They were finally here for me.
We crept to the trailer, pressing our backs against it before Beast began moving around the side of it. I’d never seen that look on his face before, and it scared me. Gone was the man I had fallen in love with—the vulnerable, beautiful man—and in his place was a cold-blooded killer. I could see it in his eyes, in his stance, in the way his jaw ticked. I felt safe but terrified of him all at the same time.
The sound of an engine coming to life brought my thoughts back to the present, and Beast looked back at me with a scowl. We moved quicker, heading around to the front of the trailer, gun raised, just in time to see my mom taking off in my car.
Dirt and gravel flew up behind her as she tried to get out of there before she had to face me, and I gasped as I put the pieces together. The car was loaded with boxes on the back seat, and without thinking I ran from around the back of Beast and up the steps of my trailer.
Inside was a mess. Every cupboard door was open, the small sofa was in disarray, cushions scattered on to the floor, ornaments knocked over, and pictures hanging to one side.
She was looking for something…
“No!” I cried out, and ran toward my bedroom.
“Belle, wait,” Beast called after me, but I was already gone, throwing open the rickety door to my room.
The room had been tipped upside down, drawers emptied, the mattress dragged up. The door to the small closet was open and its contents were spilling out: clothes, books, CDs—my life was in an unwanted heap. I dropped to my knees in front of it and began rummaging through my things, searching for the rose-scented box where I kept my savings. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it, but it was short-lived.
The lid was off it and the contents were gone.
A sob left me and I buried my face in my hands.
“What is it?” he asked.
I glanced up briefly. “My savings…she took all of it.”
Beast sat behind me on the edge of the bed, one hand rubbing my back as he let me cry out all of my disappointment and sadness. When there was nothing left in me, I rubbed at my cheeks and looked back at him, and his expression was haunting.
He knew my pain.
He’d lived it too.
The disappointment of a mother, of family, was agonizing. These were the people that were supposed to love and protect you. To keep you safe and pick you up when you fell down. They weren’t supposed to hurt you. They weren’t supposed to allow bad things to happen.
“How much was in there?” he asked.
“Everything,” I said, my voice hoarse. “All of my savings. Everything that Shooter paid me to look after you, and everything from before then. It was all I had in the world—maybe ten grand, give or take.”
“Jesus, Belle,” he sighed, dragging a hand down his chin. “Why would you keep that sort of money lying around here?”
“I was saving for an apartment. I just—I wasn’t sure if I could put it in the bank what with it coming from the club. I didn’t want anyone asking questions in case I got you in trouble.” I looked back at the empty box again, and then my eyes surveyed the mess my mother had left in her hunt for my savings. She’d torn the place apart looking for it. “I need to clean up,” I said sadly, getting to my feet.
“Hey,” Beast said, reaching for me, “come here.”
He pulled me to him and I buried my face in his neck, swallowing down the tears that were threatening to come again.
“I can’t believe she’d do this to me,” I mumbled against his skin.
His hands rubbed up and down my back, soothing me. “People are shitty, Belle. It’s just the way they are.”
I pulled away to look at him, his sadness matching mine. God, he was actually sad for me, and for some reason that made it more bearable. He got it, he understood. He was furious for me, but mostly he was just sad for me.
Beast pushed my hair back from my face and I took a shuddering breath. “People are shitty,” he said again, “but I know that there are good people out there too. And the good far outweigh the bad.”
“How can you be so sure?” I said with a sniffle.
He smiled and didn’t say anything, and I knew what he was saying without words, and I found myself agreeing with him. I surveyed the damage again.
“I’m never getting out of this dump, am I?” I said on a heavy breath.
