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“Ha. I see what you did there,” she laughs. How are you settling in with Bex?”

“He’s great,” I sigh. “He’s definitely the calm I’ve needed.”

“Yeah,” she says. “When I got back from college… Mason helped me a lot.”

“Mason?” I ask, looking over at her. She smiles a little, and I gasp. “You two…”

“Secretly,” she says. “We agreed not to talk about the shit with Kate, but now that they are making up, maybe it can be official.”

“What can be official?” Beckett asks. “You mean you and Mason sneaking around fucking?”

“I regret nothing,” Bella laughs.

I’m confused because she seems so happy about it. I’ve never enjoyed sex. It’s always painful and makes me feel dirty after. Anthony rarely touched me, mostly just every few months when he was too drunk to go find someone else for the night. A lot of the time he would make me blow him, and that would be that. Overall, it wasn’t something he talked about. He either wanted it or didn’t. He got what he needed and then left me where he caught me. I know if I had just stopped fighting, it wouldn’t have been so uncomfortable, but I hated the way he smiled at me as he choked me.

When we get to the diner, I sit on the inside next to Beckett, and he gently places his hand on my thigh when I start to fidget. I lay my hand over top of his and relax. When we order, I make it easy and just get what Beckett is getting.

Sitting here with all of them makes me feel whole again. I know it will take me a while to relax, but I’m willing to try to enjoy this. I still have a sense of impending doom, but it’s starting to fade, little by little.

Chapter Ten

Beckett

After lunch, we go back to the shop. Bella and Sierra go to the office, but Mason and I go sit in the truck. “What did you want to talk about?” I ask.

“I was doing some digging, and Anthony is either really fucking good at hiding himself, or that’s not his real name. The little house they lived in? Empty.”

“It’s been days,” I say. “She ran, and he just packed up and left?”

“Looks that way. The house was rented under the name…” Mason says, but pulls out his phone to check. “John Donaldson.”

“Who the fuck is that?” I ask.

“I don’t know. He’s like eighty-six, though, and died eight years ago,” Mason says. “I hate to ask this, but… She was gone for seven years. Any chance she got herself into some trouble? She hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about everything.”

“She’s traumatized, Mason,” I argue. “She can’t fake those nightmares.”

“Yeah… I just don’t get it,” he says. “Can you try and get her to talk a little? Don’t give her flashbacks or some shit, but maybe push a little?”

“I can try,” I offer. “She’s doing well, all things considered. I don’t want to ruin that for a maybe.”

“Yeah,” Mason says. “What if she is into some shit?”

“We give her a choice,” I say. “Let us get her out of it, or she walks away.”

“You’d let her walk away?”

“You think she wouldn’t want out?” I counter.

“Fair. She’s always been… nerdy. I’d be surprised if she’s anything but innocent. Mom and Dad kept her pretty sheltered. Even for being part of the MC.”

“Nerdy because she likes to read?” I ask, laughing.

“Nerdy… she didn’t know that boys and girls are different until high school, dude. She only found out because she accidentally walked in while I was in the shower.”

“Oh. How unfortunate that her first encounter with a dick was her brother’s micro,” I muse.

“You asshole,” he laughs. “She’d have unrealistic expectations of men and their dicks if it had been you, King Kong Dong.”