“He wrote it from his training camp, letting them know he was leaving that month to go overseas. Just a short letter to say a final goodbye to them. Oh, and let’s not forget the one sentence he spared for me. Apparently, there was a check for $200 to cover all future expenses concerning me. Can you believe that? $200, and he was done with me too. As if he didn’t know I wouldn’t see a cent of that. It’s like I was just an afterthought or a burden to him that he needed to get rid of. Better to just cut us all out completely, I guess.”
Fury like I had never felt before flashed through me, picturing Fiona, so young and vulnerable, betrayed by the one person she trusted the most. Before I could get too far into my own thoughts, Fee started picking up heat.
“Technology has only gotten better since then. It’s been eleven years, and he hasn’t tried to find me once. Looks like he got as far away from his past as he could and left it in the dust once he picked out his new family. I can’t believe he had the nerve to act like I was in the wrong, to ask ME if I forgot about HIM. Does each charter have its own hierarchy? Like, do they have a version of Keys in South Carolina?” she asked, her head whipping to look at me. I nodded, hating what that meant. At any time, once he joined the club, Atlas could have run a search for her.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought. He never even tried to find me. He was the only one who knew, who truly understood what it was like at home, and he just left me to the wolves. I made it out. I did it on my own without any help from him. I made this life,the life I get to live now, and he doesn’t get to be a part of it. He doesn’t deserve to know anything about me or my life.”
I pulled her closer to my side and kissed her head. A breeze was picking up, and Fee’s body had started sagging, the pent-up energy from her encounter leaving her limp. I steered us back toward the house, then hesitated. I gently turned her so I could see her face, fully reading her expression under the porch lights.
“Do you want me to take you back to your apartment, or do you want to stay here tonight? No one knows about this place, so no one can bother you here.” She looked up at the house, then back at me.
“Yes. I want to stay here. With you,” she admitted, and it felt like a part of my heart cracked open.
“Alright, come on inside, darlin’. Let me show you around. Just a heads up, though, there’s not much to look at as of right now. The only work I’ve done has been cleaning out the rooms so I can start stripping paint and wallpaper. Except for upstairs. I had a bedroom set and mattress delivered this week, brand-new.”
I found myself muttering, wanting her to know that she was the first one to have access to any of it—the only one who had touched parts of it. She let me lead her upstairs and sighed when she saw the bedroom. Fee stroked a hand over the footboard before coasting it over the blanket as if testing its softness.
I had a duffle bag of clothes in the corner, and reached over to pull out a shirt for her to wear, then showed her to the bathroom, where I gave her a new toothbrush and opened the toothpaste I had purchased earlier in the week. Leaving her to her business, I checked in with Bull via text.
Bash: Keeping Fee with me. Tell Charlie to back off for a bit. You got Atlas locked down for the night?
Bull: Got him in one of the guest rooms, no one touched him but he’s not comfortable. He’s got a lot of questions about Fiona.
Bash: Don’t tell him anything, but make sure he doesn’t leave the clubhouse. I’ll take care of him tomorrow.
I looked up from my phone as Fiona came out of the bathroom. She had on the tee I gave her. It hung almost to her knees but still left a tantalizing amount of skin bare. I watched as she climbed onto the bed, the shirt lifted, giving me even more of a view, but I shook the lustful thoughts off, knowing they weren’t what Fee needed at that time.
I stripped down to my boxers before sliding into the bed next to her. She was watching me the whole time. Once I was in bed next to her, she curled into my side, and I wrapped my arm around her. She looked more vulnerable, every expression magnified that close. A wave of possessiveness ran through me. I didn’t want anyone but me to see her like that. She felt so tiny against me. I stroked a hand through her hair and down her back, and she leaned into me like a kitten.
“Thank you, Bash.”
“Anything for you, Fee,” I replied, meaning it with every fiber of my being. As her breathing evened out, I stayed awake. My thoughts became dark and angry, thinking of her parents and Atlas, abandoning an innocent child to a world working against her. I would make sure she didn’t have to fight for anything again, that she would have everything she deserved. But most importantly, so Fiona knew she wasn’t on her own. I would always have her back, and so would my entire family and the club.
Chapter 14
Fiona
I woke up the next morning entangled with Bash, my head on his bare chest and our legs intertwined. The rhythmic movement of his breathing was soothing beneath my ear, and I never wanted to leave the little cocoon we were wrapped in. I loved Bash’s house. It felt like a secret hideout that was just for us. The fact that he had spent the past week getting the bedroom set up, with me in mind, caused a riot of feelings inside me.
Before I could worry about that, memories from the night before came flooding in. Jackson, older, healthy, and vibrant, had approached me without a care in the world. The more I thought about him, the angrier I felt. His nonchalance, his friendly approach. It burned me, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. All of the unspoken thoughts were on the tip of my tongue, eager to lash out.
As if sensing the shift in my mood, Bash woke up.
“You’re thinking too hard. Go back to sleep,” his deep voice rumbled from above me. A small sigh escaped me, the gravel in his voice sending tingles down my spine. He pulled me tighter against him, and I wiggled a bit until I was comfortable. I closed my eyes and took a breath, trying to stay in the moment.
It seemed like the world had different plans when Bash’s cell started ringing as soon as we had settled. I tilted my head up and watched as he reached for his phone, bringing it to his ear withhis eyes still half closed. He was looking down at me, his face grumpy from the interruption, but it instantly softened when he saw me.
“This better be an emergency, old man,” he barked as he cupped my cheek with his free hand.
I could hear the rumblings of a deep voice, but couldn’t discern what was actually being said. Bash’s brows furrowed, and I became concerned and rolled over to grab my glasses and sit upright. He was staring at me and my exposed legs as the shirt rose to reveal my simple cotton panties.
“I’ll see what I can do. Bye.” He hung up, dropping the phone before reaching for me.
He pulled me until I was leaning over him, my hair hanging in a curtain next to his face as he tugged me down for a kiss. I froze at first, worried about morning breath and a million other things, but Bash was relentless, and I was melting against him in an instant. Eventually, we separated, having rolled over with him leaning over me, looking down at my face.
“Morning, baby,” he said, a sweet smile on his face.
“Morning, Bash,” I replied shyly.
