Page 91 of My Secret to Protect

Riding out from the club, flanked by my dad and men I once would have considered my family feels fucking surreal. If I weren’t so scared that I could lose Bree tonight, I’d let myself enjoy it, but getting her back is the only thing that matters.

The plan is simple. We’ll come to a stop a way out like I did earlier, going in on foot so the noise of the bikes doesn’t alert them and cause any of them to do something fucking stupid. My dad and his guys will take care of Horse and his so I can get in, take out Nolan, and get Bree.

I’m going to kill the son of a bitch today regardless, but the state Bree comes back to me in will determine how much I make it hurt.

Taking the lead, I turn. The eleven bikes behind me follow, and knowing how close we are, my blood pumps with adrenaline. The red dot on the tracker still pumps, which means she still has a pulse, and that keeps me steady. If that ever stops, every person in a hundred-mile radius better take cover because I will bring hell on earth if anything happens to her.

Slowing as we hit the dirt road, I signal with my hand for everyone to pull over, and in perfect formation, they all turn to the right, coming to a stop.

‘This is it?’ my dad asks quietly, and I nod, yes.

‘Through those trees. It’s dark,’ I warn, ‘really fucking dark and unsteady. You’re going to have to feel your way through once you get closer. Once you can see their lights, they’ll be able to see yours.’

The men all nod, check their weapons, and start to follow me through the trees.

I Want To Go Home

Bree

Myheadfeelsfuzzy.Was I drinking last night?

My eyes don’t want to open, but I need to wake up. I need water. I start to stretch and bring life into my limbs, but I can’t. My hands are stuck, my ankles, too.

Awareness hits me, and I snap my eyes open to take in the dim room and the cable ties holding my wrists together.Oh no. I suck in a gasp for breath as I arch my neck to look down and see the ties around my ankles too.Fuck. No, no, no.

Memories trickle back into my mind of being at Arlo’s place, opening the door to Nolan, and leaving with him. ‘Oh my god, no.’

Turning my head, I try to assess how deep the shit I’m in is. I’m on a bed, and the cable ties on my wrists have my hands threaded through the metal headboard. There’s a lamp on a side table that highlights the room, and it’s not a bedroom. I’m in an open-plan kitchen and living room. It’s small, looks old, like nobody has been here in a while, and there’s an odd smell, like damp wood or the smell the ground gets after heavy rainfall.

The curtains at the windows are closed, but they’re thin. I can see the passing glow of flashlights and hear the hum of lowered voices outside. I remember—the guys at Arlo’s place, the guys who trashed his house and his bike in Bone Roses cuts.

Nolan is working with the club, and the thought terrifies me. I can only imagine what the club is capable of and can’t help but wonder why they turned against us—me, but I don’t have time to think about it. I don’t have time to be afraid. I need to figure out a way out of this.

Dropping my sweater in the doorway was a sign to Arlo that I’d been taken, but there was no way of him knowing where I was. I’m on my own for now, and I have to find a way back to him.

I hear a door close somewhere behind me, followed by slow, steady footsteps approaching, and I close my eyes. Maybe I can pretend to still be asleep.

‘I know you’re awake, princess.’

Nolan’s scent fills my nostrils, and my mouth waters with nausea. As I open my eyes, he sits on the bed next to me and strokes the back of his fingers down the side of my face. I try to pull away from his touch, but I have nowhere to go.

‘I’m so sorry, Bree. This isn’t how I wanted our forever to start, but you wouldn’t behave.’ He gazes down at me, then smiles so softly. ‘I had to get everything set up. I wanted it all to be perfect for you, but you pushed me to come for you too soon. I wasn’t ready yet. I couldn’t let him confuse you even more than he had. This place is just temporary.’ He looks around at the room we’re in and shakes his head. ‘Our home isn’t quite ready yet, but I needed to get you out of there. I hope you can forgive me. I promise you, princess. It’s going to be perfect.’

‘Nolan, please, just let me go.’ My voice is a whisper as fear strangles me, but he just smiles and shakes his head.

‘Sweetheart, this is just the beginning for us.’ Standing, he walks away, then turns back, smiling wide. ‘I waited for you for so long.’ Jesus, he’s so happy. It’s terrifying, and my body starts to tremble with fear as the tears I was trying to hold back start to escape. The man in front of me is not the man I met in that club, not the man I dated, not the man I had dinner with just a few months ago. That man was sweet, friendly, and reasonable. This man is unhinged. ‘It’s going to take you some time. I know that,’ he says sincerely. ‘So, we’ll take precautions,’ he indicates the cable ties, ‘until you come to realize this is where you’re supposed to be.’

‘Nolan, you need to let me leave, please. You’re a cop. You know this isn’t right.’

In a rush, he moves to sit on the bed once more, his hand gripping my chin roughly as a sob bursts out of me.

‘Don’t cry, Bree,’ he says firmly. ‘I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to love you. Stop crying. You wanted love. You said that.’

‘Nolan,’ I say weakly, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

‘You have no idea how long I waited, how long I tried to get your attention, and you wouldn’t even look at me.’ Opening his eyes he stares down at me, and I look away, but he leans in. ‘Look at me now, Bree.’ Swallowing hard, I return my gaze to his, and he exhales as he smiles. ‘That’s better.’

‘Nolan, I did look at you. I liked you. I gave you my number, and we dated. Isleptwith you. It just didn’t work out.’

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