by Rye Hart
“Thank you, Ryan.”
“For what?”
“For everything you say and do.”
“I don’t think I really do much.”
I cocked a brow and leaned into him. “In the weeks that we’ve been here, you’ve gotten me to open up more than I ever have before,” I murmured, closing my eyes.
He smiled a little and looked down at me. “Well, it’s only because if we’re going to fall in love, I want it to be like it used to be. I want it to be easy. Natural.”
I pulled away and looked up at him. “Fall in love?” I almost whispered.
It was his turn to go pink. I’d never seen this man blush in my life, but now here he was, lighting up the skyline. “Well, yeah. Isn’t that the goal of dating and shit? To fall in love?”
I leaned over him and reached up, cupping his cheeks. “I suppose it is,” I murmured.
He turned to look at me and as I gazed into his eyes I felt vulnerable. I expected the fear to follow, but it never turned to fear. Soon I realized that vulnerable wasn’t the word for what I was feeling. I felt free. I felt like I could conquer the world. My breath hitched him my throat and a grin started to spread across my lips.
“Are you okay?” he asked, sounding almost nervous.
“I’m better than okay,” I whispered, pulling him closer.
“You’re lookin’ at me like you’re going to try and eat me.”
I burst out laughing and shook my head back and forth. “No, not at all. I just realized something.”
“Yeah? What is that?”
I put my forehead to his and smiled, pressing my lips to his very tenderly. “I realized just how free I am. When I’m with you I don’t have to try and be something I’m not,” I whispered. “You want me to be exactly who I am and nothing else.”
“Well, of course I do,” he murmured. “I was so enamored with you back then. When we were kids, I mean. It was because you weren’t like any of the other girls. You were wild and loud and you were always covered in dirt,” he said with a laugh. “That’s what I liked about you.”
I smiled and listened to the sweet words, my heart threatening to burst from my chest, “Really?” I asked.
“Really.”
I chuckled and smiled. “I used to like the way you pulled my braids and teased me. I liked that you didn’t treat me any differently from your boy friends. It was nice to feel equal.”
Ryan snorted. “I would rather have you on my team than any of the guys in the gang. You’re one of the most amazing shots I’ve ever met. And you’re the most amazing woman, by far,” he said with a grin.
I looked up into his eyes. “Can I admit something?” I whispered.
“Of course,” he said quickly, his voice taking on a serious tone. “Anything.”
“I think I’ve already fallen in love with you,” I whispered, my eyes wide.
He sucked in a breath and for a moment I was afraid he might push me out of the orb or break up with me. Honestly, though, out of those two options, I think I’d rather he just throw me out of the Ferris wheel.
His shocked expression turned to one of absolute glee and he laughed, throwing his arms around me. “I love you too!”
I just sat there for a moment, shocked by his words. “What?”
“I love you! I thought it was too soon to tell you!”
A sudden bark of laughter forced its way from my chest and I held him tight. “Of course it’s not too soon,” I whispered, kissing his face all over.
“Really?”
I pulled away and cupped his cheeks. “We’ve been falling in love since we were kids. If anything, we’re overdue.”
Something about that statement seemed to resonate with him. His eyes widened just a moment, and he smiled, pressing his lips to mine. My heart jumped into my throat as I returned the kiss.
“I love you,” he whispered when we parted.
“And I love you.”
We stayed there, frozen in time as the sun basked us in warmth. It was like everything fell away and all the existed or ever would exist was in his eyes. The warmth of his breath soothed my soul and we just sat there, whispering ‘I love you’ back and forth until the sun started to descend toward the horizon.
It was perfection and I never wanted the moment to end.
Chapter Twelve
We stayed in Gatlinburg for a total of three months and nearly all of that time was spent rediscovering each other. It was spent in each other’s arms, whispering loving words and just holding each other. The weeks that we spent alone in that cabin were some of the most magical I’d ever experienced.
I was absolutely head over heels in love with Ryan and nothing was going to change that. My only regret was how long I waited to finally let him in. As the third month came to an end, we got a call from Damien, saying he was going to bring us home. He couldn’t keep us out in the cabin for the rest of our lives and he was fairly certain that we’d be safe. They never managed to find much information about the men who’d tried to kill me, but they seemed to have given up their mission.
It was a relief to hear that, but at the same time I was sad that our little getaway was coming to an end. When I told Ryan this, he just assured me that soon we’d be able to start our life together back home. With that promise, I found myself more than a little excited.
We spent our last night in Gatlinburg, dancing at one of the bars. We’d stayed out far too late and danced until our legs felt like jelly, but neither of us cared. It was a perfect way to end our stay. We stumbled home together, holding onto each other and laughing so hard our sides ached.
When we finally made it home together we fell into the bed, still dressed and our lips pressed to each other’s. Our minds were spinning from too much alcohol and we were happy. We fell asleep in each other’s arms and as the world faded away, I could feel myself slipping into a dream.
I woke up next to Ryan, but he was a young teenager again. From his features I had to guess that he was about fourteen or fifteen. He was about the age he was when we drifted apart. Seeing him like that made my heart ache. I reached out and touched his cheek and he turned to look at me, one brow cocked.
“You okay? You’re lookin’ at me funny.”
I nodded, still in awe. I must have been a teenager too. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just feel weird,” I murmured.
He stood up and put his hands on his hips, grinning brightly at me. “You know what’ll fix that?” he hummed.
“What?”
“A dip in the lake,” he said, jumping to his feet.
I stood as well and took his offered hand, laughing as he all but dragged me to the edge of the dock. I looked into the dark murky water and my stomach turned with fear. I swallowed thickly and looked at him a moment.
“Do you think it’s safe?” I asked, looking into the inky water.
“Of course it’s safe. Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked, taking his shirt off and stripping down to his underwear.
I nodded numbly, deciding that he was right. I was being a worry wart. This was the lake behind my dad’s house. We’d swam in it a million times before and nothing bad had happened, what could be different now? Even though my mind was trying to rationalize my sudden fear, I still reached out and grabbed Ryan’s wrist.
“Wait,” I begged.
He looked at me, eyebrows raised questioningly. “Are you okay?”
“Just promise me something, okay?”
He frowned a little and put his hands on his hips. “You’re weirding me out.”
“I know, I know it’s weird, but just hear me out.” I knew this was just a dream but I had to tell him. I’d spent my entire childhood ignoring the trauma and fear that had come from my dad’s death. Even if it was in a dream, I had to tell him I needed him. “Whatever happens, don’t leave me. Don’t ignore me,” I pleaded.
He frowned and turned to look at me again and frowned, his eyes catching mine. “What are you talking about?”
“Listen! Some ba
d stuff is going to happen and I’m going to need you more than ever. I’m going to act stupid and say stupid things that I don’t mean! I’m just scared. Okay? So promise me. Promise me you’ll always be there for me.”
He stared at me for a moment, his face twisted into a look of confusion. “Of course,” he said softly, smiling a little. “You never have to worry about that, Kisha. I’m always going to be here for you.”
I nodded slowly and squeezed his hand. He pulled me into the water and for a moment the water engulfed me. I was swallowed by the dark, murkiness and fear seized me for a moment. I finally broke the surface and the sun shining on my face felt good. Ryan was still holding my hand smiling. It felt right. The world felt right again.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, I felt a hand slither around my ankle, the fingers digging into my skin. My eyes widened and before I could react, I was yanked down into the water and dragged to the bottom. Ryan was still holding onto my hand and because he refused to let go, he was dragged down too. I was staring into his terrified eyes as my lungs burned and begged for air, but when I opened my mouth to breathe I only sucked down a mouthful of water.
My eye shot open and I sat up straight in bed, screaming at the top of my lungs. I was back in the cabin, but that didn’t sate the fear that was bubbling in my chest. The sun was coming through the window and Ryan was across the room, packing our bags.
The second I started screaming, Ryan flew across the room and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close and stroking my hair. “Shhhh,” he whispered, kissing my temple. “Shhhh. I’m here,” he promised.
I fell into him, shaking and trying to hold my tears back. He sat with me, holding me close and trying to bring me down, though it wasn’t really working. After what felt like an eternity, my breathing finally evened out and I started to calm down.
Ryan pulled away and cupped my cheeks, looking at me seriously. “Kisha, are you okay?”
I wiped my eyes quickly and nodded, taking a few more deep breaths. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
It took some convincing, but eventually Ryan went back to packing and left me to calm myself down in the bathroom. As I stood under the hot water, I couldn’t ignore the very disturbing thought that crawled into my mind.
What If my dream as a warning?
Chapter Thirteen
I found myself alone shortly after waking up from the nightmare. Ryan fought me on it. He didn't want to leave me alone, especially since I wouldn't tell him what the dream was about, but I told him to go. He said there was something very important in town that he had to pick up. I didn't want him to leave it behind because I was a mess and couldn't handle a nightmare.
He tried to get me to go to town with him, but I knew someone had to stay at the cabin. My brother was sending the trucks back in to come and collect us.
I was finishing packing up the last of our things, my mind still spinning round and round, from the nightmare. I couldn't understand why I would have that dream now that everything was alright. It made no sense. I sighed and just shook my head, picking up my bags and carrying them to the door.
A sudden knock on the door made me stop dead in my tracks. I frowned and looked at the door, setting my bags down slowly and approaching it. There was no peep hole and the shades were drawn so there was no way to see who was outside.
As I approached the door I could hear an unfamiliar voice, but before I could even begin to place it, the glass window to my right shattered. An eruption of flames blinded me and for a moment I could only stare as the Molotov cocktail rolled around on the floor, drenching everything in gasoline.
It took every ounce of strength in me not to scream. As far as they knew, I was already gone. I started to run toward the back door but discovered that it was engulfed in flames as well. There was no way I was going to be able to get out on the first floor.
Pure instinct told me to get to higher ground so I ran up the stairs, trying to escape the plume of smoke that followed me. I knew that the smoke was just as dangerous as the fire, and I held my breath as I ran.
Once I made it upstairs, I threw the bedroom door open and looked around frantically for my gun. I rifled through the closet open and checked under the bed before I remembered that I'd left it in the truck; the truck that Ryan now had.
I cursed under my breath and did my best to stay cool, even though I was panicking internally. I had to keep it in. I had to keep it quiet. The more I panicked, the more mistakes I was likely to make.
My eyes darted towards the window and after deciding that it was big enough for me to fit through, I pushed it open and climbed through onto the roof. I managed to slide down the downspout into the bushes without hurting myself and jumped up, cursing as I yanked at the branches that had snagged my shirt.
I was wearing shorts and a tank top, which had led to several open cuts on the way down. I wasn't even slightly concerned with that. I had far bigger fish to fry. I had a rival biker gang on my tail and they wanted blood.
My only way out was down the mountain and I knew it. I took off as fast as I could through the woods, my eyes fixed straight ahead. I could see the glistening asphalt just ahead, steam rising from the blacktop like a ghost. It had just rained and the smell of wet dirt was still in the air. My eyes were wide and my heart was pounding. I was so close to safety. Surely there would be someone on the busy main road!
Just as I was about to break the tree line, a sharp pain in my scalp took me by surprise. Someone had a hold of my long curls and was tugging me backwards. I screamed on instinct and struggled against the fingers that were wrapping about my hair and dragging me back toward the cabin.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a switch blade. I reached back and sliced into my hair, cutting it off. The curls fell around me and a man cursed. I didn’t stop to look and see who it was before scrambling away, trying desperately to make it to the road. Something told me that if I could get to the road, I’d be safe.
The same fingers that had wrapped themselves in my hair, wrapped around my ankle. I fell forward and hit the ground hard, suddenly paralyzed with fear. It was just like my dream. I heard a man grunt as he started to pull me back.
“Finally got you, you dumb bitch,” he hissed.
A sob was stuck in my throat, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I somehow managed to get a hold of myself and I started to scream, twisting and turning in a desperate attempt to get away, but nothing I did mattered. He was much bigger than me and this time, size won out. I turned to try and stab him but he caught my wrist with ease, twisting it until I was sure it was going to break. I screamed and the knife hit the ground.
The man, who I could now see was at least six feet tall, threw me over his shoulder and carried me back towards the cabin which was still actively ablaze. He set me down and when I looked up to scream he drew his fist back and punched my square in the nose. The blow made stars explode behind my eyes, but it didn’t knock me out.
I spit out a mouthful of blood, panting and wide eyed. He just chuckled and used my dazed state to his advantage, tying me up to a nearby tree. He somehow managed to force my legs apart and tied them down as well.
“There we go, exactly how I wanted you,” he hummed.
I was doing my best to keep the tears back and keep myself from shuddering. I was more than a little surprised to see that he was the only one around. I grit my teeth and dropped my head forward, shuddering.
“Where are the rest of you?” I whispered, venom dripping from my words.
“There are no others. They ran off after you killed the boss,” He murmured, settling on a stump across from me, looking at me thoughtfully.
My eyes widened as I took in what he was saying. If he was telling the truth, it meant that one of the most dangerous outlaw biker gangs had been taken out and I was the one to do it. That brought me some comfort at least. Maybe I was going down, but at least I’d taken these fuckers with me.
; “Can’t say I feel much sympathy,” I murmured.
He stood up, the cabin blazing behind him. “Keep your mouth shut!” he snapped, stepping forward and slapping me across the face so hard my ears rang.
I spit out another mouthful of blood as he continued on his pathetic rant. “They might have just been criminals to you, but those men were my brothers! That was my family.”
“You picked a shit family,” I murmured, looking up at him, my gaze defiant. I wasn’t going to let this jerk off win. If I was going down, I was going to go down swinging.
His eyes narrowed and he closed the space between us, reaching out and gripping my jaw between his fingers. I was forced to look into his face now and I saw a man who looked far older than he really was thanks to years of drugs and alcohol. His teeth had all but rotted out of his mouth and his eyes were red and hazy, while the deep wrinkles in his skin did nothing to help his aged appearance. His breath smelled rancid and it made my stomach turn, but I never broke from his gaze. I wasn’t going to give this up without a fight.
“You’re going to regret every word that came out of your whore mouth. Did you think I was just going to kill you?” he whispered. “Of course not.” A wicked smile came to his lips and I felt a shiver run down my spine. “I’m going to wait right here until that boyfriend of yours comes running. And when he gets here, I’m going to rip him to pieces right in front of your eyes.”
My blood turned cold and I reacted without thinking. I started to scream. It wasn’t a fearful scream, it was an animalistic sound of rage. I pulled at the ropes that held me to the tree and I managed to slam my forehead into his nose.
He howled and stumbled back, holding the broken and bleeding protrusion. “You whore!” he screamed stepping forward.
He wrapped his thick hands around my neck and began to squeeze. I could feel the power and anger in those hands, squeezing and crushing the life out of me. My eyes fluttered and my head lolled as I felt the last of the air slipping from my body. I whimpered weakly and just as the world started to go black he pulled his hands away.
