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  “How about your family?” That was the worst question she could have asked me. It was now my turn to tense up and not look at her.

  My jaw got hard as I answered, “Don't have one. Subject of family is off limits.” She nodded her head, looking relieved.

  “What made you want to be a doctor?” That seemed like a safe subject.

  “I don't know really. I just love helping people, for as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. From the age of 5 and up really. I thought I would grow out of it, like most kids do, but I never did. It always stuck with me growing up, like it was my calling or something. I love my job; I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” She spoke about being a doctor so passionately that you couldn’t help but get lost in her words. Knowing she loved her job so much at such a young age, said a lot.

  “What is it that you do?” She asked timidly, almost like she was afraid of asking.

  “I pretty much do what the cops can’t do. If there is a case they’re working on and they can’t do it without breaking their rules, they call me. I do it. That’s how I got shot. I was doing a rescue mission and got shot by the kidnapper of the girl I rescued.” I had never really been this open about my job, so the fact that I just talked so much about it surprised me.

  She looked up at me with laughter in her eyes.

  “What is it?” I asked. She shook her head once, and laughed quietly.

  “You’re the guy my brother, Mike, talks about. He’s told me about the cases you do. It’s a small world.” She laughed again and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked.

  “Wait, is your brother Michael Masters?”

  She nodded her head, waiting for my response.

  “Holy shit, you both look a lot alike. I can’t believe I didn’t put together the puzzle pieces before now. But, yeah, he’s usually the guy that calls me with a case. We’ve kind of gotten close over the years, having to meet up all the time for cases. I can’t believe we haven’t met before, knowing our connection,” I say, to which she bobbed her head to.

  I looked around for a clock, noting the time was a little before 11 p.m. I had to get Araylia home. She told me earlier she couldn’t stay out to late, for having to get Liam in the morning. I told her to gather her purse and shit while I went to settle the bill. She tried to argue with me about paying her end of the bill but I just gave her one look and she instantly shut up. I was not going to back down on paying the bill.

  As I was driving her home she teased me again, rubbing her thumb up and down, getting closer and closer to the waist band of my pants. She was going to get a lot more than she bargained for if she kept this shit up. We pulled into her driveway and she climbed off my bike then handed me back the helmet. She turned to walk away muttering a goodbye.

  I hopped off my girl and hauled Ray back to me, her back to my front. Leaning into her ear I whispered, “Let me walk you to your door.” She didn’t say anything, searching for her keys in her bag instead.

  I lead her up the front steps while she attempted to get the key in the lock. I turned her around so she was facing me. I bent down more toward her, nose to nose; she looked up at me with lust and desire swirling in her eyes. That was my undoing, I angled my mouth at hers. I backed her up against the door and as soon as her back hit the door, my mouth delved on hers. I kissed her soft, yet firm at first. Waiting for the shock to wear off, I then pried her mouth open with my tongue. I licked at her mouth, feeling the warmth spread through me from her tongue being in my mouth.

  She was stroking my mouth like she would my cock if she were sucking it. All of the sudden the door gave in under our weight and swung open. I shifted our bodies around so that I landed on the floor and her on top of me when we fell. We looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. She stopped laughing first, then looked more into the house and went pale. The only thing I heard her say before she made a shrill screaming sound is “Oh my god.”

  Chapter 9

  Ray

  I heard this awful screaming noise, but I couldn’t move my hands to plug my ears. I couldn’t do anything but stare. I was horrified. My house was destroyed, and I didn’t mean just a little bit either. The living room was the only thing I could see from where Mace and I fell at the front door. The couch was flipped upside down; the table that held a lamp was on its side. The lamp was completely obliterated, shards of glass everywhere. That was a lamp my Nanny gave me. I could feel myself coming back down a little from my panic and noticed that the awful screaming noise was coming from me. I closed my mouth and scrambled off of Mace. I raced toward the living room and looked around at everything. My flat screen was busted and barely hanging on the wall. I went into the kitchen to find everything much in the same state as my living room. I raced down the hall toward Liam’s room and found it destroyed as well. I marched into my room, but came to an abrupt halt when I saw Mace standing in my door way, blocking it. I looked up at him confused.

  “Let me in my room, please?” My voice is hoarse from all the screaming I had done in the foyer.

  “No baby, I can’t let you go in there…” he trailed off. He looked extremely pissed off. And yep, there went the last of my temper.

  “Look here Mister, just because we went on ONE date, doesn’t mean you can come in here and tell me I can’t go into MY own bedroom!" By the time I was done with my tirade I was poking him in the chest for good measure. His eyes flared wildly, letting me know I had pissed him off further. I couldn’t give a shit less though, this was my damn house!

  “Araylia, I really do not suggest you go in there. I don’t think you want to see...”

  Once again he trailed off; I pushed past him and gasped at the sight before me. My bed was torn to shreds, all the pictures I had on the wall of Liam and I were on the floor, smashed.

  The worst part of it, the wall was smeared in what looked like blood, it said “I’m not done with you” seeing that made a shudder rock my body. Then the sobs came. I couldn’t control them; I just couldn’t believe he would come back. He never really said he would come back, but I’m not done with you was what he said when I told him I was leaving. Luke was coming for me and Liam. I didn’t know what I was going to do, this was horrible. Luke didn’t know where my Nanny lived, I could stay over there. But no, that wouldn’t work; I didn’t want to bring this pile of shit to her door. It was bad enough it was on mine. My brothers would accept me willingly, but Luke knew where all of them lived.

  Mace picked me up of my bedroom floor and carried me to the driveway all the while pulling his cell phone out. After he deposited me on the hard concrete of my driveway he dialed a number and said “I need you and the guys to get to Ray's house.” He listened for a moment then barked down the line, “Make it a priority.” Then rattled off my address to whomever was on the phone. After he hung up the phone, he went to turn back around toward me but thought better. He pulled out his phone again. Whoever he was dialing answered and Mace grunted “Masters, get to your sister’s house, and call your brothers. Tell Matt to drop Liam off at your Nanny’s till tomorrow morning.” I looked up at him with wide furious eyes, just waiting for him to get off the phone. “Just fucking do it Michael, no damn questions.” He barked again, before he hung up. He turned around, and softened his demeanor.

  “I know you probably don’t want me to call your brothers and get them involved, but this is serious Ray, I'm not gonna fuck around with your safety.” He said in an intense voice. “I do want know what the fuck that was in the house though, and who did it?” He asked me in an angry tone this time.

  I sighed. I really didn’t want to tell him this now. I felt like I was robbed of the chance to tell him on my own, if it went that far with him. I should be able to tell him how fucked up my ex, Luke, is by myself. Not being forced into it. Just another damn thing Luke was taking from me, he couldn’t have just left me alone? He couldn’t have found somebody else to harass?

  “I really don’t want to tell you, I feel like I sh
ould have got the option to tell you on my own terms, not be forced by this unfortunate event. The truth isn’t pretty, not by any means and what he did to me is very personal. Not even my brothers know everything he did to me. I would like to keep it that way.” I told him in a defeated voice.

  I didn't want to look at him for fear of him looking at me in pity. I went to turn around and sit on the curb to wait for my brothers but he stopped me when he said my name softly. I turned around and looked at him, and in those beautiful emerald eyes wasn’t pity. It was compassion, understanding, and pent up fury. I cocked my head to the side and waited for him to speak.

  “Araylia, whatever it is he did to you, whatever it is you haven’t even told your brothers that can wait, you tell me on your own terms. I don’t want to force you into telling me. I’m not going to be the ass hole that he is, you never have to worry about that with me. Ever.” The last word was spoken so quietly, but with so much conviction, that I believed him. I knew he would never hurt me, not intentionally at least.

  I looked up at him, with tears in my eyes and said, “I know.”

  He opened his mouth to say something but a truck pulled up and my brothers filed out looking worried. They looked around frantically and when their eyes fell on me they rushed over and gathered me in a group hug.

  Everything that happened after that was a blur. Mace started to talk to my brothers after they moved away from me. They went into the house, I just stayed outside I didn’t need to see my house destroyed again. It was ingrained into my brain forever. They came out with fury marring their handsome faces. Then pulled up another truck and about five guys got out of it. One I recognized as they guy who was with Mace at the hospital, Ryan. The others I didn’t recognize.

  The tallest of them all was about 6’5, an inch taller than Mace. He had jet black hair, and sky blue eyes. He had a scar running from his ear to the bottom of his jaw. He had a hard face, you can tell in his years he had seen some stuff. I later found out his name was Cade. The next guy was about 6’3, had bleach blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. You could tell he was the quiet one of the group. He just had that way about him. His name was Leo. The next one was about 6’3 as well, he had brown hair and dark, almost black, eyes and his name was Callum. The last one had brown hair, like Ryan's, except his was shaved close to his head, he looked pissed. His name was Blake. I guess these were the guys Mace worked with on a daily basis. They all talked in a huddle in hushed tones, I guess so I wouldn’t hear it all. I didn’t want to hear any of it anyway. I had to figure out where Liam and I were going to stay. My house was trashed, and probably a crime scene now. I didn’t want to bring this all on my Nanny’s door step; she was going to have a heart attack from just hearing it all. I couldn’t stay with any of my brothers because Luke knew where they all lived. I needed some where to hide.

  After everything was said and done at my house. The guys decided that it would be best for me to stay at one of their houses. Cade was the one that got picked. They decided I was safest there, than at my brothers’ houses. Mace didn’t want me to stay with him till I was comfortable considering we had only know each a week. I thought that was sweet of him. He seemed very alpha-ish and it would have pissed me off if he pressured me into staying there. Not that staying with Cade was any better. He was pissed when he found out his personal space was going to be taken over by my son and me. I grabbed what I needed of our stuff, and placed it in the truck.

  Mace was going to drive me there, but had no room on the bike for all of my stuff so they put it in the back of Cade’s truck. On the ride to Cade’s house I clung to Mace’s torso; I needed some type of comfort. I felt alone, trying to run from the demons I thought I had gotten away from.

  Chapter 10

  Ray

  I stepped out of the shower that was in Cade’s second bedroom. I wrapped a towel around my body and one around my head and stepped into the bedroom to put on my pajamas.

  As I laid down on the queen size bed that was now my home for a little while I thought about everything that Luke did to me. I had no clue why I stayed as long as I did. After everything I stayed thinking he was going to change. How stupid of me to think he would ever change his ways. I was stupid thinking that getting pregnant with Liam would make him love me in the right way.

  I was 5 months pregnant; and we had just found out that our baby is going to be a boy. I was so excited. I never wanted to have a baby; I didn’t think I was mother material with everything that I went through as a child. But I couldn’t be happier. I never wanted to get pregnant the way I did, but this baby meant so much. Luke and I sat down on the couch to discuss baby names; he was very pissed we were having a boy. He wanted a girl so bad. Although I didn’t know why. He was always telling me what a whore I am, how much of a whore our daughter will be. He wouldn’t have to worry about her being a whore though, she is a he really!

  I got comfortable with a pillow behind my back and start lounging. He started naming off different names that I can’t stand. Peter, Jack, Harry, and William.

  “Honey, why can’t we name him after my papa, Liam?” I asked timidly. He was just in one of those moods and I knew I had to be careful with what I said. I knew instantly that I said the wrong thing when his blue eyes turn icy. He stood up and grabbed the thing closest to us, which is a lamp on the end-table. He picked it up and swung it at my head. The last thing I remembered before I blacked out is me praying, “Please don’t let some of this glass hit my stomach and kill my poor innocent baby.”

  I woke up with a raw throat from screaming so hard, and sweat pouring off of me. The door busted open and Cade walked in with a wild look in his eyes, and a gun aimed at the room. I whimpered at the sight of the gun and scooted back on the bed till my back hit the headboard. He still had the gun aimed so I tried to getting away even farther. I ended up sprawled out on the floor in a tangle with the comforter. Suddenly Cade was by side trying to help me up, but I wouldn’t let him. I screamed and scooted farther away from him.

  Right after I left Luke, I was terrified of men. I couldn’t stand to be around them, the only men I willingly let around me were my brothers. I still couldn’t let them touch me without flinching away. I was just too scared of getting hurt. Luke had just done too much damage to me in the year and a half we were together. I had gotten better through tremendous amounts of therapy and anti-depressants. I still had nightmares ever once in a while, especially when something triggered it.

  Cade obviously knew what he was handling, because he backed away from me slowly. He looked me in the eyes and said, “Araylia, I'm not going to hurt you, okay?” His voice was deep and gravely, yet in such a soft tone, that I understood he wouldn’t hurt me.

  I started to calm down and managed to stop crying. Cade walked toward me slowly, knowing I could freak out at any moment. When he reached me, he scooped me up in his arms and sat down on the bed with me on his lap. He starts to rock me back and forth which he sang the song "Simple Man". The sound of his voice, so much like Shinedown's it calmed me.

  I looked up at him,”He hurt me in the worst possible way a man can hurt a woman...” I trailed off, afraid of breaking down again.

  “I know baby girl, but you have to let go. He’s not going to touch you, you hear me? He’s going to have to go through me and a lot of other people to get to you.” He said softly. I felt the need to open up to him, he comforted me.

  “You want to know how I got pregnant with Liam?” I asked him.

  “How’s that baby girl?” He whispered. I think he knew by my tone of voice, that it was not going to be good.

  “We had been dating a few months, I was still a virgin. I wanted to wait a little while before having sex with him. I don’t believe in waiting till your wedding night to have sex, I just wanted to wait for a special guy that took my breath away with one kiss. You know? Well we went on a date, and he was hinting at going back to his place. I didn’t think anything of it, I thought we might have a drink and then he would take m
e home. Well we got there and we drank a little bit of wine, he wanted to give me a tour of his house. We got to his bedroom, and he forced me and I don’t even remember it. I wanted to wait for the special man. I didn’t know that was the type of person he was. He took the one thing that was mine and mine to give to whoever I desired. I didn’t get that, it was taken from me. I tried leaving him after that, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. He would follow me around school, he would follow me home. One day, he barged into my apartment, and beat me and told me if I tried leaving him again, he would kill me. I found out a couple of weeks later I was pregnant with Liam.” I explained to him, holding in a sob. I didn’t want to cry anymore. I had cried too many tears for him. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. I went through so much therapy so I didn’t have to feel this pain and anguish anymore.

  I could tell Cade is trying to reign in his tempter. I felt his body shaking with pent up fury.

  “Baby girl, get some sleep. I think you’ve shared enough. I’ll lay with you till you fall asleep, alright?” He said through clenched teeth. I could only nod my head and bury closer into his chest. I fell asleep fairly quickly, but not deep enough. I felt Cade leave my bed several hours later.

  When I woke up the next morning I felt refreshed. Cade was the first person I ever told about getting pregnant with Liam. I couldn’t even tell my brothers that story. I knew it would be too much for them to handle. I got up and used the bathroom, then found a robe to wrap around myself. When I opened my door I could hear voices coming from the kitchen so I quietly walked toward the voices.

  “...You are just going to have to be careful with her man, okay? She’s been through worst shit than you think she has...” I heard Cade say.

  “What the fuck did she tell you last night, Fowler?” Mace growled angrily. I held in a breath, praying that Cade wouldn’t break my confidentiality.