Braylen
Salzar has been extremely accommodating to all of us. He’s not much for words but has made sure we’re comfortable and have everything we need. Marek left strict instructions that we’re not allowed off the compound, even with some of the men accompanying us.
“It’s been four days,” Reece complained. “When are they coming back for us? I’m going out of my mind, thinking the worst.” She sat on the edge of the bed, biting her lower lip in nervousness, a sentiment all of us shared. Her long chestnut-colored hair flowed down her back, her blue-gray eyes rather stunning. She’d been a stripper at Indulge, but not for long, not after Tripp had met her. He’d saved her from being attacked by one of the customers, and the rest, as they say, was history. They seemed to be smitten with each other, and although I was still getting to know Reece, I knew Tripp even less. In fact, the only men of the club I really knew were Jagger and Ryder. I’d been around the rest of them at gatherings here and there, but they were still a bit of a mystery to me. Although they all seemed to have things in common, such as loyalty and being overbearing—“protective,” as Ryder would often correct.
“Someone will call soon, sweetie,” Adelaide promised. “They’re just not done yet.” She seemed so sure everything was going to work out, I couldn’t help but think she had some sort of inside information. Or maybe she just didn’t want all of us to freak out at the same time. Lord knew, she had her hands full with Riley and her unborn little one.
After putting her daughter in the playpen next to Kaden, Adelaide took a seat next to Reece. “Listen, you need to calm down and focus on your baby,” she instructed, gently rubbing Reece’s belly.
“I know. I just can’t help it.” Adelaide gave her a sympathetic look before turning her attention to me. “So, Braylen”—she smirked—“things seem to be going much better with Ryder. He finally wise up?”
“For the most part.” I smiled, thinking how far Ryder had come in such a short span of time. Don’t get me wrong, he fought the majority of the time to let me in, but thankfully he’d come to his senses. Thinking about him just then sent a shiver of unease through me. If I dwelled on it too long, I’d start to become even more depressed about our current situation than I already was. “Hey, why don’t we go out to the bar and have a drink. We can pretend like it’s a girls’ night out and that we’re not really stuck inside this place.”
“Sounds good to me,” Reece agreed, swooping all of her hair to one side and adjusting her shirt once she stood. “Although I’m just having soda.”
“Same here.” Adelaide laughed. “Christ! I never thought I’d be pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time.”
Sully and Kena came into the room, laughing and signing to each other, completely engaged in their conversation. I was thrilled Kena had finally opened up after all these years. Before she met Jagger, I was the only one she hung out with, but since him, she’d really blossomed, coming into her own and not being such an introvert. Sully was the one who taught Jagger how to sign so he could communicate with my sister, so I figured I owed her one as well for Kena’s social successes.
“What you are two laughing at?” Reece asked, looking into the mirror to glance at her reflection. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she turned to the two women who’d just joined us.
“I think Kena has an admirer,” Sully teased, bumping her shoulder into Kena’s.
My sister shook her head. Sully’s crazy. All he did was offer me some of his pizza.
“Oh yeah? Who?” I asked after translating for Reece and Adelaide, who knew some sign language but not enough to keep up with the flowing conversation.
Kena tried to playfully cover Sully’s mouth, but she sidestepped my sister and blurted, “Nash.”
I knew exactly who they were referring to because Salzar had briefly introduced us to everyone, Nash being the one who stuck out from the rest. He was certainly handsome with his long black hair and dark blue eyes. He was tall and broad shouldered, slender but muscular. The shirt he wore left little to the imagination, fitting him like a glove.
I know, I know. I’m not supposed to notice other men, but I’m not dead. None of us were interested in anyone but the men who held our hearts, but we also knew a handsome bastard when we saw one. But we weren’t stupid either—girl talk stayed between us. Besides, causing tension between any of the guys just for looking was the last thing we wanted to do.
“I’m sure he was just being polite.” I gave Kena a wink. “We’re gonna grab a drink and try to forget for a little while. Wanna come?”
Please.
We all filed out and headed toward the small bar. It wasn’t anywhere near the size the guys had back home at their clubhouse, but I counted five seats. Yep, it’ll do.
Nash had been standing around talking to a few of the other guys, but as soon as he saw us take a seat, he rushed over and walked behind the bar.
“What can I get you, ladies?” He looked at all of us and smiled, but afterward his attention moved to Kena. He tried not to be obvious, taking all of our orders, but his eyes kept drifting back to my little sister. Maybe he did have a little crush on her.
Over the course of the next two hours, I’d been able to relax a little, doing my best to focus on bonding with the incredible women stuck in the same position as me. For the most part, they seemed to be handling it well, but how much of that was a façade? If I had to guess, I’d say the majority.
Salazar checked in on us a few times, at one point even pulling Nash aside to talk to him before disappearing to his room. He’d been staying in one of the back bedrooms, seemingly taking his promise to keep us safe very seriously.
“Well, that’s it for me.” Sully stretched her arms above her head, her white tank top exposing a small amount of skin, enough to where I saw a scar above the waistband of her shorts. My eyes flicked to hers and I prayed she hadn’t noticed. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.
Ryder had told me a few things about her past, enough for me to realize what a strong woman Sully actually was to have gone through what she had and come out the survivor she was today.
“Me too,” Reece yawned, finishing her soda before hopping off her barstool. “You coming?” she asked Kena, squeezing her shoulder.
My sister took another sip and placed her glass on the bar, pushing it toward Nash who was beaming at her. Jagger better not get wind of this.
Someone must’ve filled Nash in on the fact that Kena wasn’t deaf, that she just couldn’t speak, because a few times he asked her a question, then passed her a notepad and pen. His attention toward her wasn’t pushy, but I definitely picked up that he was interested, even though I knew he wasn’t stupid enough to make an actual move on her. He knew better. In fact, Ryder had mentioned that he warned everyone. What exactly that meant, I had no idea, but I could take a guess, especially if it came out of Ryder’s mouth.
I’m ready too, Kena signed, smiling politely at Nash before standing.
“Yep, I’m ready for bed,” Adelaide announced, stifling a yawn as she rose to her feet.
“I guess I am as well,” I agreed, walking behind Kena and whispering in her ear. “You definitely have an admirer.” She looked at the man behind the bar, then back to me.
You’re gonna get me in trouble.
“Not me, lil’ sis. Not me.”
“Good night, ladies,” Nash called out as we disappeared down the hallway.
We’d been assigned two of the bedrooms. Sully and Adelaide shared one with the children, and Reece, Kena and I shared the other, my sister and I sharing a bed while Reece occupied the spare one. Grateful not to have to sleep alone, lost in thoughts of what Ryder was doing at that exact moment, I found solace falling asleep next to Kena. Just like when we were kids and one of us had a nightmare.