Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Aurora
I can’t stand all this tension pressing in on me from every side.
Ryder’s grip on the wheel is tight, his knuckles white.
He doesn’t look ready to let go of anything, least of all control.
Finn’s beside me, but for once, he’s quiet.
His usual easy grin is gone, replaced by something I can’t quite read.
I’m used to rolling with life, being a free spirit, but tonight, nothing feels steady. I’m caught in a current I didn’t choose, and no matter how I try to calm myself, I can’t. This place, these people—everything is shifting, and I don’t know where I fit anymore.
I don’t even really know what’s going on, only that it feels dangerous.
I didn’t come here for this. For them. For any of it.
As we stop in the parking lot outside The Hollow, my stomach churns. I know that sounds ridiculous because it’s just a bar, right? But there’s something about it that feels more than just a business. It’s a fortress—they’ve built something that’s meant to keep people in or keep them out.
Either way, I don’t know where I fit in.
The low hum of voices from inside leaks out through the open door. It’s warm, welcoming, but there’s something guarded about it.
Ryder slams his truck door, clearly angry at the world, specifically, whatever’s going on in that head of his. Finn mumbles something under his breath about checking the outside of the bar, then disappears with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
Great.
We walk toward the entrance, and as soon as I step inside, I’m hit with a mix of warmth. It smells of whiskey and cedarwood. The kind of place that doesn’t need to try to be homey. It just is. But it doesn’t feel like a home I’d find myself in.
When I see Zane, he’s standing by the bar, his presence calming and silent. He doesn’t need to say a word. His stillness speaks volumes, and I can feel him taking in everything, even without moving.
He glances over at us, his eyes flicking between Ryder and me. That small smile of his is there, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He’s waiting. Watching. But in a way that makes me feel he’s already decided what’s happening, even before I know what’s going on.
Ryder’s the first to speak, and he doesn’t waste time. He’s all business. “Zane, we’ve got a situation.”
Zane doesn’t move, doesn’t even flinch. “What happened?”
Ryder glances at me, then back at Zane. “Someone’s after Aurora. I think she was seen with Finn, which puts her in danger. We’ve got tire tracks, a truck idling outside her cabin, and a damn window latch out of place. I’m not taking any chances.”
I freeze. I didn’t expect any of this. I came here to find peace, to get away from the past. But now? I’m caught in a mess that I can’t shake off.
Zane’s gaze shifts to me now, his eyes sharp. “You think it’s someone local?”
Ryder shrugs, frustrated. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Someone’s seen her with Finn, which puts her at risk. She’s not staying alone tonight.”
I open my mouth to argue, to tell them this is all overblown, but Ryder doesn’t even look at me. His eyes are locked on Zane, like he’s already got everything figured out.
I want to speak up, but I don’t know how. I’m standing here, caught between what I want to say and what I know they’ve already decided for me.
I follow him in silence. I don’t have the energy to argue anymore. Something in the way he moves, the quiet surety of it, makes me feel it’s pointless to resist. Whatever they’ve decided, that’s what’s going to happen.
“It’s okay,” Zane declares. “I’ll show Aurora where she can stay with us.”
We walk up the stairs and through the back hall of the apartment above the bar, and I can’t help but notice how different he feels compared to Ryder.
Ryder’s intense, a storm waiting to happen.
Zane? He’s calm. Quiet. It’s like the storm can’t touch him, and somehow, it makes me feel everything’s slowing down.
Not in a bad way, but like he’s not about to make me rush into something before I’m ready.
I’m conscious of my bag slung over my shoulder. I’m not here for long, or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself. I should have enough, right? Pajamas, stuff for the morning, toiletries…
Yeah, it’ll be fine, I’m sure.
We reach a guest room, and he opens the door. It’s cozy, small, but warm.
“Get some rest,” Zane murmurs. “Ryder won’t let up. Neither will I.”
Part of me wants to be angry, to tell them to leave me alone. But there’s something in the way Zane’s handling everything that makes it hard to stay mad.
I sit on the edge of the bed, trying to piece together everything that’s happened. I didn’t come here for this. I didn’t ask for it. But here I am. And in some strange way, I know that they’re trying to protect me. Even if I don’t want it.
It’s a weird feeling, being trapped and protected at the same time.
I don’t know how to feel about any of this. But I’m sure I’ll figure it out tomorrow. Right now, though? I’m exhausted. And maybe… I feel a little safer than I did when I walked in here.
Not that I’ll admit it anytime soon.
I’ve been lying in bed for what feels like hours, trying to block out the noise in my head. But it’s no use. Thoughts keep coming, relentless, spinning in circles I can’t stop.
Eventually, I sit up, my feet brushing against the cool wooden floor.
I stare at the wall, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do next.
I could get up, walk around, and try to clear my head.
Or maybe I should just go to Finn’s room and ask him why he’s watching over me like I’m some fragile thing that needs guarding.
I stand up and move toward the door, careful not to make a sound, in case everyone else is sleeping.
The hallway is dim, just enough light seeping through the cracks of the stairs. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m not ready to be in that room alone anymore.
I shouldn’t do this. I shouldn’t be walking around in the middle of the night like this.
But I can’t stop myself.
I end up standing by the staircase, the cold from the window cooling my skin. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, so wound up. I want to just go back to my room, close my eyes, and pretend everything’s okay. But I can’t. My mind is racing. I feel I’m being pulled in too many directions at once.
Suddenly, I hear footsteps. They’re clumpy, as if someone’s walking hard on purpose, not trying to be quiet. My heart jumps in my chest, and I freeze, trying to calm myself, trying to still my breathing as a shadow appears at the bottom of the stairs.
It’s Ryder.
He doesn’t say anything. Just watches me, those eyes of his catching mine, trying to figure out what I’m doing.
I open my mouth to say something, but the words don’t come. My nerves are twisting in knots, and I just feel exposed. I feel he can see everything I’m trying to keep hidden.
“Can’t sleep?” Ryder asks, his tone suggesting he already knows the answer.
I nod, but I can’t find the courage to speak. In the middle of this quiet house, I feel small and exposed. All I want is to crawl back into bed and forget the way he’s looking at me—like I’m something worth protecting. Like I’m a little bit broken.
I glance away, not able to keep his gaze for too long.
“I’m fine,” I mutter.
I hate how unsure it sounds. I’m not fine. I don’t even know what I’m doing here anymore. But I can’t tell him that. I can’t tell anyone that.
Ryder doesn’t push it. He just stands there, his eyes still watching me, not in a judgmental way, but in a way that makes me feel he’s expecting me to act.
“Go back to bed, Aurora,” he says, gently. “Get some rest.”
As I turn back towards my room, I feel his eyes on my back, but I don’t look back. I don’t want him to see the way my hands are trembling or the way my heart is thudding in my chest.
I don’t know how to feel about all of this. About Ryder, about the way he makes me feel safe and trapped all at once.
But for now, I’m left alone with my thoughts, trying to settle the madness in my mind as I lie back down on the bed, the silence pressing down on me harder than before.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I’ll figure out what to do with all of this.