*Mia*

 

“Rebel?” I gasped, confused. Locking eyes with him while I was still on the ground. “What’s the meaning of all of this? You orchestrated this shit show?”

He shook his head no, reaching his hand down for me to take.

I knocked it away. “Fuck you!”

He didn’t pay me any mind. “Mia, it ain’t what it looks like,” he stated, grabbing my upper arm. Tugging me up to his chest, much to my disapproval.

I hastily shook off his hold and pushed him away. Placing my hand out in front of me, to stop him from coming any closer.

He raised his hands up in the air in front of him where I could see them. “Ain’t gonna hurt you, pretty girl. You’re carryin’ my baby. You know you can trust me. Calm down and let—”

“Always thought it’d be a bullet I’d take for you. Never imagined it’d be a pair of fuckin’ scissors.”

“Oh my God!” I drawled out, recognizing his voice instantly. Placing my hand over my heart, I turned around, coming face to face with none other than Creed. I didn’t know whether to run and tackle him, or run away from both of them.

My heart was telling me to go to the man I loved, though my mind wanted me to check out, not knowing what either of their involvement was in all this. In the end, my heart won over my mind. My feet moved on their own accord as if being pulled by a string he held, closing the distance between us. My small frame hit his tall, stalky, muscular body with a thud, as I wrapped my arms securely around his neck. Causing him to stumble back a little from the startling impact. Even he was surprised by the sentiment pouring out of me.

Fresh tears started to flow down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother wiping them away. A whirlwind of emotions hit me all at once while I held onto his broad frame tighter. Always feeling so tiny against him. His arms snaked around my lower back, holding me closer, but not close enough.

I pulled back. My wide, tear-filled eyes instantly went to his right thigh where his jeans were soaked in blood. “What the hell is going on?”

“The fuck it look like, Pippin? You stabbed me in the leg.”

I pushed him. I shoved him as hard as I could and he barely wavered. I knew the slight movement was only a reaction from his injured leg. I vigorously shook my head, unable to control the surging hormones taking over my body.  

“Now is not the time for your smart-ass mouth! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? Any idea what I’m going through, right now? Do you even care? I thought you were going to rape me! I didn’t know who was getting into my bed! What did you expect me to do, lay there and take it?”

He limped into the adjacent room, and sat on the couch, facing me. Placing his wounded leg up on the coffee table. The loud clunk from his heavy boot, making me jump. My adrenaline overly heightened.

“Was comin’ to wake you up. Guess you had other plans. Don’t know whether to be pissed at ya or proud as fuck you defended yourself.” He arched his eyebrow, nodding, “Ask me again in the mornin’.”

Noah had the nerve to chuckle as he took a seat in the armchair.

“One of you needs to explain what the hell is going on? Right now!”

Creed peered up at me through the slits of his eyes, ripping open his jeans to inspect where I stabbed him. He hissed as he tore away the fabric, exposing the nasty wound. Leaning forward, he pulled his shirt off over his head, wrapping it around his thigh. Using it as a tourniquet.

“Fuck!” he gritted, tying it tight around his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

I stood there, impatiently waiting with my arms crossed over my chest, fuming.

He finally peered back up at me. “Just got this stitched up.” He nodded to it. “You sliced it open again.”

I jerked back, dumbfounded. “Again?”  

“You gone through a lot. It’s why we kept you sedated. It was easier that way,” he replied, peering straight into my eyes. Ignoring my question.

“By kidnapping me?”

“We didn’t kidnap you, Mia,” Noah interrupted, bringing my attention over to him. “Our old man took you from the basement, he—”

“That was your father?”

“Yeah.” Noah nodded. “You were bleedin’ out. He brought you back to the clubhouse during the shootout.”

I placed a protective hand over my stomach. “Our baby—”

“She’s fine. Doc was already in Creed’s room lookin’ you over when it was all said and done.”

I glanced back at Creed, who was still sitting on the couch, only staring at me. Trying to gauge my reactions. It felt as though they were leaving a lot out, which added fuel to my already burning fire.

“What happened? Why was I bleeding?” I asked only looking at Creed.

“Some shit about your placenta havin’ a minor detachment from your uterus.” I could hear the shudder in Noah’s voice, even though he was trying to keep his tone neutral. As if he was reliving it all over again. “We had you moved to Doc’s house with Ma, you stayed there for a few days, he was checkin’ your vital signs, monitorin’ our baby. He kept you sedated, sayin’ it was for the best. He didn’t give ya anythin’ that would harm our baby. So don't worry. What you witnessed was traumatic enough. You needed to rest as much as possible, and regain your strength so we could bring you here, to our safe house. You just gotta take it easy for the rest of your pregnancy. And no sex for at least four weeks,” he glanced over at Creed warning him, not me. “He’ll come and check on you while you’re—”

I peered over at Noah, taken aback. “How long exactly am I staying here?”

“As long as it takes,” Creed chimed in, eyeing me with a look I’d never seen before.

“For what?”

“The less you know, the better, Pippin.”

“For you?”

“No.” He stood, speaking with conviction, “For you.”

“So that’s it? This is all the information I get? Am I supposed to say thank you now? Sit and stay like your damn dog?”

“You’re safe, aren’t you?”

“Where am I?”

“Where I need you to be.”

“That’s pretty vague even for you, Creed. This is bullshit. I have a right to know what’s going on! You can’t just take someone and hide them away from everyone.”

“I already did.”

I stepped toward him, getting close to his face. The smell of cigarettes and mint assaulted my senses. “Why? What’s going on?” I repeated in a demanding tone.

Our eyes stayed connected for what felt like forever. Dark pools barred into mine, warning me to back off. This was the Creed that broke my heart on the balcony at Giselle’s apartment. Saying it was for my own good, he wouldn’t tell me the truth even if I begged him for it. It was useless to try to reason with him in this state. His guard was up, and nothing could bring it down, not even his weakness. Me. The tension was so thick between us, there was no way Noah didn’t feel it clear across the room.

Creed took one last look at me, narrowing his eyes, deeply thinking about what to say next. His gaze never wavered. Our intense stares were locked together, but he was the first to break our connection when he turned his back on me. I watched him leave, limping to the back of the house. Hearing a door slam moments later.

I took a deep breath before facing Noah, contemplating what I could say to make him tell me the truth. He was gazing off in the direction his brother had just left.

I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it just as quickly, when I heard the word, “Don’t,” harshly leave his lips.

“You can’t possibly think this is okay? I’m carrying your child. It’s not safe for me to be here,” I honestly spoke, hoping he would be on my side.

“This is the safest place for you to be, Mia. Open your goddamn eyes, and take a look around.” He spread his arms wide, pointing around the open space. Walking over to the nearest wall, he knocked on it, showing me it was made of concrete.

I looked around the room for the first time, seeing the bars that lined every dark, tinted window. Making it impossible to see in. My intuition told me the glass was bulletproof, too. Nothing could enter this place.

My eyes proceeded to wander over to the far corner of the room, where a large wrought iron front door stood, complete with several sets of steel locks you’d need a key for it to open.  It was then I realized this house was like a prison. Locked down like Fort Bragg. If there was no way of getting in, then again there was also no way of getting out. And for some reason this epiphany didn’t scare me, it did the opposite.

It gave me comfort.

I glanced back at Noah. “Then tell me what’s going on. Help me understand.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“It don’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

He glanced over my shoulder, looking down the narrow hallway again. I stepped out in front of him, blocking his view. Reaching up, placing my hands on his vast shoulders. “Please,” I added with a sincere expression written all over my face.

I could see it in his eyes he wanted to tell me, maybe not everything, but some of the truth at least. I patiently waited, hoping I would be able to get through to one brother. Silently pleading for him to break.

Never expecting what he would say next.

“The first time I saw the reality of my world, I was eleven years old. It came out of the hands of Creed, and it was nothin’ compared to what I’ve seen and done, since. From an outsider’s perspective, he ain’t a man to be fucked with, much like our father. I can take them, but a little girl like you should think twice before pushin’ buttons and steppin’ on fuckin toes. Jesus Christ, just last week, Creed pulled the trigger on our pops for shits and giggles. Shooting him in the leg, then near his head, missin’. Just to prove a fuckin’ point.” He shrugged off my hands like what he told me was perfectly normal. “It’s a fucked up way of life, but we don’t know any different.” He brushed his calloused thumb across my cheek. “Be a good girl and stay put, Mia. It’s for your own good. I promise.”

With that he turned and left, leaving me with more questions than I had before.