Page 87 of Twisted Bonds
Twenty-three
Swish
Twenty-four
Swish
Twenty-five
Swish
Twenty…
"Bain, you can't keep doing this to yourself."
I open my eyes and look in the mirror before me; I see my now ex-wife's reflection leaning against the doorframe to my playroom, where I came to seek solitude. I've been coming here every day for the past month. Once leads on sightings of Ryan started becoming few and far between, I began seeking my alone time. Chloe always seems to know where to find me, though.
"You can close the door on your way out," I tell her, not harshly, but not friendly, either.
She ignores me completely, and instead of retreating, she enters the room. I continue the strikes with my small whip, dismissingChloe altogether. She doesn't get to tell me what to do anymore. She stands behind me as she watches me give myself what I need.
"Go to the club, Bain."
I stop once more, and for the first time ever, I glare at Chloe. "Why in the fuck would I go to the club?"
"It's obvious you need to tend to your needs. I'd help, but…"
I chuckle mockingly before I say, "If I don't want to go to the club, what makes you think I would accept your offer? Sorry,honey, but you've already made it loud and clear that we don't have that relationship anymore. I've moved on, remember? I will not disrespect Ryan by being with anyone else until I know we are truly through."
Chloe looks slightly hurt, but I can't bring myself to feel sorry for her at the moment. We are both very different people after everything that has happened; I see that now. The D'Angelos had ruined my life by taking Chloe from me, and yes, then it was my uncle. Now, that bastard Brant has taken Ryan. I can't say with absolute certainty that it was Agent Castor, but come on. There is no other explanation, especially since he has also gone MIA since then.
It's been a week since Liv called me. She said she would keep me informed if she heard from Ryan, but so far, there's only been silence. Am I giving up hope? Absolutely not.
I jump to my feet once I see I won't get any more alone time. I walk over to put the implement back in its place but stop at Chloe's next words. "She's ruining the lives of both my men, and I don't like it."
I turn slowly around and ask, "What the fuck do you mean by that? I know you're not blaming her abductions on Ryan. None of this is her fault. If anything—it's mine. Don'teverplace blame on Ryan for being abducted. You don't even know her, and I'm no longer one of your men."
"I've seen enough to know she can't make you or Beau happy; it's been heartache. I'm not blaming her, but the girl has bad luck, so maybe it would be best to give her up. It's not meant to be," my ex says.
"What do you know about what's supposed to be meant to be? You didn't even giveusa chance when you came back. We always said that we were meant to be, but that didn't seem to work for you anymore. I guess I was no longer old enough for you." I dig at her, not caring at this point.
Chloe sighs, and my phone rings when she's about to say something else. Not wanting to miss a call from Ryan, I anxiously answer the callbecause I don't recognize the number. I sound slightly winded when I answer.
"Bain Huntley, can I help you?" The connection isn't good, and I have a hard time understanding the man on the other end, so I tell him as much and then hang up. Not even two minutes later, they call me again, but the connection is very clear this time.
"I believe I may have someone you've been looking for, Huntley." The voice on the other end is familiar, but I can't pinpoint it.
"Who is this? What are you talking about?" I ask demandingly.
"Do you have more than one missing woman in your life?" they ask sarcastically, yet with a hint of anger mixed in.
"Ryan! You have Ryan?" My whole body goes rigid as every cell inside me comes alive with the best news I've heard in over two months. "Let me talk to her!"
"I'm sorry, but she's resting. I'll send you the coordinates to where we are, but I suggest you get your ass here as soon as you can." The voice on the other end rasps before hanging up.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stare down at it as though I had imagined the call, but then it buzzes with a text notification. When I click on the pin inside the text, I see the coordinates are by the Cape. Ryan is in Massachusetts!
"What is it, Bain?" Chloe asks from beside me, but again, I ignore her as I dial another number.
