Now, I’m finally back in Glendale.The first night I was home, I tried to go to my house.I made it as far as the front door before I froze.Knowing Annistyn wouldn’t be inside with some random show on the TV or music playing while she worked or cooked made it impossible to open the door and step inside.For hours I just stood on the porch, staring at the door as if it held all the answers I needed.Caleb and Viper found me standing there.It took some time, but they managed to get me away from the house and to the clubhouse.I wanted to drown my sorrows, but I remained sober.Caleb and I sat at our usual table in the back of the common room with Viper and Master.None of them talked to me as I stared straight ahead without seeing anything around me.
Stepping out of the garage on my break, I pull out my phone and call Roger.I doubt he’ll answer, but I have to try.I won’t stop until I hear from him my girl is okay.That she’s safe somewhere and won’t be hurt by my lack of actions.
“What do you want, Link?”Roger answers his phone, the tone of his voice annoyed as I pull it away from my ear and look at the screen because I’m surprised he actually answered the phone.
“Where is my Pixie, Roger?”I ask him after the shock wears off and I can find my voice again.
“Your Pixie?Are you fucking kidding me with that shit, Link?”he questions and I know he’s got a glare on his face even if I’m not in front of him.Roger doesn’t take kindly to anyone hurting his cousin and will defend her until he takes his last breath.“You fucked up, Link.Broke something in my cousin that I don’t know how you’ll ever fix it.Everyone in that club broke something in her because they treated her like an outsider.For the first time since you rescued her, she felt as if she were back with her aunt and uncle.That she was a burden to everyone there.”
“What?Why would she feel that way?”I ask, shock filling my voice as I come to a complete stop in the middle of the parking lot.
“Are you fucking dumb, Link?Annistyn put herself out there and was getting to know the men in the club.She was opening herself up because she knows how important the club and those men are to you.Annistyn understands how you feel about every man there and knows they are your chosen family.Even on the days she was scared to be surrounded by so many large men, Annistyn still made an attempt to stay at the clubhouse foryou.When you didn’t come home and she was scared something happened to you, she walked to the clubhouse on her own and walked into a sex fest.Something she’s never witnessed before because that’s how much you mean to her.
“Instead of answering her question about where you were, she was told she wasn’t an ol’ lady and no one would tell her anything.Every single man there has heard you call her yours and yet they treated her as if the Feral girls are more important than she is.At least that’s how she felt because the girls are there constantly and they know more about you than she does.It broke something in her soul and there is no coming back from that, Link,” Roger says with anger filling his voice and I realize how badly I fucked up with my Pixie.
“Is she okay, Roger?Is she still eatin’ and doin’ what she has to do for herself?”I question him, walking again toward the picnic table we have under a tree.
“Why the fuck should I tell you anything?”he returns and I can’t answer him because I don’t know.Silence stretches between the two of us for several long minutes.“She’s safe.She’s still eating to an extent.Annistyn has slid backwards a little bit if I’m being honest.My cousin is just getting back to her daily routine and eating more food.She doesn’t cry on and off throughout the day whenever she thinks of you or a memory hits her.Annistyn isn’t sleeping and spends most of her time on the porch just staring at the stars.Don’t ask me where she is or anything else because I’m not telling you a damn thing.The only thing I’ll say is she’s leaving where she currently is and moving on.”
“Moving on?What the fuck does that even mean?”Fear and dread fill me as my heart pounds wildly in my chest.
“I don’t know, Link.All I know is she said she’s moving on and won’t ever put herself in a position to feel the way she did three weeks ago.She deserves to have a peaceful life and you obviously aren’t a part of that because of your own decisions,” Roger states before he hangs up on me.
“Got church in ten,” Caleb says, joining me at the picnic table.“Did you finally get a hold of someone?”
“Yeah.Talked to Roger.It’s bad, Caleb.He won’t tell me where she is but said she’s movin’ on and that we all made her feel insignificant and as if the Feral girls were more important than her.She’s been sufferin’ because I didn’t fuckin’ call her,” I tell my best friend while staring straight ahead and thinking of everything Roger said and left out.
There isn’t a doubt in my mind she’s on the ranch with him.If she’s leaving there, it means she’s getting her own place.I don’t know if she’ll remain in Glendale or if it means she’s moving somewhere else.For the first time since I found Annistyn in that warehouse, I know absolutely nothing about her.Even when she was at the ranch getting treatment, Roger contacted me on a regular basis to update me.Now, it’s as if she’s completely vanished and I’ll never get her back again.
“I figured it was bad when I heard she left the compound.We put the rules in place because they’re stuff we believe in, Kreed.Every single one of us voted on them and understood what they meant.You were the one who didn’t tell anyone they could give Annistyn information so they were simply followin’ the rules of the club we all put in place.It’s fucked up, but somethin’ we did to protect ourselves.Every single one of us understands why Annistyn isn’t your ol’ lady yet.She’s not ready to be claimed.I also think you haven’t properly explained it to her.Both of you have to learn how this relationship works because anythin’ you have with Annistyn won’t be remotely close to the few short relationships you had in the past.If you truly want her as your ol’ lady, you better figure out how to fix this shit and show her how important she is to you.The rest of us have to fix our own fuck-ups with her.We will if she ever gives us a chance to.Now, let’s get to the clubhouse for church.Master found some shit and needs us all there immediately,” Caleb says, standing from his seat and waiting for me to join him.
The two of us get on our bikes and leave the garage.Our trip to the clubhouse is short and I don’t pay attention to my surroundings as I normally do.I’m distracted and don’t belong on my bike at all.I don’t belong driving if I’m being honest because even in my truck I’d be distracted and have a higher possibility to cause a crash.
Pulling into the compound, I wait for Caleb to park his bike before I back mine in next to his.Shutting off the engine, I don’t look around as I get off and remove my helmet.Walking in the clubhouse, I head directly for church without saying a word to anyone.The guys are all used to my silence now and leave me alone unless it’s something important I have to know.After handing over my stuff to the Prospect at the door, I make my way into church and take my normal seat.Everyone else is already there waiting on Caleb and me.
“Church in session,” he says in full President mode while taking his seat and looking around the table.“Master, you wanted us to meet because you found somethin’ we need to know.What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s not good.Link has had me diggin’ into the crash that took the lives of Annistyn’s parents.I’ve pulled security footage of the scene, read all the reports, talked to the police involved in the investigation, and looked over the hospital records.The car crash was no accident.Someone cut the brake lines knowin’ Annistyn’s parents were headin’ out with her for the day.They were drivin’ down a large hill on the way to the beach when her dad lost control of the car and couldn’t stop the crash from happenin’.Her mom tried to get in the back seat to protect Annistyn.She couldn’t reach her and it ended up causin’ more damage to her body.One of the doctors wrote in the report she might have lived if she hadn’t tried to get to her daughter.
“While that shit is horrible, it’s not the worst part.Her aunt and uncle paid someone to cut the brake lines because her uncle is a useless piece of shit who knows nothin’ about cars.Still not the worst part.They sold Annistyn off when she was three fuckin’ years old.Some asshole saw her with her parents and decided he wanted her.Not for sexual purposes but he wanted her as his daughter.Bought her without hesitation after the aunt and uncle guaranteed they could get her away from her parents.They know if the parents were still alive, they wouldn’t ever give up searchin’ for her.She had the best parents and they did everythin’ with her.Spent all their time with her and took her places every weekend.
“Now, her aunt and uncle are desperate to find Annistyn.The asshole has been waitin’ twenty-five years for her.He’s demandin’ her and his money back now.I found emails he’s exchanged with her aunt over the last several months.The only reason he hasn’t pushed for her before now is because he couldn’t find the aunt and uncle.Before now, he couldn’t find an email for them, they remained on the farm, and when they were in public, they managed to escape him every time he got close.I have no clue how they stayed away from him so long honestly,” Master informs us all as I feel rage filling my entire body and I start shaking in my seat.
“You’re tellin’ me her aunt and uncle have sold my Pixie off at least twice since she was placed in their custody?”I question Master while slamming my hand on the table in front of me.
“They’ve actually sold her off seven times.Each time, they delayed givin’ her up for one reason or another until the very last time.Neither one of them had a choice in that situation though.The guys men showed up on the farm and took Annistyn from them.Now, they’re lookin’ for her because they’re gonna try to get more money from this stupid fucker.Her aunt sent an email to someone about the situation and spilled it all.She’s stupid as hell because she’s leavin’ the perfect trail for us to follow,” Master answers me as he pulls up several emails on the laptop we read on the screen in church.
“Fuck!”Viper yells as he reads each email Master shows us.“I want to gut those fuckers.”
“Get in line,” Manic says as Master pulls up the reports from several trips Annistyn has made to the hospital over the years when they had no choice but to take her.Times her uncle beat her so badly they had to come up with an excuse to get her treated because it was more than they could handle.
“There’s one more thing you should know,” Master says, looking at me and judging how I’m handling what I’ve been told so far.“Her uncle David, not related to the fuckers who beat and tortured her, has been puttin’ a case together on the couple.Annistyn knows about it and is fully prepared to testify if she needs to.I’ve been workin’ with him because she wants them to rot in prison.She wants them to suffer and spend the rest of their days knowin’ how bad they lost and she’s the reason they’re no longer free.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”I question Master, standing up from my seat so fast it slams into the wall behind me.
“Her uncle told me when he called.Annistyn told him if he needed any help on the computer to contact me and I might be able to give him any information he was missin’ for the case.Reckless knows I’ve been workin’ with him and has approved it.We won’t get our hands on them but it doesn’t mean we can’t take out everyone else who has bought her over the years,” Master says, his voice hard and cold as he looks around the table before locking in on me once again.
“This situation is worse than any of us realized.For now, we have to find Annistyn and make sure she’s protected at all times,” Caleb says while staring at me.“I’d like for her to move back on the compound, but no one is to force her into doin’ that.Every decision she makes has to be hers.Church is over.Master get with me in ten and we’ll go over everythin’ in my office.Kreed you can only join if you’ll remain calm.”
