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Chapter Two
Pepper
It was a wonder I got as far as I did before I had to stop and sit. Tears clouded my vision. Emotion welled up and refused to be contained. In short, I was really a hot mess. Leaving Cassie felt all kinds of wrong, but it was the only option I had. Virgil always had a temper that burned hot as the sun, but he was a good man in all respects. He would be a good protector for my daughter, if he chose to take on the responsibility himself. Which… yeah. This was a shit move on my part, but I didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe.
I sat under a big tree in the middle of the wooded area around the compound, knees to my chest, unable to get moving. This was not how I’d planned on this going. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get to my car and get the hell out of here, I physically couldn’t. The grief I was experiencing felt like Cassie had died. Like I knew in my deepest soul I’d never see my daughter again. The only thing that helped me get this far was knowing my sacrifice meant she would have a safe and happy life.
In the distance, a dog bayed. Did that mean I was close to where I’d parked? The clubhouse was in the middle of nowhere. No one was around it from any angle. I knew because I’d looked for the easiest way in and out, hoping no one would notice me. I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d managed that, but I was sure luck was involved.
I knew I needed to keep moving, but I couldn’t make myself get up. Looking in the direction I thought I was supposed to be going, I made a half-hearted attempt to rise to my feet. Maybe a part of me wanted to give up and let them find me. If they were even looking.
Who was I kidding? If they weren’t looking now, they would be when Virgil found out about the baby and got my note. There’s no way he wouldn’t hunt me to the ends of the earth if that was what it took. Not because he cared or anything. Because he wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of me abandoning my own child. His niece. He might not even believe me about being in danger from his brother and be angry I’d taken his brother’s daughter away from him. His honor would demand he exact revenge on me, because that’s the kind of man he was. His road name was Rage. That name was appropriate.
“Girl?” The deep, husky voice made my heart rate jump. I whipped my head around to find a large, gruff-looking man wearing a dark scowl. The lower half of his face was covered in a thick, heavy beard, but it didn’t take much to see he was supremely pissed off. “You Pepper?”
I shook my head automatically. No way I was volunteering that information.
He snorted. “‘Course you ain’t.” The dog at his side wagged its tail and approached me, sniffing up a storm. It gave a chuffing “woof” before sitting at my feet, tongue lolling as it stared up at me. “Dog there says you are. At least, you smell like something that’s touched the blanket that was wrapped around the baby.”
That was all I could take. Everything inside me crumbled and unleashed a torrent of tears. I sank back to the ground and curled in around myself. I had no idea why I couldn’t hold myself together any longer, but the emotion demanded to be let out, and there was nothing I could do to contain it. I sat on my ass, arms over my knees, and sobbed like it was the end of the world. In a way, it felt like it was. My daughter was only six months old but giving her up felt like I was giving away the whole of my heart. It didn’t matter that it was the only way I knew to keep her safe. My world was ending. How… or even if I could help Dustin didn’t really matter now. I’d only stayed with him because I thought I should. I was going back out of loyalty. Because that’s what loyal girlfriends did. Right? My heart wasn’t in it, though. All I wanted was to make sure my daughter was safe and loved, but I wanted to be with her. Not with Dustin to do God only knew what to me.
I heard the high-pitched whine of a dog, then a wet nose nudging my arm so it could force its head under to give my cheek a tentative lick. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around the dog’s neck and buried my face in its neck while I cried.
