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“It’s okay. Calm down,” a man says as he dips into a crouch in front of me.
Brielle continues to cry, her hands covering her face.
“You fucking whore! How can you betray your family like this?” Nathan screams from his spot on the floor, ignoring the handful of guys pointing guns at his head, while a guy in swat gear flips him to his stomach with no care for his injury, in order to put him in handcuffs. “I’ll still have my fucking vengeance. No matter where you run, angel, I’ll find you.”
“I’m Colton Matthews,” the man in front of me says. “I’m Dominic’s son-in-law. Stay calm and let us get you untied. You’re safe, Beth.”
His words don’t keep the tears from flowing. They don’t make my heart stop racing.
Movement near the door draws my attention. I see Rivet walk inside the house, and there are several other guys wearing leather cuts, but my mind refuses to place any of them right now.
The one person I want to see so badly isn’t here.
“D-Derrick,” I whisper.
“He went with a team to Santa Fe. They followed a lead about your phone there. He’s on his way back, Beth. They’re getting here as quickly as they can.”
“I need a plane ticket home,” I say once the ropes around me are pulled away.
It takes a second longer for the zip ties and tape to be cut away from my hands and legs, and I nearly fall over when I try to stand.
Colton catches me, respectfully holding me up with as little bodily contact as he can manage.
“We need to get you to a hospital,” Rivet urges as she steps up and takes Colton’s place at my side.
“We’ll need a statement,” Colton says, but he doesn’t press the issue any further.
“They didn’t hurt me.”
“The gash on your face says otherwise,” she argues.
I lift my shaking hand to my face, wincing when I brush across the injury there.
“Beth?”
I freeze at the sound of her voice.
“Keep her away from me,” I plead, leaning in closer to Rivet.
“Ma’am, please step away from us. A little help over here, Newton?”
“Thank you,” I say as Brielle is escorted away.
“Derrick?” I ask again even though I know it was explained to me where he was.
Rivet moves me out of the house and to the side so we aren’t in the way of whatever everyone else has to do to put an end to this nightmare.
“Here,” she says, handing me a phone.
I look down at it, confusion making my head hurt, but then he’s there.
“Sweetheart,” he says, and I’d swear the man has been crying. His eyes are rimmed in red and it looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks “Oh, baby. I’m so happy to see you.”
Tears renew on my lower lashes, holding there for half a breath before they begin falling.
“I need you,” I confess.
“I’m getting to you as fast as I can manage, but I need you to go to the hospital with Rivet.”
“I’m fine. My luggage is on the bus. My wallet.” I look up at Rivet as if she can help me with these things.
“We’ll take care of all of it, sweetheart,” Derrick says from the video chat. “If you won’t go to the hospital, then I want you to go with Rivet back to the clubhouse. Let Slick look you over.”
“I’m fine,” I repeat.
“I won’t be until I know it for sure,” he says.
I nod, letting Rivet guide me to a dark SUV.
Someone else climbs in to drive us back, but I don’t pull my eyes from the screen. Rivet reaches around me, locking my seatbelt for me, but she never asks for the phone back. I’m so glad she doesn’t because it may be the only grasp I have on reality.
My hands are shaking, making it nearly impossible to lock my eyes on him, but he doesn’t complain. Our conversation halts, but we continue to look at each other.
“How much longer?” I ask when we pull into the parking lot in front of the clubhouse.
“We’re only half an hour out,” Derrick says. “You’re safe, Beth.”
Rivet gives me a little distance when I climb out of the SUV and head for the front door of the clubhouse.
It feels like a million years since I’ve been here when, in reality, it’s only been a day and a half since Newton took me to the shelter.
I don’t know what my future looks like, but it won’t be spent being manipulated by evil people. I know that for sure.
“Oh, honey,” Em says as she approaches.
I give her as kind a smile as I can manage, wondering if she was swindled by Brielle as easily as I was. Em is much too kind-hearted, and I can see someone like Brielle taking advantage of that. I should’ve seen her anger and hatefulness as a sign of who she really was rather than a traumatized girl lashing out because hurt people hurt people.
