CHAPTER 15 - Bryan Trevor
You're still the oxygen I breathe
I see your face when I close my eyes
It's torturous
Tonight's gonna be the loneliest
The Loneliest – Maneskin
The rumble of an engine cuts through our silence, and instinctively I grab Noah by the arm and pull her inside the house, shielding her with my body. Every nerve in my body goes on high alert as I walk to the backpack thrown on the couch and grab the pistol I left inside.
Noah’s eyes widen, her breathing ragged, and I don’t know if it’s from fear of what might happen in the next few minutes or because she’s seeing me armed again—since as she hurriedly pulls on the cardigan, her eyes stay fixed on my hand.
I’m about to turn so she won’t keep staring at the gun when I see her walk to the whiteboard.
“Could it be... could it be...” she writes hurriedly.
“I don’t think so.” I grab the cell phone I left on the island and notice there’s no message saying Gavin decided to come back early.
Fuck!
Did he give my security detail the slip?
No. That’s not possible, or I’ll rip their heads off.
I push the questions aside and pocket the phone when I hear the vehicle shut off in front of the house.
I tighten my grip on the pistol. My mind goes dark, and fuck the consequences, because if there’s one absolute truth, it’s that no matter who’s arriving, Noah will only leave here hurt over my dead body.
If it’s Gavin, this is where it all ends.
I swear to any damn God listening to my thoughts that I’ll kill him without blinking, and even though I’ve dreamed of ending his life slowly, I know I’d never let him take her from here.
If it’s up to me, he won’t even have time to say her name before meeting hell.
I walk to the window beside the door with the gun in hand, every muscle in my body on alert. I peek through the gap and spot a black car parked outside. Carefully, I wedge the barrel into the narrow window opening, ready to react at the slightest movement.
As soon as I cock it, the son of a bitch gets out of the vehicle!
My eyes darken, and as if he knows exactly where I am, his eyes—as light as mine—find me.
“Lower that fucking gun!” my brother shouts, and I don’t know what hits me first—the relief or the urge to blow his head off for showing up before we agreed.
“It’s Luke,” I say, tucking the pistol back in the bag, and she collapses onto the couch with an exasperated sigh.
Noah closes her eyes, and I turn, leaving the living room and slamming the door the instant Luke climbs the porch steps.
“I should blow your brains out for showing up in a damn dark car,” I growl, and he flashes me a cocky smile. “What the hell are you doing here at this hour? We agreed on tonight only.”
“Calm down, bro.” He pulls me into a quick hug, ignoring the fact that I hate any forced touch. “Can’t I visit my brother anymore without asking permission?”
“No. You can’t.” I cross my arms, irritated.
“Someone’s in a bad mood.” He rolls his eyes. “I thought being around the girl would...”
“Shut up!” I snarl before he can continue, and his eyes narrow, assessing my reaction.
Luke is as perceptive as I am.
Maybe that’s what’s always kept us side by side and made our partnership work so well.
We were molded the same way, in the same pain.
Physically, we share common traits—almost the same height, same build, skin covered in tattoos, and some similar facial features—but we also have our differences.
I inherited the dirty-blond hair and blue eyes from our mother, while Luke took after our bastard father, with brown hair and greenish eyes.
In personality, we also differ: I’m more closed off and taciturn, while he, even carrying deep scars, still knows how to flash an easy smile or crack a joke at the right moment.
“Shit!” He looks over my shoulder but finds only the closed door. “She’s in there, isn’t she?” I nod reluctantly.
Before I can stop him, he pushes past me, shoving the door open like he owns the place.
Well, technically he does, but fuck it!
“Luke Trevor!” I call after him, but it’s too late—he’s already barging into the living room.
“Noah, it’s been a while.” My brother approaches as if they were old friends.
“How are you? I’m sorry if I scared you, I swear it wasn’t my intention,” he continues, not noticing how uncomfortable she is at not being able to respond—and I have the urge to rip his head off.
“You don’t talk anymore.” He slaps his forehead.
“I’m just putting my foot in my mouth, aren’t I? ”
“Luke, you’d better go take a walk around town,” I say, not bothering to hide that I’m kicking him out, but Noah stands up and shakes her head no.
I watch her walk to the board.
Before I even see what she writes, I already want to grab the gun and shoot my brother.
Maybe in the hands so he can never drive again.
Bryan, I need to go.
Luke, it was great to see you, but I’ve been away from home for too long.
“It was good to see you, girl,” my brother says, and she just nods, smiling.
“Let’s go,” I call to her, glaring at Luke as I grab the car keys. “Wait here, I won’t be long,” I tell him, and he nods, shooting me an apologetic look as he flops onto the couch.
I walk to the car and open the door for Noah, but before she gets in, I take her wrist.
“I wanted to spend more time with you, but he brought some things I asked for, and if he showed up earlier than expected, it’s because something important came up.
” She touches my arm with her free hand, and I look at her, confused.
“Does that mean you understand?” She nods, and I see a genuine smile spread across her lips.
“One touch is yes and two is no?” I ask, trying to understand, and she repeats the gesture, touching just once.
I smile. It’s always good to learn more about how she communicates.
“I promise to steal you whenever I can.”
She taps twice, nervous.
“Yes, Noah, I’m going to steal little pieces of you until the day I can have you completely, all to myself, forever.” I lean in and press a kiss to her temple.
She blushes.
And I close the door, pretending that doesn’t completely fuck with my head.
When I get in the car, she gestures for the phone, and I hand it to her, waiting for her to type.
Can you leave the windows down while we drive through the trail? I want to feel the wind and take in the scenery.
“Your wish is my command,” I say, already doing what she asks.
I start the car and try to focus on the road, but I can’t help stealing glances at her. Noah is captivated by the horizon, and I promise myself that as soon as I get her out of that hell, I’ll take her to see the world and all its most beautiful places.
I know I should take her straight home and then sort out everything with my brother, because if he managed to bring what I asked for, we have a lot to discuss and put into action. But I push that aside and do what my mind is screaming at me to do.
She notices when I don’t turn onto the main road and gives me a questioning look, but I pretend not to notice.
Minutes later, I park at our favorite spot, and when I turn to her, I’m met with the most beautiful, genuine smile I’ve seen since I came back.
A smile that doesn’t need words to tell me my choice was perfect.
And fuck, I need more of those smiles.
I need to hear her loud, uninhibited laugh more than I need to breathe.
That’s why I’m going to bring her voice back.
I’m going to give this girl her happiness back.
My girl.
Because it doesn’t matter what happened or what’s coming next.
She’s mine.
Only mine!
There is no Bryan without Noah.
There never was.
The last few years were nothing but survival.
An automatic routine of work, food, and sleep.
It’s like when I lost her, my soul was ripped out along with my heart.
But now that I’ve found her again, something inside me has started burning again, pulsing hard.
I need her more than she needs me, and she doesn’t even know it!
I get out of the car, walk around, open the door, and hold out my hand to her. She takes it, and with our fingers still intertwined, we walk together to the rock where it all began, where our stories became one that night.
We sit side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and I let my eyes wander to the blue-green water. I feel her cheek rest against my shoulder, and when I look down, her eyes are closed. I let her stay lost in her thoughts and turn my gaze back to the lake.
All our moments play like a movie in my head.
The first time we ventured into the water and nearly died of hypothermia because it was so damn cold.
When we made love, the adrenaline and fear of getting caught making everything more intense.
The afternoon she stole food from home and surprised me with a picnic.
When we danced in the middle of a storm, laughing like fools, with no one around to judge us.
It was in these very waters that she told me she loved me, and my heart started beating differently.
I still remember the dreams we shared sitting on this very rock.
The secrets we told each other leaning against the tree up ahead.
Each memory is a wound I never let heal, because healing would mean trying to forget her.
The memories bound me to Noah more than any chain, and they’re what kept me from ruining my life.
I feel her hand squeeze mine, and I look at her, finding the faintest smile playing on her lips.
I love you, Butterfly!
I fucking love you!
My mind screams, but I don’t let the words out because her gaze is so full of tenderness and gratitude that I don’t want to scare her.
Besides, I’m not ready to look into her eyes and see no love for us there, because if that happens, I’ll lose my focus on killing her parents and reducing the Black empire to ashes.
From now on, I'd have only two missions: make her love me again and kill any bastard who dared get close to her.
Instinctively, I pull her closer and we just stare at the place, both lost in memories and expectations. When she stands and her eyes tell me she needs to go, I just nod and take her back to the mansion.