Page 82 of Emmy's Ride

And I broke.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my body shaking as I pressed my face into his chest. "I-I did things," I choked out. "Things I had to do to survive."

Austin stiffened, but his grip didn’t falter.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I feel dirty."

He pulled back just enough to cup my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned with fury—not at me, but for me.

"You listen to me," he said, voice rough with emotion. "Nothing they did to you, nothing they forced you to do, changes a damn thing. You’re still mine, Emmy. And nothing can take you from me. Not even him."

I sucked in a shaky breath.

Austin brushed his lips against my forehead, lingering. "I’m gonna fix this. I swear it."

I cried until I had no more tears left to fall. And through my entire emotional purge, Austin held me. I clutched on to him just as tightly. I didn’t know how long I stayed wrapped in his arms,letting him hold me together. At some point, exhaustion took over, and I dozed off.

Later, I woke disoriented to low voices outside the room.

At first, I thought I was back in the villa. But it wasn’t Javier’s voice I heard—it was Austin’s. And someone else’s.

Pushing the blanket off, I slipped from the bed, padding barefoot across the hardwood floor. The door was cracked just enough for me to see into the next room—where Austin stood with Jax and Tank, his expression a mask of barely controlled rage.

"We leave in an hour," Austin was saying. "I don’t give a fuck what it takes. The Ghost is mine tonight."

Jax shook his head. "Brother, this ain't the time."

"The fuck it isn’t."

"She needs you here," Tank said firmly. "You think you can just drop her off at a safehouse and go hunt him down? What happens when she wakes up and you’re gone?"

Austin’s shoulders were rigid.

Jax crossed his arms. "This isn’t just about revenge, is it?"

Silence.

Then…"He watched her," Austin grit out. "Made her perform for him like she was some kind of fucking toy." His voice cracked. "And I just stood there and watched it happen."

Austin saw what I did?

My heart froze, and embarrassment like I’d never experienced filled me. He saw.

Austin ran a hand down his face, his body practically vibrating with fury. "I should've gotten to her sooner."

Jax exhaled heavily. "You saved her. But if you run off and get yourself killed now, what the hell does that do for her?"

Austin didn’t answer.

I had heard enough. I shoved the door open, the sound breaking the tense silence. All three men turned to me, their eyes widening slightly in surprise.

I marched straight up to Austin, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You were going to leave me?"

His nostrils flared. "Emmy?—"

"Shut up." My voice shook with anger. "I am not some problem you can set aside while you go on a fucking suicide mission!"

"I wasn’t?—"

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