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“I already told you, you aren’t goin’ back,” I growl, interrupting her, my chest vibrating with fury. “You’re done being their fuckin’ punching bag.”
“Brother,” Stoney mutters silently, ordering me to calm down, and calls out Noelle’s name. “Look at me, sweetheart.” He uses that voice he only saves for his kids.
Noelle’s visibly shaking as she lifts her head.
“Jesus, fuck,” I hear Tracker utter, and I’ve got to agree with him as I stare at Noelle now. And it makes me want to kick myself even more for the way I treated her.
Stoney steps forward, and Noelle takes a step back. Nodding, Stoney pulls out his phone and pulls up a picture we’ve all seen before. “You met my ol’ lady, Rachel. We’ve got three boys and one little girl together. I’ve also got a son who’s older than you. He’s actually the VP of our Franklin Charter. You’re safe here, and Cyprus is right, I’ve read up on you. You’re not goin’ back to those people. They don’t deserve to . . .”
“You read up on me?” Noelle blurts out and looks at me. “You said you read something about me too . . . what do you mean?”
“We did a background check on you when you applied for the nanny position,” Stoney answers. “Nerd ran the check and made sure you wouldn’t be bringing trouble to the club. My ol’ lady saw it, brought it to me, and I had him look deeper into you.”
“Oh, my God.” The words are barely loud enough to be heard, but I heard them all the same.“Then you know . . .” Noelle trails off and closes her eyes, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I know.” Stoney nods. “I also know that you are a good person. Those Rachel spoke to as your references spoke highly of you, saying you were the best and wishing that they didn’t have to let you go.”
“But . . .”
I move to Noelle and turn her to face me, holding her in place with my hands on her waist. “Just relax, Elle, you ain’t goin’ back. Don’t worry about the rest. We’ll figure it out.” I give her a squeeze and drop my hands from her waist and look at Stoney and the others. “Let’s go talk about this somewhere else.”
“My office,” Stoney agrees and turns without another word, leaving the room with the others following him.
They can all see it as well. Noelle’s on the verge of a panic attack, and that’s something none of us want. Maybe getting Victoria and Raven to talk to her might help. For that matter, Luna or Harley. Hell, any of the ol’ ladies would be good for her to talk to. They’ve all been through hells of their own.
I look back to Noelle and reach up to grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Rest, Elle. I’ll come back and check on you in a bit.”
I don’t wait for her to say anything and release her as I head out of the room, following after my Prez and VP. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Seeing her in that room with Hector on top of her, it did something to me, and I’m not sure what it is yet. I just know that I can’t let her go. Not back to that life. I escaped it long ago and I’ve now got my sister out of it. It’s Noelle’s turn to get away from it, and I intend to make sure she stays safe, away from those who will harm her. Even if that means I’m to claim her as mine to make it happen.
* * *
“Tell me,” Stoney commands once we’re all in his office.
Venom, Whip, Kevlar, and Aries joined us since they’d been at the house.
“Hector Dominquez had Noelle on the bed, hand at her throat, and I believe he was about to rape her,” I inform them all. “I beat the shit out of him and left him knocked out on her floor.”
“This is going to cause problems.” Tracker blows out a breath and glances around the room. “Last thing we need is more issues to deal with on top of everything else.”
Stoney nods, eyes sharp. “Agreed. But you saw her.” He leans back in the chair and shakes his head. “The girl’s got those haunted eyes and Rachel was more than ready to do something for her.” Stoney brings his gaze to meet mine. “ I take it you read the file?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, thinking about the file and how it was the parents and their dealings that caused the drive-by that killed Noah. A rival gang took it upon themselves to target and kill to get a message across that they needed to find somewhere else. Noelle was the initial target, but Noah protected her. According to the file, she worked and paid all the bills for the house they live in, and it claims she was with Hector Dominquez, however, the truth of that is she’s being used by him and the others. Her parents all but gave her to the bastard. I’m sure this is to keep them in good graces with the cartel.
“What are your thoughts on this?” Ranger asks.
Blowing out a breath, I reach up and cup the back of my neck. “I know I can’t let her go. Not after this,” I mutter and start pacing the length of the room in front of the desk. “I don’t know what to think when it comes to her. Fuck.” I look to Venom. “You bring that box inside?”
“It’s on the couch.” He points to it, and I move to it.
Opening the lid, I look through it and find what I’m looking for. I’d noticed it earlier. I grab the little spiral book, open to the last page written in it, and start reading aloud because I know it’ll hold the answers.
March 13,
Dear Whoever I AM,
It’s Friday the thirteenth, my eighteenth birthday, and also the worst day of my life. I thought burying Noah would be the hardest thing I ever did. Doing that felt like my chest was being ripped open. I lost the one person who was always there for me. Who shielded me from the monsters who go bump in the night. And with him, I lost the only other person who I thought at least cared about me. He blames me. Just like everyone else does. I even blame myself.
It’s why I stay. Why I let them treat me so horribly. Because of me, Noah is gone and I’m here. I’ve thought of leaving so many times but can’t find the will to do so. And now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to, not unless it’s through death. Only then will I be free. And believe me, I’ve thought about it. God knows I’ve thought about slitting my wrist and just bleeding out. But then I think of what Noah would say. He’d be disappointed in me. That it would be cowardly to take my own life. He’d say that someday something good will finally happen to make everything better.Or at least that’s what I keep thinking.
