Page 28 of Healing Souls

“I was living in hell. And completely alone. I had no one. Things were progressively getting worse, and I had no answers as to what was going on. Risking being on my own was less of a risk than staying there with unknown threats.” I’m surprised at how steady my voice stays as I say that, considering my mind flashes with memories upon memories of the things that happened. My skin shows the proof of what they have done. “And by the way, I’m almost seventeen.”

Ryker opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, the front door flings open. My first instinct is to flinch, but I manage to hold it back. When I look over at the guy who is walking into the kitchen, I tilt my head as I study him. He is the guy from the bus stop, I think. His eyes look familiar as they connect with mine. Blue with specks of gold.

Ryker places his hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. “Harley, this is Noah.” He goes to say something else, but I interrupt him. That name. I know it.

“Noah?” I press.

He raises a brow, a cocky smirk coming over his face. “That’s my name,” he says with a nod.

“Why did Moth—I mean Tammy think I knew you and was telling you shit?” My mind starts to fade back to the last few days in the basement…No, don’t go there.

The smirk instantly drops, a serious yet deadly look overtaking his face.

Grayson clears his throat from behind us. I turn to look at him. “Why don’t we all sit down and eat, and we can talk?” he suggests.

I agree, considering my stomach lets out a loud rumble that causes all three of them to chuckle before Noah says, “Cade will be here in a minute.”

I watch as Grayson gives Noah a look with a raised brow and Noah shrugs. Before I can comment on it, Ryker is nudging me towards the table. We all sit down and start filling our plates. Somehow, my nerves don’t seem to be hitting me too hard at being surrounded by near strangers. Ryker and even Grayson seem to calm me, and I feel comfortable around them, even if I don’t fully understand why.

The bigger reason I think the nerves aren’t hitting is because I am fucking starving. Ever since being at Bri’s and starting to work out more often, I grew a new appetite, and I couldn’t imagine only eating maybe two cans a day like I did for three years. Not that it was a choice.

As we start to eat, the door opens again, and Cayden walks in. Isn’t this Rage’s house? Why does everyone just keep walking in? I need to stop holding in my questions and ask things I want to know. So, I do, and Ryker answers.

“We all grew up around here. Rage’s house was built about two years ago, and we are all very close to him. It probably would be more weird if we knocked.” He shrugs.

I wish I could say I knew what that closeness was like, but I don’t. Even when my mom was alive, I never went into her room. It was her space. And at Brielle’s, I kept too many walls up; the secrets kept us from ever getting that close.

I nod like I understand and watch as Cayden takes a seat at the table, never once speaking or looking over at me. For some reason, that bothers me.You have no right to be bothered by that, Harley,I remind myself.

“Okay, so you all live here or something?” I wave my fork around before taking another bite of my bacon.

Noah smirks at me. “Why do you get to ask all the questions here? I think it’s my turn now.”

I send him a glare. Fuck. Why didn’t I think that if I start asking questions, then they would have questions for me as well? The attitude, as Atlas has called it, comes out to play. I was never a child who spoke a lot. I was quiet and kept to myself. I mostly talked to my mom, and we never fought. The worst fight we did have… was the day she died.

My mind comes to a screeching halt.Don’t think about that right now.

I think living in three years of my own personal hell has changed me, though. I’m a different person now. I’m stronger, and even through the panic and anxiety I feel, I know I can stand up for myself now. I won’t be walked on ever again.

“First off, you haven’t answered any questions, so no, you don’t get to ask any. And second, I woke up today with Grayson and Ryker in the bed with me. I get to ask as many questions as I want.”

Ryker grins as Grayson chokes on the water he was drinking, his cheeks turning pink. “Oh, little flame, that wasn’t our fault. You fell asleep on me last night after hearing Rage’s story, and when I carried you to bed, you hung onto me like a koala, so I climbed in with you. When Grayson covered us and tried to leave, you reached out, snagged his hand and pulled him down on the bed with us and mumbledsleepbefore passing out and drooling all over me.”

I feel my face heat, not remembering any of this. “I do not drool,” I mumble while stabbing some eggs with my fork and taking a bite, not looking up at anyone.

Why would I do that? I don’t even know any of them well, and just less than a week ago, I wanted and was determined to destroy this whole club. But now, I am not too sure how I feel. I still feel this intense need to get revenge.

Someone needs to pay. But when I picture taking out my fury, I can’t see these people at the other end of it. The man who looked so broken last night, who handed me a gun and was prepared to die. These guys who are all sitting here like brothers laughing together, or the uncle I didn’t know I had who I have seen little of, but when I did see him, he seemed sincere.

I can’t imagine hurting them. When I picture evil, vile people who deserve the worst, Tammy and Richard pop into my head. Rage’s father. My mom’s father, well, a fake father, who she grew up with who hurt her.

Those are the people I picture hurting. Not these people.

I finish the last few bites of my breakfast while the guys talk. Then I get up and take my plate to the sink. While rinsing it, I hear someone come up next to me. When I look up, I see it’s Grayson.

He offers me a gentle smile. “Sorry if Ry embarrassed you. He was just teasing, and sometimes he doesn’t think before speaking.”

Before I can respond, Ryker does from behind Grayson. “I can hear you, fucker. I think before I speak.”

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