Raine
“How couldhe do thistome?”
Crickett ambled around my room, staring at some of my stuff on my desk. “Do you remember the first time we met, honey?” My stepmom picked up my yellowing unicorn rubber duck that was my most prized possession from when I waslittle.
I thought back to that day: hopping into my dad’s big white truck to see a strange woman sitting in the front seat. “I gave you a flower and said you werepretty.”
With kind eyes, she smiled and took a seat on the bed next to me. “You’ve always been very special, Raine. Your dad has always known that and he wants more for you than a dangerous life married to a clubmember.”
“But Ryder, he’s different. I know that is so cliché to say, butit’strue.”
Crickett put her hand on my shoulder, slowly pulling me in for a hug. “I will talk to your father. I can’t guarantee anything, sweetheart, butI’lltry.”
“Thank you.” I held on to Crickett, trying to choose my next words carefully. “Do you think he’s scared history is going to repeatitself?”
My stepmother pulled away from me, her face fighting back the pain we knew was starting to blanket the entire room. “Honey, what happened to your mother and grandmother didn't have anything to do with the club. You know thatright?”
I nodded. “Then why is Dad so scared of me dating Ryder? You and Dad have madeitwork.”
“All I can do is try to remind Abel of that. Fingerscrossed.”
“Thank you.” I pulled my blanket around my shoulders, wiping the tears away from my soaked faceandneck.
“You do know that it is a hard life, right? It’s scary and dangerous and you never know if your man is going to come home to you. Are you prepared to live a life likethat,baby?”
I nodded. “If it’s for Ryder, I’ll go to hellandback.”
“Okay then.” She kissed my forehead and thatwasthat.
Crawling under the covers, I shot off a text message toRyder.
Me: Goodnight babe. Crickett is on our side. Hopefully Dad will comearoundsoon.
Ryder: Goodnight,mylove.
I drifted off to what I knew was going to be a restless night’s sleep, but the nightmare that plagued me was one that I hadn’t had inyears.
“What are you doing?”My hollow voice begged to scream but nothing more than a cry came. I was frozen in the corner of the room watching the terrifying scene unfold in frontofme.
The shadowed figure trudged over to my mother and grandmother as they screamed and pleaded with him to stop. Huddled in the kitchen together, they were completelydefenseless.
In a low raspy voice, he laughed. “You can all see me in hell when this is saidanddone.”
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
They each fell to the ground in succession, soaked in their blood mixing on the kitchenfloor.
I was spared, left alone to scream in thecorner.
Cold, alone,scared.
3
Raine
