Page 13 of Wilder's Promise
She nods, her expression grave. "Three months in captivity. I won't burden you with the details. They're not something anyone should have to hear. But your father found me when I'd lost all hope. He and his men rescued more than twenty women that night."
"Why did you stay? The others left."
"Some had homes to return to. Families searching for them." A shadow crosses her face. "I had nothing. No one. Your father offered me protection until they caught the men responsible."
"And now you're with him." It's not a question.
"Now I'm with him," she confirms. "It wasn't planned, Emma. It just... happened. We found something in each other that neither of us expected."
I want to be angry, to lash out, to tell her she's being used or manipulated. But the quiet dignity in her voice stops me. This isn't some naive girl swept up in the dangerous allure of an older man. There's a strength in her that reminds me, uncomfortably, of myself.
"He abandoned me and my mother," I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. "He let us walk away without a fight. And now he's moved on, playing hero to someone else."
Evelyn sits on the edge of the desk. "Did he ever tell you why he didn't fight for custody?"
"He said it was to protect us. The usual MC bullshit about keeping family separate from club business." I roll my eyes. "Fatlot of good that did, considering I'm here now with Vultures MC trying to kill me."
"It wasn't just about protection from enemies." Her voice gentles. "It was about protecting you from himself. From what he might become if he lost you in a custody battle."
"What does that even mean?"
"Your father has darkness in him, Emma. Violence he controls through strict codes and rules. He was afraid that if your mother took you away through the courts, if he had to watch you slip away legally and permanently..." She pauses. "He feared what he might do to keep you. The lines he might cross. So he let you go, believing it was the only way to keep his darkness from touching you."
"That's no excuse," I whisper, but the conviction in my voice wavers.
"No, it's not," she agrees, surprising me. "It was still a choice that hurt you deeply. One he regrets every day. But understanding why people make the choices they do doesn't mean excusing the pain those choices cause."
Before I can respond, another knock sounds at the door, harder and more insistent than Evelyn's gentle tap. Without waiting for an answer, the door swings open to reveal Wilder.
Chapter 5 - Wilder
I hadn't expected to find Evelyn in Emma's room. The two women turn toward me. Evelyn composed as always, Emma with a mixture of surprise and lingering hostility on her face. The tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife.
"Meeting's starting," I say, keeping my voice neutral. My arm throbs beneath the fresh bandage Blade applied, but the pain is manageable now. "Reaper wants everyone in the chapel."
Evelyn stands, smoothing her jeans. "I was just bringing Emma something to eat."
I notice the untouched sandwich on the desk. Emma hasn't moved from her perch on the edge of the bed, her red hair wet.
"Should I really be at this meeting?" Emma asks. "I'm not a member."
"I told you. You’re family. Besides, this is also about your safety," I say. "You need to know what we're up against."
Evelyn touches Emma's shoulder lightly as she passes. "I'll see you in there."
When she's gone, Emma finally reaches for the sandwich, taking a small bite. "I can’t believe she really was one of the trafficking victims. She seems so… confident.”
"Yes." I lean against the doorframe, mindful of my injured arm. "The Vultures MC had her for three months before your father found her."
"And now she's with him." Emma shakes her head. "It's just... strange."
"Life is strange," I offer. "Especially in our world."
She takes another bite
"We should go. Your father doesn't like to be kept waiting."
She sets down the half-eaten sandwich and stands, running fingers through her damp hair in a futile attempt to tame it. "Do I look like I've been crying? Because I haven't been."
