I set Oreo on the ground at my feet and go to stand as Viper walks by and places a hand on my shoulder.
“You stay here, Annistyn.I’ll help them.Visit with your family,” he says, giving me a smile I don’t return as I look away from him.
I’m discovering I can hold a grudge.It’s not something I ever knew about myself and I don’t think I like it.Master is the other man here today.He keeps watching me, but hasn’t tried to say anything to me yet.I did see him talking to my uncle earlier and I have a feeling it was about my other aunt and uncle.I won’t ask though.It’s none of my business.
“Annistyn, I think we should take a girls trip.We can go somewhere warm with a beach.I’ve been to a few places I think you’ll truly enjoy.I know you don’t drink, but there’s a few clubs we can check out.I won’t drink with you so you’re not the only sober one there.I love to dance and get lost in the music,” Casey says as she moves closer to me and David gives up his seat for her.
“That sounds amazing,” I tell her honestly and I can feel the eyes of Manic and Master on me.“You let me know when you have time and we’ll go.I could definitely get away from here for a while.”
“Perfect.My semester is about to end soon so we can go then,” she says and the two of us start talking about college and what I’d have to do to get into one.
“Sweetheart, if you want to get your GED, let me know.There’s a program I run that can help you.I’ll get you set up with an appointment and you can take the practice tests so we can see what you need help with,” Aunt Virginia says with a smile on her face.
“That would be amazing.Thank you,” I tell her as I lean back in my chair and continue talking to almost everyone here.
The rest of the afternoon is filled with conversation, laughter, and stories about my parents.My aunt Virginia is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to them and I listen intently to every story she shares.Apparently, my parents met at school and it was love at first sight.They were inseparable from the second they met.Part of their story reminds me of how Kreed used to be with me and I have to step away for a minute while I cry.No one comes near me or makes a comment when I return to the group.By the time everyone gets ready to leave, I’m sad to see my family go.It won’t be for long though.I have plans with every family member in the upcoming weeks.
I help Ivy get Charlotte ready for bed and she’s quieter than normal.I want to make sure she’s okay, but I don’t want to hear anything about Manic.The two of them spent the entire day together and he’s now staying the night in the house so he’s close by my friend and her daughter.Once they’re in bed, I avoid Manic and Viper as they sit in the living room of the house.I grab a bottle of water and Oreo follows me out to the porch so I can watch the stars for a while before bed.No one joins me as I cry while remembering laying in the back of Kreed’s truck and star gazing with him.After a while, I finally head in for bed and the living room is empty.I don’t see anyone as I enter my room with Oreo and go through my nightly routine.Today was a good day with a few bad parts.I think I did pretty well considering who was here.Hopefully tomorrow I can ignore them better and they will continue to leave me alone.Nothing about my life is to be known by them because I have a feeling they’ll tell Kreed anything they see or hear.He doesn’t deserve to know a darn thing about me any longer.He lost that right when he chose to ignore me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Link
THREE WEEKS HAVE passedand Annistyn still hasn’t gone back to the compound.The guys have all been acting weird when I ask them what’s going on and if they’ve looked for her at all.None of them have a concrete answer and change the subject almost immediately the second I bring Annistyn up.Especially Viper.I know he feels responsible for Annistyn’s disappearance and has been blaming himself.He’s starting to withdraw and spends most of his time alone when he’s not at work on the ranch.Master did tell me about a job helping out there because one of the women there is leaving an abusive relationship and her ex has shown up in the middle of the night a few times.None of the guys have been able to catch him at this point and at least three of them are on the ranch around the clock.Manic has apparently been spending most of his time there while Force has taken over the running of Feral Fights in his absence.If I were home, I’d be helping out every single day because what Roger and the other staff members are doing is great and something I will support no matter what.
I try calling Annistyn every single day even though I know her phone was left at the house.It won’t be a home again until she’s back where she belongs.I know I won’t spend much time there because I’ll envision her in every single room she spent time in.I’m not even home and I see her constantly.Even when I’m sitting alone in my mom’s living room.This is someplace Annistyn has never been and I still imagine her walking up to me and letting me know everything will be okay.That my mom will get better and heal and she’ll come home to me when I get back.I seriously doubt that.
Cali and Caleb have gone back to Glendale.They’re giving me time to spend with my mom and make sure she has everything she needs before I leave her again.When I talk to either one of them, they avoid anything about Annistyn.The first time I brought her up with Cali, she cried on the phone and wondered what she’d done to ever make her feel as if she were a burden.Caleb and I explained that she did nothing wrong, it’s simply how Annistyn thinks because of her past and the way she’s been treated by everyone who was supposed to love and protect her.So, I try not to bring her up if I’m on the phone with Cali because I don’t want to hear her cry again.I’ve never liked a woman crying and Cali is even worse because she’s my best friend.Caleb simply ignores anything I say about Annistyn.Yes, he’s my best friend and will usually talk for hours about anything I want.Annistyn is the only exception to this rule.This tells me he knows something and isn’t willing to share that information with me.I’m hurt by this knowledge, but until I know what’s going on, I can’t blame him.
The kids aren’t happy they don’t get to see Annistyn from what Caleb has told me.A few days ago they couldn’t find Dakota anywhere in the house.He rushed outside while calling every member of the club to search for her.Kylan is actually the one who found his twin.She was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on my porch crying.When Caleb walked up to his twins, Dakota told him she was waiting for Auntie because she missed her.My heart shattered once again because I made one of the best little girls in the world have her first broken heart because I was selfish and didn’t take the time to place a call to the love of my life.Yes, Annistyn is the love of my life.Bryce and Rory refuse to talk to me now when I call.They rush out of the room and pretend to be doing other things.Not only do I miss Annistyn every damn day, I miss the kids I’ve spent every day with.
My mom is doing really well.She spends her days relaxing and going out to lunch or small shopping trips with Sam.She’s started to take a nap during the day for an hour or so and is allowing her body to heal this time instead of rushing back to work.Playboy told her in no uncertain terms she would not be allowed to return until the doctor cleared her completely.Every day, my mom takes her vitamins and I can already see an improvement in her.She has more color in her face, eats more, and has more energy.The reason for her nap during the day is usually because she’s stayed up later than normal with me.Yes, she’s still disappointed in me about the situation with Annistyn and still tries to find some way to contact her.I’ve told her Annistyn left the house and compound behind.That she doesn’t have the phone I bought her.My mom still tries calling her every single day.
I’ve tried to contact Roger a few more times and he has yet to answer his phone.I haven’t even gotten a message from him.I thought we were becoming friends, but I understand his need to be there for his cousin and protect her.Even if it’s from me because I’ve hurt her so badly.I just want to know she’s safe at this point.The need to know she’s still working on herself and still eating instead of sliding back to where she was consumes me.I’ve sent Roger a message explaining all of this and I know he’s read it.He just won’t respond to me.
Tank has called me a few more times over the last three weeks.He checks on my mom and then chews me a new ass about Annistyn.He told me flat out that they know where she is but he won’t tell me anything about her.The only reason Maddie and him haven’t driven to Glendale to bring her home with them is because that’s not what she wants.She told them exactly what she wants and is taking steps to move forward with her life.That’s the only thing he’ll tell me.I have no clue what the hell that means, but it sent me spiraling.I drank until I couldn’t stand and passed out on my mom’s couch with the bottle still in my hand.
