I sigh, wishing like crazy my mind would cooperate.
“Just that image of him, his cruel words, and the sensation of falling as he restricted my air. The threat, the sense of hopelessness, and the realization that I was no longer free.”
“It’s okay, we have a name and we have something to go on. I’ll feed the information back to the Reapers and they will do what they do best. Unravel the mystery.”
“He’s dangerous, Blade. Don’t ask me how I know that as fact; I just do. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or your friends. It’s not worth it.”
His eyes flash and he tightens his hold on my fingers, an angry pulse flicking in his jaw, murderous intent in his eyes as they burn with rage.
“You are worth it, Delilah, and don’t ever fucking attempt to tell me otherwise. You have a name, and that is good enough for me. We will track this bastard down and make him pay, and that, my angel, is a deadly promise.”
It’s a relief, I’m not gonna lie, because offloading one of my demons onto stronger shoulders eases a burden I didn’t realize I was carrying.
Gideon Fox. A cruel man, for sure, and I almost hope that is the only memory that returns because I have a feeling the rest are so traumatic, my mind has locked them away to preserve my sanity.
I’m not certain where we go from here, and Blade exhales sharply, “Come, we need some air.”
I’m grateful for his suggestion, and as I follow him to the door of the cabin, I appreciate the view from behind. He certainly is a magnificent man. One I would hate to be up against. He is a small army in one man, and I breathe a little easier knowing he is by my side.
He surprises me by reaching for my hand as he heads down the steps from the cabin, and points to the treeline ahead of us.
“We won’t go far; we don’t have the footwear, but there’s something I want you to see.”
He’s not wrong about that, and I glance down at the sneakers I found in the cupboard in the bedroom. They are a little too big for my feet, but the shoes I was wearing when they took me to the hospital were even more impractical.
Huge red heels that crippled me when I walked, that Angela insisted I wear along with the ceremonial robe she used like a sick kind of uniform.
We head down a small trail, and it’s kind of liberating.
I remembered something.
It may not be a welcome memory, but it tells me I have some deep in my mind and gives me hope the rest will return, revealing my identity, history, and who the fuck I am.
CHAPTER 10
BLADE
She’s married. Why is that the most devastating thing she told me? This Gideon Fox sounds like a fucking bastard, and he had his hands on her. This sweet woman who deserves none of the shit life flung at her. His wife. His fucking wife.
The words are screaming inside me as I struggle to understand why they affect me so much.
Delilah is quiet. I hate to imagine what’s tearing through her mind right now. Is that the only memory she has? That she married the creep? I wonder if piece by devastating piece the puzzle will connect and what if she wants to go back to him—for whatever reason? Do they have a kid, two or three? My mind imagines all sorts right now and I can hardly breathe.
Why does this affect me so much?
“Blade.”
Her soft voice filters through my turbulent thoughts, and I say evenly, “Yes, darlin’.”
“I hate that I was married to him.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a bad man. I don’t remember much, but the shivers that crawled through my body when my memory of him returned told me there was a very good reason why I hate him.”
“Men like Gideon Fox don’t make it a habit of being pussycats, darlin’. I’m guessing your intuition is spot on.”
“Do you believe your club can locate him?”
