The heave and sigh of Liz’s old porch swing almost lulled me to sleep. With my kindle resting in my lap, I stared out over the railings to the woods beyond the compound. When I leaned forward to get a better view of a deer nibbling on some grass, pain shot through my back, and I sucked in a harsh breath.
Three days had passed since my attack. While the belt lashes had begun to scab over and heal, the soreness in my bones and muscles seemed to be taking a little longer to mend. Emotionally I was getting stronger. I hadn’t had to take anything to sleep the last two nights. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Deacon slept by my side, making me feel secure and protected.
I hadn’t been back home, and I dreaded the thought of facing my kitchen again. When I closed my eyes, I could still see that horrible man who had attacked me.
The bite of his belt on my skin.
The feel of his hands on my body.
As bile rose in my throat, a shudder reverberated through me. Even though I knew Crank was no longer a threat, I didn’t know if there would ever come a day when I didn’t glance over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t there. Deep down, I knewjust because Crank was gone, a threat of harm hung heavy around me.
While I hadn’t been back home, I also hadn’t been back to school. It had worked out almost too perfectly that school was out for our week long fall break, so I didn’t have to worry about making an excuse to my principal about my absence. I certainly couldn’t have gone into work bruised and battered. It would have raised too much suspicion and discussion about what was happening in my private life.
Just as I was about to head inside, a familiar sounding yip came from the back of the clubhouse. I shot out of the rocking chair and rushed over to the stairs. When I saw Deacon holding a leash in his hands, my heart dropped into my stomach.
“ATTICUS!”
As I pounded down the stairs, Deacon dropped the leash. Atticus started bounding down the road to me. Although my body groaned in protest, I started running to meet him.
For three days, Deacon and members of the Raiders had been searching for Atticus. At first, I was afraid that Crank had killed him, and they would find his mutilated body. But when they didn’t, I realized that Atticus had probably escaped when Crank broke into the house.
When Atticus leapt into my arms, we were both crying. “Oh my sweet boy! Thank God, you’re okay!” I cried as he slurped his pink tongue over my tear-stained cheeks.
I continued weeping as I kissed his head and his nose. When Deacon reached us, I finally pulled away. “Thank you for finding him.”
Chuckling, Deacon said, “He had quite the adventure the last couple of days.”
Glancing from Deacon to Atticus, I asked, “You did?”
“He was found three miles away. One of the kids from your school recognized him, so their parents called the number on the flyer.”
I jerked my gaze back to his. “You made flyers?”
A sheepish grin curved on his lips. “While I didn’t make them personally, I supervised the prospects making them and distributing them.”
With a snort, I replied, “I suppose I should say that the thought counts, right?”
“Damn straight.” He placed a kissed on my forehead. After pulling back, his gaze met mine. His xpression turned serious. He held out his hand to me. “Come on. You need to eat something.”
“If you recall since you were at the table with me, I did eat some breakfast.”
He shook his head. “Barely enough to keep a bird alive. You’re never going to regain your strength unless you eat.”
His concern made my heartbeat quicken. Knowing I wouldn’t win the argument, I slipped my hand into his and let him pull me up from the swing. Hand in hand, we walked down the porch and into the house.
CHAPTER TWENTY: ALEXANDRA
Friday evening found me hanging out in the Raiders clubhouse. With two pitchers of beer on the table, we celebrated my first full week returning to teaching after my attack. While Deacon was pretty adamant about not wanting me to go, he had to get it through his head that unlike Willow, I wasn’t his to keep under lock and key at the compound. Instead, he reluctantly had to entrust my safety to both Archer and Crazy Ace who followed me to school each morning and then back to the compound each afternoon. The two prospects took turns during the day watching the school.
As I snuggled to Deacon’s side, my gaze fell on the glittering, antique diamond bracelet on my arm. Deacon had also been upfront with me about the tracking device. But he also wanted one that was on me at all times. That’s where the bracelet came in. Although he tried to make light of the gift saying that he got it out of the pawnshop, I knew it was about more than just tracking me. It was a gift the same as Walter, who snoozed in my lap, had been.
More and more members came trickling through the door. The alcohol flowed along with the loud music blaring from the jukebox. While Kim and some of the other wives were friendly, there was still a strong line drawn between me and most of the club women, especially the sweet butts. Kim tried to ease my concerns by saying they always acted that way when one of the men got taken off the market.
One woman in particular worried me more than the others, and that was the bartender ,Cheyenne. Whenever he was in the room, she only had eyes for him.
Trying to get my mind off of things, I stroked the top of Walter’s furry head while Atticus lay at my feet. Walter opened his eyes to gaze at me drowsily before yawning. “You have such a hard life,” I teased.
Deacon reached over to scratch Walter’s ears. “He’s spoiled fucking rotten. I’m not sure he can even walk considering how much you and Willow carry him around. Hell, I even caught Mama Liz holding him in one arm while she ironed with the other.”
