by L. Wilder
I woke up the next morning with Lucky’s beautiful, dark eyes staring at me. She was propped up on her elbow, and she smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “I must’ve fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to stay the night in your bed.”
“That’s okay.” A light blush crossed her face as she added, “It was nice having you here.”
“Were you able to get any sleep?”
“Yeah. I slept great. Better than I have in days”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” I smiled as I told her, “I was afraid my snoring might’ve kept you awake.”
“I’m pretty sure I was the one who was snoring, but thanks for not noticing.”
“Never said I didn’t notice. You snore with the best of them. Pretty sure you’ve got the rest of the guys beat in that department.” I teased.
“Seriously?”
“Yep.” I got out of the bed and stretched. “I need a hot shower and some coffee. How about you?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Good.” As I headed for the door, I told her, “I’ll be back as soon as I get out of the shower.”
“Okay.”
I’d just gotten dressed and was on my way to get Lucky when I spotted Two Bit heading towards me. He was known for saying whatever was on his mind, and from the expression on his face, it was clear that he had something to say. With his eyebrow cocked, he announced, “We found something.”
“What?” He motioned for me to go with him, and as I followed him down the hall, I anxiously asked, “What the hell did you find?”
“A car,” he answered as he walked into the bar.
Maverick and Stitch were at one of the back tables talking with Cotton, and as soon as we walked up, I heard Maverick say, “We tried, but with all the snow and ice, we just couldn’t get down there.”
“Hell, the damn thing is almost a hundred feet down the ravine. Even if there wasn’t any snow, I don’t know how we’d get to it without some help.”
“Do you think the car is Lucky’s?”
Maverick turned to me and answered, “Yeah, but we won’t know for sure until we can get down there and check it out.”
“Where is it?”
Stitch cleared his throat as he crossed his arms. As the club’s enforcer, he was always thinking one step ahead, and his voice was deep and methodical as he answered, “About three miles east of here—at Eagle’s point. She must’ve lost control around that curve and flipped over the embankment. The car is pretty fucked up. It’s a fuckin’ miracle she made it out of there alive.”
Every ounce of empathy I had kicked in as I asked, “She walked for three miles in that storm?”
“Apparently so.” Cotton’s eyes were filled with concern. “Looks like she was running from something after all.”
“The question is, from what? Or better yet, from who?” Maverick asked.
“Hopefully, we’ll find some answers in that car.” Cotton turned to Maverick and said, “Get with Guardrail and see what equipment he has that might help us get down there.”
Guardrail was the club’s VP, and he was also the front man for the club’s construction company. If anyone had something that would help us, it would be him, so I wasn’t surprised when Maverick replied, “Already did. He said he could have us something here by noon.”
Cotton shook his head. “Gonna need to be sooner than that. We need to get to it before someone else does.”
“I’ll call him back.” He stepped to the side and dialed his number. After talking to him for just a few minutes, he hung up the phone and turned back to us. “He’ll be here in two hours.
“Good. Meet back here at ten, and then we’ll head over there. And dress warm. It’s cold as shit out there,” Cotton ordered.
After we dispersed, I went down the hall towards Lucky’s room where I found Drake, one of our prospects, standing by her door. “Morning, Diesel. How’s it going, brother?”
“It’s going. You?”
“Better now that it stopped fucking snowing. Hell, I thought that storm would never pass.”
“I hear ya.” I nodded towards the door. “Is Lucky in there?”
“Yep.”
I knocked on her door, and as I waited for her to answer, I considered telling her about the car. I thought it might lift her spirits but decided against it, thinking I didn’t want her to be disappointed if it turned out to be nothing. When she opened the door, I asked, “You ready to grab a bite to eat?”
“Not at the moment.” She motioned to a small tray of food behind her. “Cass already brought me something.”
“Oh. Okay.” I turned back and made sure that Drake was still close by. “I’ve got some things to take care of for a few hours, but Cass or Doc will be around if you need anything.”
“I’ll be fine. Cass brought me some magazines to read, so I’ll just hang out here until you get back.”
“I’ll be back soon,” I told her as I made my way down the hallway towards the kitchen. I didn’t like that she couldn’t contact me if she needed me, so I’d need to talk to Cotton about getting her a burner phone. But that would have to wait until later. For now, I needed to get some food in my stomach and then meet the guys to go check out that car. When I walked into the kitchen, Stitch and Maverick were already sitting down at the table, eating their eggs and drinking their coffee, while Two Bit and Clutch were at the stove, filling their plates with food. I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee before going over to the stove to get my food. Once I’d made my plate, I went over and joined the others at the table.
Without talking to anyone in particular, Maverick said, “Henley and Cass tried to take Thomas sledding yesterday, but Henley said he wasn’t having any part of it. She sat him on her lap, and when they went down that little hill in front of the house, he pitched an ever lovin’ fit.”
He’d married Henley before I was even associated with the club, but I didn’t have to be around from the beginning to know that they were crazy about each other—and they absolutely adored their two-year-old son, Thomas. Clutch laughed as he said, “Sounds like he takes after his old man.”
“The hell you say. I used to love to go sledding when I was a kid. There wasn’t a hill I wouldn’t try,” he argued.
“Give him time,” Stitch told him. “He’ll be out there scaring the shit out of you before you know it.”
“What about Mia? Does she like the snow?” Clutch asked.
“Nope. She’s not a fan either, but Wyatt seems to like it … at least for a little while.”
I sat there listening to them talk about their kids, and as always, I was amazed to see the softer side of the very men who I knew could be hard as nails. Hell, Stitch could bring the strongest men to their knees without breaking a sweat, but when he talked about his kids, he looked like an average Joe. We’d been sitting there talking for almost an hour when I heard Cass say, “Guys. You need to come see this.”
We all turned, and when found her standing in the doorway with a panicked look on her face, we all got up and followed her into the TV room. I had no idea what was going on until I heard Cass say, “Isn’t that Lucky?”
I looked up at the television, and as soon as I saw those beautiful, dark eyes staring back at me, I knew it was her. My breath caught in my throat as I read the word MISSING written in bold red letters above her picture, and when I started searching for her name, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when I noticed the picture of the man next to her. Without reading any further, I knew it was her husband. Fuck.
“Yep, that’s her,” Maverick announced.
I ignored him as I listened to the news anchor describe how Brady and Ellie Blackwell had been declared missing after neither one of them had shown up for work. She stated that the police had begun an investigation, but as of yet, they had found no leads. My mind was reeling as I listened to her say that Brady Blackwell’s father, Police Chief Grayson Blackwell, had
offered a reward for any information regarding the couple’s whereabouts. When she finally finished talking, I turned to my brothers and said, “This doesn’t make any fucking sense. If they’re both missing, how the hell did she end up here?”
“She’s the only one who can answer that, brother,” Stitch replied. “And if the cops are looking for her, it’s only a matter of time before they start sniffing around here.”
“You got that right,” Cotton grumbled as he shook his head. “Especially if that’s her car in the ravine. Either way, we need to be prepared. Consider us on high alert.”
Maverick stepped forward and said, “Is there a reason why we’re putting our necks out for this chick? Hell, we don’t know anything about her.”
Without batting an eye, Cotton replied, “Fate brought her to our doorstep, and we chose to take her in. We’re not turning our backs on her now. We’re going to see this thing though.”
His words proved once again that Cotton was a man of honor, making me proud to be his brother. I glanced back up at the screen, and as I stared at her picture, I muttered, “Ellie Blackwell.”
Hearing me, Clutch replied, “And Brady Blackwell. The chick’s married, Diesel.”
“I’m not buying it, Clutch. Something about this just doesn’t feel right.”
“I guess there’s only one way for you to find out.”
With that, I turned and went straight to her room. When I got to her door, I took a deep breath, and after I knocked, she answered, “It’s open.”
I opened the door and found her sitting Indian style at the foot of her bed. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun, and she was wearing one of my t-shirts that was at least two sizes too big for her. There was a magazine in her lap, and when she looked up and saw me standing there, a smile spread across her face. Breathtaking. She was absolutely breathtaking.
She cocked her head to the side and said, “That was fast. I wasn’t expecting you until later.”
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. What I wanted more than anything else was sitting right there in front of me, and the thought that she might belong to another made my blood run cold. I didn’t want to lose her, not like this. But then, I couldn’t lose what I never had, and I couldn’t keep what wasn’t mine. Noticing my struggle, her smile quickly faded. “Is everything okay?”
I’d wanted to ease my way into it, but the words just rolled right off my tongue. “Are you Ellie Blackwell?”
Chapter 10
Ellie
I never would’ve dreamed that two little words could have such an earth-shattering effect on me. As soon as he said the name Ellie Blackwell, everything around me stood still. It sounded so familiar, like it was something that belonged to me, but it was just out of reach. I couldn’t think of anything beyond yes, that is my name, but I knew there was more. My mind started racing, and with each breath I took, a new memory would come rushing back—the very memories that my mind had tried to protect me from, and a feeling of desperation washed over me. I could only remember tiny bits and pieces that would quickly float off in the distance, and I wanted to grab a hold of each and every one of them. I needed to make sense of the confusion that had come with the sound of my name. I needed to know how I ended up at the Satan’s Fury clubhouse, but those memories were still stubbornly tucked away in the back of my mind, refusing to be found. I lowered my head into my hands and sobbed helplessly as Diesel came over and sat down next to me. I knew he was waiting for my response, but I was too distraught to form the words.
He placed the palm of his hand on my back and slowly ran it up and down my spine. “I know you’re scared, but you’ve gotta face this thing head on. You’ve gotta understand the fear for what it is and find a way to get through it. You’ve done it before, but this time, you don’t have to do it alone. I’m right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
I could tell by the sound of his voice that he meant what he said, and I felt a sense of strength knowing that he’d be there by my side. I inhaled a deep breath as I wiped the tears from my eyes and turned to look at him. “I’m Ellie Blackwell.”
“They just showed a picture of you on the news. The reporter said that you’re missing, and so is your husband … Brady. The cops are looking for both of you.”
Brady. My stomach twisted into knots at the sound of his name. For days, I’d been dreaming about him, about the abuse, the torture, and the pain. I’d prayed that it was all just some crazy nightmare, but it wasn’t just a nightmare—it was my life. While there were things I could remember about our apartment, my job at the coffee shop, and the never-ending battles with Brady, there was still so much that I couldn’t piece together. “I don’t know where he is.”
“There are people out there looking for you, including the police. I’d say we should let them know where you are and see if we can find something out about him, but I keep thinking about something Maverick said.”
“What?”
“When they found you out there in the snow, you were barely hanging on. Maverick told me that Cotton wanted to take you to the hospital, but you begged him not to. He said you were adamant about it, but passed out before you could tell them why. Do you have any idea what that was about?”
I tried to think back on that night, but I drew a blank. It was like a chunk of time was simply gone, and I had no idea how to get it back. “No. That part hasn’t come back to me yet.”
“What can you remember?”
“Just fragments of my life … Some seem clearer than others.” I sighed. “I remember marrying Brady right out of high school. I was pregnant and thought I was doing the right thing. It turns out I was wrong.”
While he tried to hide it, I could hear the disappointment in his voice when he asked, “So, you’ve got a kid?”
I felt the tears threatening to fall all over again as I murmured, “No.”
His eyebrows furrowed with confusion. “But … you said you were pregnant.”
“I was, but I lost her after one of Brady’s bad days.” My eyes dropped to my lap. “It was the first time, but it wasn’t the last.”
“So, the dreams?”
Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, I answered, “Yeah. That was Brady.”
The room fell silent as both of us sat there lost in our own world of thoughts. I took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to focus on remembering the parts that hadn’t returned, and less on the ones that had. It wasn’t just that night that I couldn’t remember. There were more empty spaces, more lapses in time that I had absolutely no recollection, and that worried me. The fact that there was still so much I couldn’t remember made me worry that the worst was yet to come. Filled with panic, I glanced over at Diesel, and he looked like he was in another world. I had no idea what he was thinking, but it was clear from his expression that he was upset.
After several long moments, he finally growled, “He did that to you, and he was a fucking cop. He should’ve done everything in his power to protect you and keep you safe, but …”
“There’s no use in trying to make sense of it, Diesel. The whole thing was completely unbelievable. I never dreamed that he would ever hurt me, but the fact was, he did.”
Before Diesel could respond, there was a knock on the door, and Cotton stepped into the room. “Well?”
Diesel looked over to him and said, “It’s true. She’s Ellie Blackwell.”
Cotton raised his eyebrow. “Already knew that. Was hoping you could tell me something more.”
“Wish I could, but she’s not remembering everything yet. Just a few things here and there, and she can’t remember anything about that night.”
“Damn.”
“If it’s alright with you, I think we should hold off before we tell anyone that she’s here.”
“We’ve got some time, but not sure how much,” Cotton told him. “We need to get down to that car and see if it’s hers. Maybe there’s something in there that might give us a better idea of what’s going on.”<
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Diesel stood up and started towards him. “I’m going with.”
Cotton nodded, then looked over to me. “You sure that you can’t remember anything about that night?”
“No. I really wish I could, but I can’t. You have to know that I want to know even more so than you do.”
“I know, and don’t you worry. We’ll get this thing figured out,” he assured me.
“I’m really sorry about all this. I really didn’t mean to bring trouble to your doorstep.”
“Not worried about a little trouble. Hell, trouble is my middle name,” he scoffed.
I had no idea why this man and his club had taken on my problems as their own, but I would forever be indebted to him—to all of them. “Thank you, Cotton.”
He nodded, and Diesel followed him as he walked out of the room. When they closed the door behind them, I suddenly felt like I’d been tossed into the middle of the ocean, and without Diesel there, my only life preserver had been yanked away. I was treading water, trying to keep my head above as the waves of doubt and despair crashed down around me, and I was drowning in it. I tucked my knees under my chin and wrapped my arms tightly around my legs, trying to keep myself from falling apart. I’m not sure how long I stayed like that. I vaguely remembered Cassidy and Doc stopping by to check on me, but seeing that I needed some time alone, neither of them stayed long.
I spent the entire day in that room alone, wondering about what they might find in that car, and it was well after dark before they came rolling back to the clubhouse. I could hear them talking in the hallway, and I kept expecting Diesel to come to my room, but he didn’t, at least not right away. It was another half hour before I heard a knock at my door, and by then, I was a nervous wreck. Relief washed over me when Diesel stepped into the room. For the first time since he’d gone, I felt like I could breath. As he walked over to me, I noticed that he had a large envelope in one hand and a purse in the other. I knew from the minute I saw it, it was mine, but I had to ask anyway, “Did you find that in the car?”
