella. I didn’t see you coming.”
Bella was still gasping for air as Grady’s brow furrowed.
“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Nodding quickly, she stepped away from the man she’d come to know as a friend. “I–I’m fine. Just not feeling well.”
“Are you sure? You look pale,” Grady said behind her as she headed for the exit.
Her head ached as she strode across the parking lot. The bright midday sun beamed down, and she lifted a hand to her forehead to shade her eyes as she scanned the rows for Travis’s truck. Where had he parked?
Spotting his red Chevy, she headed for the safety of the cab, failing to even check both ways before walking out into the lot. The keys shook in her hands as she fumbled for the unlock button.
When she climbed into the passenger seat, she slammed the door behind her. There was a brief second where she questioned everything she thought she knew. Could this really be happening?
Yes, it was true, and the ache in her chest morphed into a hot knife. Pressing the heels of her hands into her temples, she closed her eyes and screamed until her throat burned. It was the release of all the terror she hadn’t known to feel over the last three months of her blissful ignorance.
The tears came, warm and flowing as small memories returned. They were little more than feelings, but the emotions were real. Without any idea how she’d escaped, her thoughts ran wild with every worst-case scenario.
Gunner wouldn’t have let her leave, and he wouldn’t have let her go without a fight.
That had to be the cause of the black eye when Travis found her.
Another realization struck her cold. Maybe Gunner had tried to kill her. The only way he would have let her go was if he thought she was dead.
The truck door opened on her side, and Bella screamed.
“It’s just me. What’s wrong?” Travis asked, clearly shaken by the mere sight of her. “Grady said you ran out of there looking like you’d seen a ghost.”
She had seen a ghost–a ghost of her old life come to haunt her in this perfect world she’d been building.
Bella covered her mouth, but it didn’t stop the sobs from breaking through or the tears from falling.
Travis tossed her new coat into the back of the truck and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the safety he promised. “What’s wrong? Please talk to me.”
“I–I remembered.”
“You remembered what?” he asked as his hold tightened around her.
“The reason the investigator can’t find anything about me. It’s because I was basically a prisoner.” She wiped her face and inhaled a shaky breath. “I don’t know how long I was there, but I know I wasn’t allowed to go outside or have a phone. They controlled everything I did.”
“Who?” Travis asked, low and foreboding as he held her.
“The club. I belonged to Gunner. He–he claimed me, and that meant he owned me.” She fell into another round of sobs. No matter how many times she wanted to tell herself to get it together, she couldn’t stop the tears.
Travis released her and placed his hands on both sides of her face, lifting her eyes up to him. His hold was firm, yet gentle as he looked directly into her eyes.
“Let’s get a few things straight. First, no one owns you. Second, no one will ever hurt you as long as I’m around.”
Of course he would say those things. He had no idea who they were dealing with. The Iron Fist earned that name, and they made sure everyone knew it. “You can’t promise that.”
“Yes, I can. I would do anything for you and this baby. Anything . I dare anyone to test my limits,” he said low and sure.
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” she said through hiccups.
A slow smile grew on Travis’s face. “That’s why you’re going to tell me all about it.”
No. She couldn’t. That was the reason no one ever got a ticket out of the club. Rats didn’t just lose their lives, they lost their homes, families, and everything they loved first in the slowest and most painful ways.
Bella pinched her lips together and shook her head. She couldn’t tell. She couldn’t tell anyone. There was a reason her mind had tried to protect her from those memories. Gunner was evil and ruthless. Life without the looming fear of his retribution had been too sweet and too fleeting.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“Yes, you can. You can tell me, Camille, and the police, and between us, we can keep you safe.”
“You can’t!” she bellowed.
Travis grabbed her hand, holding it lovingly in both of his. “I absolutely can, and I will.”
Another memory surfaced. Gunner promised to protect her from her dad. He’d been so convincing, and she’d believed him wholeheartedly. Little did she know he’d trap her in another abusive relationship instead of saving her.
It was the same scenario. She’d been searching her whole life for a safe place, and they’d all become prisons.
Bella slid her hand out of Travis’s. “Can you…”
She wanted to go home more than anything, but Anna’s house wasn’t hers and it didn’t offer any protection. Who could she even trust? Right alongside the memories of Gunner tearing her apart were flashes of sweetness–the way he’d easily won her over when they first met.
“Can I what? Anything,” Travis said.
She pressed a hand to her growing belly. She’d come to love the baby growing inside of her, but now that happiness was tainted by the realization that her child’s father had used her body at his will for years.
What had prompted her to escape? Would she have made the same decision if she’d known about the pregnancy? If it was too early for anyone at the hospital to know, surely she hadn’t known either.
“Bella, I’ll do anything you ask. Just name it.”
Bella looked up at him. His warm brown eyes were soft but ready. The muscles in his neck were tense, but he was waiting for her to respond before acting.
A still, small voice told her his words were truth. Travis wasn’t like Gunner. Everything inside her said she could trust him more than she’d ever trusted anyone else.
Was that just wishful thinking, or was it the Lord guiding her in the right direction? She’d been holding out for a hero her whole life, but they’d all become villains.
“Can you take me to the ranch?” she asked.
Travis brushed her hair out of her face and cradled her cheek. “I don’t think you should work today. This is a lot to take in.”
“I know, but I need to stay busy.”
Travis nodded. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
And just like that, Travis proved, once again, how he was different.