Secrets Worth Keeping (Finding my Home Book 2) Read online

  “Hey, you don’t know I did it on purpose!” Jensen protests as we drive through town.

  “Didn’t you?” Rafe asks and I can picture him raising his eyebrow at Jensen.

  “You were always far too happy when we found you bruised, beaten and covered in blood most of it not yours” Luc says his tone amused.

  “Alright fine!” Jensen huffs indignantly.

  “Jensen?”

  “Yes Angel?”

  “Never again ok? I couldn’t handle it if you got taken” I say firmly.

  “Ok, Angel, I promise. I won’t deliberately get myself kidnapped anymore” Jensen agrees sincerity ringing in his tone.

  “Wow Ever, we’ve been asking him to cut that shit out for years. You ask once and he instantly agrees” Cash grumbles amused.

  “You guys just aren’t pretty enough” he jokes back.

  As the guys continue to joke my mind spins with the events of the last day. Not even a day actually just the last few hours. So much has freaking happened. First Selena trying to stir shit at the dance and getting those girls to continuously ask the guys out. Then that stunt with showing every fucker my scars and Jensen and Trick kissing me in front of everyone. Then running away from the guys when they bought up that we need to talk about it, which in hindsight was a ridiculously stupid thing to do, but I am coward enough to admit that I won’t be bringing it up with them again. I do promise myself that if they bring it up before I do, I will not run away this time.

  Of course then I was kidnapped by a psycho and now my entire body hurts and all I want to do is curl up between my guys and sleep this awful shitty evening away. Before I can do that though I’m going to have to go to the hospital and get checked out.

  “Has it always been this long a journey?” I ask.

  “What?” Trick asks sharing a concerned look with Riot.

  “To the store, I mean hospital?” I mutter. “Why did I say store?”

  “I think it’s safe to say you absolutely have a concussion, Baby girl” Rafe says.

  “Don’t go to sleep, Il mio Cuore, ok?” Cash asks concerned.

  “We’re almost there” Trick says.

  “We’re pretty damn good at looking after people with concussions now, again Jensen’s clumsy ass has ensured that” Riot chuckles, trying to make conversation and keep me awake.

  “Hey!” Jensen exclaims, “I resent that statement, it’s not my fault. Walls move deliberately in my way, and the floor tries to trip me up. It’s a goddamned conspiracy I tells ya!” Jensen yells putting on an accent so ridculous that it has me laughing.

  “What the fuck kind of accent was that dude?” Luc scoffs.

  “I dunno it made Ever laugh though, which means she’s awake and we’re here!” He sings in reply.

  The guys somehow manage to find parking and we all get out of the cars together, Trick and Rafe both step up to my sides and support me as I stumble.

  Chapter Three

  We walk through the front doors of the hospital, the guys pretty much holding up all of my weight at this point. I’m just so fucking tired and everything freaking hurts like a bitch.

  “You must be Ever?” a kind older looking female nurse asks me. “My grandson called and told me you were being bought in, he’s a paramedic.”

  I nod tiredly.

  “Hop in sweets, lets get you checked out so you can rest” she says.

  I sit in the wheel chair that I hadn’t noticed the nurse pushing, my tired body instantly grateful.

  “Ok boys you can’t all come with us whilst she’s being examined and normally I wouldn’t let even one of you but these are extenuating circumstances, so you young man can come. The rest of you wait here” the nurse instructs as she points at Cash.

  “Come on man, sit down Cash has got our girl” Trick says quietly to Jensen as he goes to protest.

  I try to give them all a reassuring smile as Cash comes to my side and wraps his hand around mine as the nurses pushes me through the double doors and down the sterile corridor to an examination room.

  “You two wait here, the doctor will be along shortly, would you like anything for the pain dear?”

  “Yes please.”

  “Very well I’ll be back in a minute with some painkillers” she turns to Cash, “do not let her fall asleep, young man.”

  “No mam” he says firmly.

  ******

  Jensen

  As soon as Ever’s wheelchair disappears around the corner I’m up and pacing the length of the waiting room the guys watching me warily. There’s this aching pit of darkness inside me begging to be set free, to hurt and damage and kill the person responsible for hurting Everleigh.

  The only reason why I managed to hold back from going for him when we first got to him, is because Ever needed me more and like Rafe reminded us earlier there were too many witnesses. I would’ve gone away, and I can’t leave Ever. She makes it ok. All of it, it just hurts a little bit less when she’s around, making it just a bit easier to breath.

  I run my hands through my hair tugging hard on the strands.

  “You ok man?” Rafe asks softly.

  “No.”

  “She’s ok. She’s safe and we’ve got her. We won’t let her out of our sight again, that cunt is going away and once he’s there we know people that can make sure he never gets out” Trick says darkly.

  I know it shouldn’t but his words really do comfort me making the darkness recede a bit, he won’t get away with this, none of us will let him and whilst there’s a possibility of parole Ever won’t be completely safe. I will not let anything happen to her. I may not be able to do anything about any of the men that worked with Ever’s father but this is one thing I can do something about. I pull out my phone to text Matt and call in that favour.

  “We need to call the parents, they expected us home ages ago” Riot says.

  “Dude, just message Jenny she will let them all know” Luc says.

  “Good point, Trick that ones on you” Riot grins.

  Trick flips him the bird and types out a text on his phone, there’s no way Jenny is going to let him get away with just sending her a text after everything that’s happened and as predicted his phone starts ring immediately.

  “Fuck” he says tiredly running a hand through his hair, “any news at all you come and get me immediately” he demand’s and we nod.

  This whole thing has us all pretty fucking shaken up, I just want Ever in my sights, so I know she’s safe and really ok. We’re all silent lost in our own thoughts whilst Trick’s outside talking to Jenny. It doesn’t take long for him to return looking even more worn out than before.

  “What happened?” I ask.

  “Well I’m pretty sure they’re all going to be turning up here, even though I tried to tell them that it wouldn’t be a good idea” Trick sighs heavily.

  “Are we even going to be here long enough for them to all turn up?” Riot asks.

  “Yeah, I want to get Ever home and tucked into bed, she needs rest” I add.

  “I don’t know man but even if they turn up after we’ve gone that’s on them, I warned them” Trick says chuckling quietly.

  “Good point, hey can you imagine if Atlas was there tonight?” Riot chuckles darkly, switching topics.

  “Jeremy would’ve been dead or missing limbs at least” Trick grins wickedly.

  “I miss that dude” I chuckle.

  “You guys really think he’s going to turn up?” Luc asks quietly.

  “Definitely, he’ll be too fucking curious about Ever. It’s not like we kept quiet about her, he knew exactly what she meant to us” I chuckle.

  “Why do you think he left?” Rafe signs.

  “I dunno man, there’s obviously more to it than him just up and leaving” Trick says distractedly, like the rest of us his eyes keep darting towards the doors Ever disappeared through.

  “If it’s as dangerous as it seems then he probably won’t be able to tell us fuck all even when we see him i
n person” Luc adds.

  “What do you think Ever’s going to think of him? Should we warn her?” Riot asks.

  “We have warned her, if anything it just intrigues her more” Trick chuckles and we all grin, it’s a fucking good job that our Ever likes dangerous men.

  “That doesn’t surprise me in the least” Riot chuckles, “I meant about his whole aversion to being touched thing?” Riot explains.

  “We could but it’s Ever it’s not like she’s going to run up to him and hug him. In fact I’m worried about her reaction to him. Especially after tonight and with the vibe that Atlas gives off, I’m worried that it might trigger her” Trick says worriedly.

  “Fuck, I didn’t think about that” I say. “We’ll have to warn them both” I add thoughtfully, hoping that everything just goes ok, I don’t know why it’s so important to me that Ever and Atlas get on but for some reason it just feels incredibly important that they do. He’s our brother, and we had never planned for us to be split up like this.

  “Ok that’s it, I’m texting Cash for an update” Rafe growls quietly.

  “It’s only been like twenty minutes, dude” Luc chuckles.

  “Fuck off, don’t even try to pretend you’re not as worried as the rest of us about her” Rafe grumbles, his fingers flying across his phone screen.

  Everleigh

  “How’re you doing il mio Cuore?” Cash asks quietly as he sits down next to the bed and grabs my hand, threading his fingers through mine.

  “I’m alright” I start calmly but then my thoughts start to run away with me. “I just want to go home and everything freaking hurts and why is it men always pick me to abuse or kidnap? Surely other women don’t go around getting beaten and kidnapped this fucking often?” I rant breathlessly, fully aware that I’m slightly hysterical right now, but I got fucking kidnapped I’m fucking allowed to be you dicks. No idea who the dicks are but as I said, slightly hysterical so I’m going with it, “I mean is it me, am I doing something that makes them want to do that sort of shit to me?”

  My ramblings are cut short as Cash stands up and pulls me into his strong chest, stepping in between my legs and wrapping his arms around me tightly, my fists clench in the front of his shirt, as my forehead lands on the top of his stomach, that’s just how fucking tall he is. It makes me feel safe and protected though and right now I need to feel that.

  “Listen to me Everleigh, none of this is your fault, you have been dealt an absolutely shitty hand so far but it is not your fault” he says firmly, he puts a long tanned finger under my chin and tilts my face up to meet his gaze. “You are strong, fierce and truly beautiful, il mio Cuore, this is not your fault” he repeats trying to make it sink in, “and I will be fucking damned if anything else happens to you, you have six, probably seven guys who aren’t exactly known to be warm and fluffy, we will protect you no matter what. I hope you realise that we aren’t letting you out of our sights for the foreseeable future, be prepared for stage five clingers Ever” he jokes.

  “Thank you Cash, you always know how to make me feel better” I say chuckling slightly and pulling away. “Hang on seven?”

  “Oh yeah Dragonfly, I have a feeling Atlas is going to love you” he chuckles like he knows something I don’t. Which when it comes to Atlas is entirely plausible since I know next to nothing. I try not to question why Cash’s words send a thrill through me, I don’t know Atlas and I already have my hands full with the six guys I do know.

  “Ah you must be Everleigh?” a female doctor asks as she pushes her way into the room, “I’m doctor Jameson, let’s get a look at you then?” she asks kindly, her voice soothing.

  She looks up from the chart in her hands and takes in Cash who moved to the side when the doctor first came into the room and is now holding my hand.

  “This is my friend, Cash” I explain.

  “Are you comfortable with him being here whilst we examine your wounds?”

  “Yes, I’d actually prefer it, tonight’s sucked massively” I grimace.

  “Yes I can imagine. I don’t imagine you’ll need to stay for what’s left of the night, so lets get this done so you can go home and rest” she says kindly.

  The exam isn’t nearly as bad as I worried it would be, it hurt like a bitch to clean all the various cuts and scrapes though and I’m almost certain I’ve left half-moon indents on Cash’s hand but he doesn’t complain once, his body rigid as if seeing me in pain hurts him. She leaves my face for last, which I’m not sure if I’m grateful for or not.

  After she’s cleaned the wounds my face and covered them in antiseptic cream she gives me the tube to take home and then frowns.

  “Put that on at least twice a day, it’s got a numbing agent in it so for the first few days I’d suggest using it more frequently to reduce the pain you’re in. I’m afraid a couple of the deepest gashes” she points, “the one near your ear and on the side of your forehead are going to scar, but none of the rest will.”

  I shrug.

  “Thanks doc” I smile.

  She looks at me perplexed for a second before telling us she will get a nurse to discharge us and to sit tight. I guess I should be more upset that a couple of the gravel grazes on my face are going to scar but in all honesty what’s one more scar at this point. Cash opens his mouth no doubt to comment on my lack of reaction when his phone dings from his pocket, he pulls it out and then chuckles as he reads what’s on the screen.

  “What?” I question raising my eyebrow.

  “Rafe says and I quote; oi dickhead, what the fuck is going on with our Ever, if you’re not going to give us updates I’ll drag you out myself. Then there’s a few angry emojis before he adds; P.S give Ever a hug from me and tell her I miss her and she’s got this” Cash chuckles again, “such a contrast!” He mock gasps in outrage, “why don’t I get cuddles?”

  My cheeks heat with warmth at Rafe’s words, he’s such a sweetheart. You never would guess from first looking at him, six foot three, brooding with dark hair and eyes, he’s almost the living embodiment of what most women think of when they think bad boy and don’t get me wrong he can fit that description to a T but underneath all the danger he’s a romantic softy and I love it.

  “Here you go dear, paper works all ready to go” the nurse says as she comes bustling back into the room with a cheery smile despite it being gone one in the morning. It’s refreshing, I know I couldn’t do it, I’m a grumpy shit when I’m tired.

  Me and Cash walk out of the exam room with Cash’s arm wrapped tightly around my waist helping to support me. I didn’t want to get back into the wheelchair and now that the painkillers are kicking in, I’m not as sore but I am really stiff. I stop in shock as we finally get to the waiting room, not only are my guys waiting like I thought they’d be but so are all the parents excluding Luc’s of course.

  “Oh Ever darling are you ok?” Kat asks rushing up to me with, Jenny and Lily on her heels and effectively blocking the guys from reaching me.

  “I’m sore and exhausted but I’m glad he’s finally caught and is going away” I say softly as they all envelop me in a soft hug at the same time.

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that” Rob says.

  “Thank goodness I had the guys, they saved me” I say and all the parents look over their kids proudly making them squirm, which I find absolutely hilarious, these big strong guys that just threatened and beat the shit out of someone and have contingencies in place if one of them gets kidnapped, are getting all uncomfortable under the gazes of their proud parents, it’s pretty cute.

  There’s no doubt in my mind that if they hadn’t caught up to me Jeremy would’ve managed to take me and do all the horrible things he was talking about. The thought makes bile rise in my throat but I push it back down. If my guys were the “good” guys (and yes even in my own mind I use the sarcastic bunny ear thingies) then they would’ve rung the police first and due to protocol and all that, they wouldn’t have gotten to me in time.

  My gu
ys gently push through their mom’s who are still surrounding me and all end up in a circle around me, each of them has a hand on me somewhere and I immediately feel a thousand times better, the tension draining from me. Trick stands in front of me and my fists clench in his shirt trying to keep myself upright, his hands land on my hips as he looks down at me. I get the feeling that he wants to kiss me right now but although all the parents know that all of the guys took me to prom, they don’t know the nature of our relationship so it might not be a good idea.

  “Thank you, for not being normal. Thank you for being dangerous men, if you’d done it the conventional way I wouldn’t be standing here right now” I say softly, catching all of their gazes so they can see how truly grateful I am.

  “You’re perfect for us Sweetheart, and I promised you that we would always come for you, I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep, none of us do” Trick says firmly and the last of the flimsy walls protecting my heart crumbles to dust as I stare at them all.

  Fuck.

  “Come on boys, lets get Ever home” Jenny says from somewhere beyond the ring of guys surrounding me. “I’m assuming that you are all staying at our house tonight?” Jenny asks, her tone amused as the other parents chuckle.

  “You assumed correctly” Jensen turns and grins cheekily at her.

  She sighs like she’s exasperated but I can see the start of a grin playing around the edge of her lips. Jensen really is just that loveable. We all walk out the front doors on masse and over to the boys cars.

  “Boys, do I want to know why you are driving cars that aren’t yours?” Kat asks firmly.

  “Well we didn’t have ours with us mama” Cash starts to explain.

  “Don’t worry though, we asked permission, we’ll drop them back tomorrow” Riot says.

  “Hmm ok, but if I have the police knocking on my door at god knows what time this morning I will not be pleased” Jenny threatens adopting the same look as Kat.

  The guys all nod and we all load up in the cars, I move very slowly, everything stiff as I try to fold my battered frame into the car. I seriously hope that a couple of days rest is going to be enough to get rid of this stiffness because I do not want to go to the cabin feeling like this.