Page 183 of His Virgin Romance Series

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Devon said in irritation. “I don’t really know about my sister’s sexual preferences. Nor do I want to.”

I smiled at his discomfort. “Hey, you’re the one who brought up the topic.”

“This was not the fucking topic,” he said, through gritted teeth. “You want to know why she ran from you… here’s a thought: ask her.”

Then he turned tail and zoomed out before I could ask him any more uncomfortable questions. Chuckling to myself, I decided to go for a little spin on my Harley. It had been a long time since I went out for a ride just for the sake of it. I wanted to drive fast down a highway and experience that incomparable feeling of freedom that you could only truly appreciate on the back on a motorbike.

I was making my way to the garage when I noticed Abby in my peripheral vision. She was walking fast with her back to me, and her head turned down. Frowning, I followed her, wondering where she was heading. She walked far enough away that the clubhouse and the garage weren’t close by, but she was still on the premises. Then she found a smooth rock underneath the shade of a tree and sat down there.

I stayed behind trees and watched her carefully. I couldn’t see her face very clearly, but from what I could see, she seemed a little upset, even sad. I wondered if I should just give her a moment and leave her alone, but something about the way she was staring off into the distance made me want to talk to her and ask if she was doing ok.

A part of me acknowledged the fact that it was completely out of character for me to even care about Abby’s moods, but lots of things had changed since she had entered the clubhouse. I was forced to admit that to myself as I walked up to her. Abby saw me coming, and she seemed to tense up a little. Then she wiped at her face awkwardly, and I wondered if she was trying to conceal tears.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi,” she responded. Her voice definitely sounded a little pinched as though she were emotional about something.

“Everything ok?”

“Fine,” she replied curtly. “I just wanted to be alone. Apparently, that didn’t work out so well.”

I raised my eyebrows and nodded. “Fine… sorry to disturb you.”

I turned my back on her, but she called after me almost immediately. “No, wait, Ryder,” she said. “I… you don’t have to go.”

I turned back to her slowly, and after a moment I went and sat down beside her.

“I guess I just felt a little frustrated all of a sudden,” Abby volunteered. “And it hit me out of the blue and… I guess I just needed some space.”

“What hit you out of the blue?” I asked.

She sighed. “What am I even doing here, Ryder?” she asked, gesturing towards the clubhouse. “I’ve been here a couple of weeks, and I have no idea when I’ll get to leave.”

I didn’t like the thought of her leaving. I shouldn’t have felt that way, but there was no denying that I did.

“I quit my job because I was so scared to go to work one day and find Walter out front waiting for me,” Abby continued. “It wasn’t like it was a great job or anything, but it was something to do. At least I felt marginally useful. But here… I’m not doing anything—”

“You’re training,” I reminded her. “You’re learning how to defend yourself.”

Abby shrugged. “I know, and that’s the one thing that keeps me going. But the fact remains… Walter’s still out there, and I can’t move on with my life until he’s found. I can’t leave here till he’s found. I don’t know… sometimes I just feel like I’m going stir crazy, sitting here day in, day out waiting for news that never comes.”

“You have to be patient,” I said.

“I miss my old life,” Abby said fervently. “Actually, scratch that. My old life wasn’t that great. But I do miss my freedom. I miss being able to go out whenever I wanted. I miss being able to go for dinner or a movie or… even a walk around the block.”

Before now, it hadn’t even occurred to me how horrible it must be to be confined to one place, terrified to step out of it even for a moment. I put myself in Abby’s position, and I felt my whole body rebel at the idea of being contained the way she had to be.

“We’ll find Walter Black,” I said. “And then you’ll get your freedom back.”

Abby smiled sadly. “I hope so,” she nodded. “But there’s a possibility you might not find him at all.”

“That’s not—”

“There is a chance,” Abby interrupted me. “It may be a small chance, but it exists, and I have to be prepared for it.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I may have to leave town,” Abby revealed. “And go somewhere new… somewhere nobody knows me. Somewhere I can start fresh.”

I felt a sinking feeling in my gut as I pictured Abby packing her bags and walking away. It shouldn’t have hurt me… but it did.

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