Page 44 of Storm

“And if it’s not?” I ask.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Patch says.

“Why not? I can handle myself.”

“Didn’t say you couldn’t, but if this isn’t legit?” he questions.

“What all did she say?” I ask now.

“That he was bein’ held in the basement of an abandoned house. She’s sent in a few times a week to feed him,” he says, and my heart breaks. We can’t leave him to that if that is true. And we won’t know until we get there and find out.

“Then let me meet with her. You guys can be close by if anything happens, right?” I ask, looking around the table at the guys.

“I, for one, think she can handle it,” my uncle says. I look over and smile at him, knowing he has my back on this. Not that I didn’t think he would, it’s just good to hear him say it.

“Okay. Then I’ll call her back and let her know you’re meetin’ her. If you get any bad vibes you signal us, Kenz. I won’t have them gettin’ their hands on you, too,” Patch says, looking me in the eye. I nod my head and agree with him.

We talk more as he calls her back and sets everything up. My heart is beating so damn quickly that it’s hard to calm it down just thinking that he might still be alive out there.

“You ready for this?” My uncle asks me.

“I’m ready. Storm taught me well.”

“I bet he did. And are you ready for him to be home?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Claimin’ you the way he planned on isn’t an easy thing, Kenz. You didn’t want this life once before, and now you’re divin’ in headfirst.”

“I know. And I know what I said. But I know what I feel when I’m with Storm. I didn’t ask for this, Uncle Jenson. It just…happened.”

“I think Storm is a good man deep down, but we all do shit, Kenzee. You saw it yourself,” he reminds me.

“I know that too. But I trust him.”

“You love him?”

“Yeah, I do,” I say without even thinking about it. I do love him. He’s shown me nothing but love and caring since we’ve been together. Yeah, he might show it differently, but it’s his way. It’s our way.

Chapter 17

Storm

My head drops to the side, all my fucking energy depleted. I don’t know how long I’ve been down here now. Jenny, she never came back after the last time we talked. She said she got her ass beat and was knocked out for a few days before she came back the last time. She said she was going to try to get to a phone as soon as she could, but she didn’t know when that would be. Now she’s gone too.

I try to focus on anything I can, especially now that no one has been back for me. I don’t know where they are or what the hell is happening, and I figure I’m just going to rot here in this basement until the fucking smell alerts someone. Or maybe we’re not even close to anything, I don’t fucking know.

And Kenzee. Fuck, I miss Kenz. I miss her little defiant attitude and the way she takes no shit from anyone. Something about that girl makes me smile more than I thought I’d ever smile in my life. And now that’s gone.

The last couple of nights, I’ve woken up in a cold sweat because of the damn nightmares. Instead of me finding Ethan, it’s Kenz finding me. And my fucking heart shatters every single time. I was glad when they took me and didn’t leave me there. I didn’t want her to see me the way I saw him, even though she had a glimpse of it.

My eyes slowly close, and the fucking dreams come back again. This time, I can hear them coming. Boots hit the ceiling above me. No other noise can be heard but the sounds of people stomping.

I try to pry my eyes open, but they feel like lead weights. So I endure it. I let the dreams come as they are.

Someone’s coming down the steps. No. There’s more than one person coming down the steps. I can hear multiple sets as they stomp down. I vaguely hear someone talking but I can’t make out what they’re saying. Then I feel it. As if it isn’t a dream. Someone slaps my face.

“Wake up!” They roar. Again, I try to pry my eyes open, but it does no good.