28. Travis
28
TRAVIS
D arkness had fallen by the time Travis parked in front of Anna’s house. He’d gone around and around the same stormy circles during the day while Bella worked quietly beside him. She hadn’t cried anymore, but that did little to calm the fire building inside him.
“Let me walk you in,” he said as he reached for the door.
Bella’s small hand touched his arm. “Will you stay for a little bit? I’d like to talk.”
She hadn’t said more than a handful of words to him all day. Instead of letting out a relieved whoop, he killed the engine and stepped out into the night.
She didn’t give him a chance to open the door for her the way she normally did. Instead, she led the way inside where she toed off her shoes and headed for the couch.
“Where’s Anna?” Travis asked as he followed Bella into the living room.
“Working late. She texted me earlier.” Bella leaned forward to scrub her hands over her face. “I’m so sorry about today.”
“You don’t have any reason to be sorry,” Travis assured.
“No, you have no idea. I’ve put everyone here in danger.”
She’d given him very little information at the store earlier, and he’d been left to simmer over those warnings all day. He took each word to heart and used it to build defenses–ways to keep Bella and her baby safe.
Travis turned toward her and reached for her hand. Things she’d said earlier about prison and control pinged around in his thoughts. How could anyone have hurt her? Only the darkest evil could have been capable of inciting this kind of fear in Bella. She was strong–stronger than any woman he’d ever met.
“I’m listening,” he said, making it clear that she was in charge of the conversation. She was behind the wheel, and she could share as much or as little as she wanted.
Bella took a deep breath and kept her head down as she spoke. “I told you my dad was abusive.”
Travis gently squeezed her hand. She’d mentioned it before, and he’d done a poor job of forgetting. “You did. Bella, I’m sorry that happened to you.”
She looked up at him with a tight grin. “It’s fine.”
“It’s anything but fine, Bella. No man should ever lay a hand on a woman like that.”
She wiped a tear off the side of her nose. “I know, but what I mean is I’ve moved past it. I met Gunner soon after I graduated from high school, and when he offered to help me get away from my dad, I jumped at the chance.”
Travis’s jaw tightened. He could see where this was going, and it didn’t lead to a happy ending for Bella.
“He was a member of the Iron Fist Motorcycle Club. The VP, in fact. I immediately noticed how the other men respected him. They did everything he asked.” She scoffed. “It didn’t take long to find out it was fear, not respect.”
She inhaled a deep breath and met Travis’s gaze. “I watched him kill people. He tortured them. Some, he left alive just so they could continue to suffer.”
Travis gripped her hand and bit back a curse. “Bella, I’m sorry.”
She let out a half-hearted laugh. “You see why I freaked out today? Why I didn’t want to remember? I knew there was something bad, but I had no idea it was this.” She lifted a hand and let it fall back onto the couch beside her.
“I saw a man at the store today. He looked familiar, and… and it sparked the memory. He favored Gunner. A lot of the memories came back all at once, but I remembered a little more today while I worked. It’s all terrible.”
“You’re safe now. Do you hear me?” Travis said.
Bella shook her head. “I’m not. You see, Gunner wanted to be the President. He talked about it all the time… to me.”
A knot twisted in Travis’s gut. “That’s why he wouldn’t let you leave.”
She nodded slowly. “I knew everything. I lived at the clubhouse. I heard everything. Even things I didn’t tell him about. But the thing is, I don’t know how I escaped. I know I wanted out of there, but I don’t know how I actually did it.”
“Or how you ended up on the road where we found you,” Travis added.
“The MC is in Omaha. I don’t even know how I got to Blackwater.” Bella threw her hand up again as if all was lost. “I still don’t remember enough.”
“Don’t push it. This is stressful for you and the baby.” He scooted closer and lifted her hand between them. “You’re safe.”
“I don’t think I am!” she said, her voice rising in pitch and volume. “Maybe he left me there because he thought I was dead. That’s the only explanation.”
Travis lifted her chin until she was facing him, asking her–begging her–to listen to his truth. “I will protect you. I’ll have every single one of our friends protecting you too. It only takes one phone call.”
“To who?” she asked, eyes wide and filled with uncertainty.
“Anyone. I could call Beau. I could call Dawson or Asa. I could call Gage or Matt. I could make one phone call, explain the situation, and everyone we know would be on alert within the hour.”
Bella’s chin shook as she pinched her lips between her teeth. She knew it just as well as he did. She had friends here who cared enough about her to protect her.
Not like the club she’d escaped from. These people here actually cared about her.
“I would do anything for you. I’d lay down my life, I’d fight to the death, I’d protect you at all costs. All you have to do is say when,” Travis added.
Bella rested a hand against her belly and took a few even breaths. Her grip on his hand tightened as she lifted her chin to look at him. The fire was back in her eyes as she said, “When.”