Page 43 of Dismantle & Prevail
Every night I sleep with her pressed against me and when she is next to me, waking up from the nightmares isn't so bad. I know just by holding her in my arms, all the tales of what I have lost will fade away.
Scrubbing my hands down my face, my gaze moves to Boone, who is sitting silently across from me, watching…waiting for me to say something.
Taking a deep breath, I rise from my seat and go do the one thing that has helped tremendously since seeing Dr. Link.
Boone’s gaze tracks my movement as I make my way to the door. “I need some air. I appreciate you, Bo. I just need some space.”
I don’t wait for his reply before heading out the door of The Heart, making a beeline for the garage. But of course, I hit the common room at a time where it is crowded with everyone and the second I step in, all eyes are on me.
Well, maybe not, but that’s how it feels.
I try not to make eye contact with anyone, but it fails and I see some of the wives staring at me with pity in their eyes.
Anger consumes me. I hate feeling weak. I hate feeling like everyone sees me as this broken man. Our job is to save individuals that are placed in worse situations than I was in and I hate that they are looking at me like I am one of our victims.
Those people are warriors. I am just the president of an organization that helps them out. A leader who accidentally fell into the trap of an unknown man.
In this business, we will do anything necessary to make sure the demons that turned these innocent people’s lives upside down pay for their crimes. It’s rare, but sometimes revenge for the ones that were exterminated from this world comes back to bite us.
I watched it happen to Hudson, a fellow member of Resilience who runs Team Valiant in Texas. His disappearance sent the entire organization into a frenzy. Luckily, they found him, but it made everyone hyper-aware for years.
I guess I was just a fool to think it would never happen to me. If that even is the reason. We don’t have much to go off, but that is the only plausible idea at the moment.
After what feels like an eternity of weaving through the common room, I finally reach the door that leads to the outside when I hear a voice behind me.
“Prez!”
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I turn around and see Cosmo, one of my most seasoned guys.
“Need something, Mo?”
“Nope. Was gonna ask you the same thing?”
“No thanks. Just going out to the garage.”
He straightens and tries to move around me to the door and I follow his movement. “Perfect. I’ll keep ya company. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you. I’ll just be near if ya need a hand.”
My teeth grind and my fists clench.
Do not snap at him. He’s just worried about you, Aries.
“I’m good, Mo. Don’t need a babysitter. But I’ll let you know if I do. Thank you, though.” I smile and smack the side of his arm gently. I don’t want to be an ass. Last time I was, Taylor ripped me to shreds. Which she had every right to do. I was a jerk and deserved every single bit of her anger.
Cosmo smiles and moves to the side, allowing a path to the door. “You bet, Prez. Always got your back.”
Cosmo walks away and as soon as I step outside into the cool December air, I instantly feel my body relax.
Christmas is right around the corner and it's about to get chaotic in the Clubhouse. Families, former victims, and those in need of a family will flood the compound in just a few days and chaos will ensue.
I’m sure my disappearance has made its way around the gossip mill, so I desperately need to take the next few days to get my head on straight.
Snapping at anyone is not in the cards. Neither is pissing off my butterfly covered beauty.
The walk to the garage is short and I knock my boots against the metal paneling so I don't track in snow.
I make a beeline for the bike I have been working on for weeks since gaining my strength back and my wrists didn't feel as if they were being cut with razor blades every time I so much as cranked a wrench.
My hands glide over the metal frame before I walk over to the toolbox on the wall and, just like that, the rest of the world fades away into a comfortable silence.
