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BLYTHE

I hold Reed’s hand with one of mine and Hartley’s with the other as we walk through the doors of the care facility. I don’t want to be here, but over the past two months, Castor has bugged me repeatedly to do this. With a week left before I leave for the book signing in Texas, this is the best time to finally do it.

Since Elliot’s death, the state police have continued their investigations. Now, the former sheriff has also been found dead of an apparent suicide. I should find it odd that both of them died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but I don’t. As far as I’m concerned, it’s karma. There are only two of them left, and I don’t see Randall swallowing a bullet. He’s too egotistical for that.

Wayne walks behind us, wanting to see if Castor has more information on the investigation into Max’s attack. I still don’t know why Castor’s father chose to go against me before, but now wants to treat me like a daughter.

We move as a group past the nurse’s station, and I spot Castor standing outside a doorway, talking to a doctor. He turns to me as we approach.

“You came. Thank you.” He pauses, running his hand through his brownish-blond hair. His hair is a shade darker than mine, but he and I have the same eyes. “They don’t know how much longer his heart can keep going.”

We enter the room, and I’m immediately drawn to the bed where he lies, staring at the ceiling. He doesn’t acknowledge our presence. Castor mentioned he’s been like this since waking from the coma after the attack. His eyes will sometimes flick around, but he doesn’t speak and seems trapped in his mind. I know Castor is hoping that by some miracle my being here will pull him from his vegetative state.

“You can take his hand,” Castor says as he moves to the other side of the bed. I stand with Reed for a moment before I approach the bed.

I lean over him to see if he’ll look at me, but he looks right through me. It makes my heart hurt that he’s suffering, but I can’t help but think this is karma. I take his hand and lean close to his ear.

“I survived. I’m stronger than all of you,” I whisper. “I already have a father and don’t need you.” I stand up straight and release his hand, but he squeezes mine, holding me in place. “He won’t let go of my hand.” I look to Castor in shock.

“What did you say to him?” he asks, his voice trembling.

“I told him I was stronger than all of them.” I don’t share the rest.

“He’s never responded to me like that. I told you it would work.”

I can’t deceive Castor. “I’m not the hero here. I’m not going to save him. I don’t need him. He left me for them to kill. He let them kill Sam, my foster parents, and Oliver. I won’t let any of them hurt anyone else I love.” I pull my hand from Max’s and turn to see Wayne and Hartley remained by the door. Reed takes my hand, and again, as a group, we walk out of the room.

I try not to think about how sad it was to see him like that. Instead, I focus on the pain of what he did to me. I still have enough hate in my system for him.

By the time we get back to the house, I’m itching for a run. I change and am about to head out when Reed stops me at the door.

“You can’t go out there. They’re still out there.”

“I don’t care anymore.” I huff, knowing I’m being emotional, but I’m tired of living a life under constant protection. I’m tired of hiding. Why do I have to change my life for them? They should be the ones suffering now, not me.

I turn back toward the door, and before I can get it opened, I’m thrown over Reed’s shoulder. Moose chuffs, letting him know to be careful with me. We dropped Hartley off for hockey practice, and he’ll be dropped off here afterward. Sometimes I stay to watch him with the other mothers, but today I was too upset after seeing Max. Emmy said she’d bring him home for me.

Reed carries me up the stairs and throws me down on the bed. In the time since we first slept together, he’s been gentle with me, but this time he’s not. He grips the waist of my running tights and yanks them down my legs. I’m naked from the waist down. He unfastens his belt and opens his fly. He doesn’t even drop his pants completely before entering me in one long thrust.

“I’ll fuck this mood out of you, Bee,” he growls as he pulls my top up over my head and throws it aside. “I don’t like seeing you leave the house in these tight as fuck running clothes for one. For two, it’s time I fucked my baby in you again. I’m tired of waiting.”

I stare up at him in shock. We talked about waiting to have a baby. That I wasn’t ready. I’ve been making him wear a condom, but he’s in me bare again. He pumps into me in hard thrusts, and before I can get mad at him, I’m lost to the sensations. He grips my breasts in his hands, taking me harder than he’s ever before. There is a slight bite of pain and fear, but I’m not scared of him. I’m afraid that I actually like this.

Moaning, I grab his wrists and look up at him. “Fuck me harder,” I demand, and his eyes flare wide as he starts moving again, over and over.

I’m climbing, and that anxiety attack I could feel coming on is no longer there. It’s just him and me. Our bodies moving. I meet each of his thrusts, so he practically bottoms out inside me.

My orgasm hits hard, and I scream, my voice cracking. Reed groans as he comes too. I feel him ejaculating inside me and instantly regret it. I’m scared to be pregnant again when there is still danger out there.

“Take it all, baby,” Reed demands as he continues pumping into me.

When he finally pushes me up the bed and climbs in with me, we both lie there for a bit. I’m trying to process everything that just happened.

“I’m tired of us living our lives in fear, but I still can’t let you out to run without Butcher going with you, and he’s on an assignment right now.”

“I’ll run on the treadmill,” I concede.

“Take a nap. I’m sorry I was so rough with you, baby.” He leans in to kiss me, then rolls out of bed.

I think about his words for a bit. He wants to get me pregnant. He’s not scared, but on top of all that, he’s worried about being rough with me. I loved him being rough. I want more of it. I’d love more of it, but will he always fear I’m going to break?

I roll to the side, feeling the edges of the panic attack coming back to me. Tears start to roll down my face. I’m not strong enough to carry his baby if he’s afraid of fucking me hard.

I know what I need to do. I quietly move around the room, gathering everything I need.

Hemingway

“ H em, why does Auntie Blythe only call you Reed? Why doesn’t she call you Hemingway like the rest of us?” Hartley asks, dipping his French fries into the ketchup.

I look toward the stairs and wonder if she’s sleeping well. It’s been a couple of hours since I fucked her so hard I brought tears to her eyes. It killed me, and I’m still mad at myself for losing control. It’s why I went straight to the gym downstairs and worked off the anger at myself on the machines. When Hartley came home, I avoided going back upstairs to check on her. I made him dinner without her.

I think of his question for only a moment. “Buddy, when you find a woman who’s yours, you only want her to call you by your name. Not a road name or a nickname that everyone calls you. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Oh, okay.”

He eats more of the hamburger and fries I made. I glance over at the patty waiting to be cooked for Blythe when she comes down.

Hartley looks down at his plate and huffs for a moment. “When you and Auntie Blythe get married and have kids, will you send me to foster care?”

“What?” He pulls me from my thoughts of Blythe. “Why would you think that?”

“Billy said I was going to go into the system because I have no family.”

I reach across the table and take his smaller hand in mine. “Buddy, I’m never sending you away, and neither is Auntie Blythe. We are yours now. Got it?”

He nods his head, and I fluff his hair.

Moose comes in from outside and lies by my feet. I look at him, then the stairs. Normally, he’ll go right to her side if she’s here. In an instant, my gut rolls, and I jump up and run for the stairs. I take them two at a time as Hartley yells for me. I swing the bedroom door open and see the empty bed.

“Fuck,” I roar and slam my fist into the wall next to me.

She ran away, and I don’t know why. That’s why the house was so quiet. I remember coming up from the gym and thinking about that, but I thought she was just sleeping soundly. I glance around the room and notice some things are missing, including her new laptop.

“Where is Auntie Bly?” Hartley asks from the doorway.

“About to get her ass in trouble is where,” I say as I pull out my phone and dial the one man who can help me.

After the situation with Gambit’s old lady, Franci, being taken, I did the same thing Gambit did and put a tracker on my girl. He gave me the number for his hacker in case I ever needed to find her.

“Hey, Hem, what’s up?” Browser answers the phone.

“Blythe is on the run.”

“Okay, let me look.” I hear him typing away, then he laughs. “How long has she been missing?”

“Why?”

“Well, dude, she’s on a plane.”

“Fuck.” I can’t believe I was giving her time to herself, and she was running from me.

I hang up after asking him to track her and get the flight information. I need to have someone stay with Hartley while I go get my wayward woman.

An hour later, I have everything arranged, including the next flight out to Dallas. Butcher is going with me, and Striker is going to hang out here with Hartley at the house. We need to keep him under protection, just in case they try to come after him. But I worry they’ll go after Blythe now that she’s out in the open.

“Come on, Butcher.”