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I shook my head, walking past them and into the building. They walked me to my door like Cyrus asked of them and made sure I was safe inside.

Just when I thought they were going to leave, Jaron came into the apartment.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Not leaving you alone unless I know for sure you’re safe.” He headed down the hall toward the bathroom and my bedroom.

I looked at Piper.

She only shrugged.

Jaron came back a moment later. “You’re good.”

“What were you looking for?” Piper asked, taking the question right out of my head.

“I was making sure there was no one here who shouldn’t be,” Jaron said like he was talking about the weather and not the fact that there could have been someone in my apartment.

Piper gasped. “Oh my.”

Jaron grabbed her hand. “Cyrus would kill me if we left, and something happened to her.” He looked at me then. “He loves you. I haven’t seen much of him lately but that’s because he’s been spending time with you and working when he isn’t. I’m right, aren’t I?”

I nodded.

“He’s happy,” Piper told Jaron. She came up to me and pulled me into a hug.

My body stiffened but that familiar anxiety was soon replaced with a sense of peace. I returned Piper’s embrace, hugging her back. Hard.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“We’ll leave you alone now but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call either of us,” Jaron instructed. “You’re Cyrus’s girl, so now you’re automatically family.”

My eyes welled, a lump forming in my throat.

Piper released me, a wide smile on her face. “It’s true.”

I’ve never had a family before.

Jaron frowned.

Piper sniffed. “She said she’s never had a family before.”

“Now you do,” Jaron said gently. “Let’s go, baby,” he said to Piper.

She nodded, giving me one final hug before they slipped out of the apartment.

As soon as they left and I was alone, I let out a harsh sigh. Locking up, I entered the security code into the panel. Leaning against the wall, I slid down until I landed on the floor with a soft thud.

A family. I have a family.

If what Cyrus and I had turned into something even more serious, I knew that Sammy would be my brother in-law, but I never even clued in that it would include more people. I mentally smacked myself. Of course it would come with more people. Sammy wasn’t Cyrus’s only family. He had the club and the people he grew up with. That fact alone, forced a smile to spread on my face. My body felt lighter, and this sense of calm washed over me.

“You’ll never amount to anything, you dirty little slut.” The dark eyes peered down at me, the voice cold and deep.

As broken as he left me, I still lifted my chin defiantly. It was all I had for fear of losing myself completely.

The man chuckled, his fist landing against the side of my head while another man brutally violated my body.

A gasp left me as the memory hit me. I tried forgetting. I tried to forgethim. But every now and again, the memories slipped through the cracks when I least expected it.