Chapter Thirty-Seven: Aspen

Chapter Thirty-Seven
~ Aspen ~

I cast E a relieved smile. Confusion shot through me at the sight of her out this far, but seeing a familiar face was more comforting than anything. She knocked dad’s men off their feet and caught up to me quickly. I twisted to get a look behind us and winced. An endless stream of men were coming from seemingly nowhere. E swiped a hand in the air and some kind of shockwave moved through the grassy field around us. With that, everyone following us shot backwards as if pulled by an invisible rope.
“Over here.” She called, suddenly veering to the right.
I followed suit immediately, trusting where she was leading me. We ducked into the tree line and continued running at full speed.
“I’m sorry.” She huffed from beside me.
“Not now.” I grunted in return.
It wasn’t the right time to have that discussion. For one, we were running for our lives. And two, I was nowhere near ready to forgive her. Or anyone else, for that matter. I could be stubborn to a fault, especially when my feelings were hurt. I focused on keeping the men planted to the ground and it seemed to be working. The sound of footsteps quieted until ours were the only ones that could be heard.
The rest of our journey was made in silence. The sun had dipped below the skyline by the time we made it to our hideout. Or theirs, I guess. It felt more foreign to me now than ever. We’d been outside where we knew the front door was, despite the illusion holding strong, for only about ten seconds before all hell broke loose.
Grey came barreling out of the building like a bear advancing on its dinner. He looked awful. His dark hair was a complete mess, sticking up in every possible direction. His eyes were swollen and rimmed in red and purple. His clothes looked about three days old, and it was obvious he hadn’t showered in just as long. Will stumbled out after him, not looking any better.
“The two of you have some fucking explaining to do.” Grey bit out.
He was angry, that much was obvious. The statement had been directed at both of us, but his eyes remained trained on me. There was a raging fire burning behind those eyes that he was fighting to keep contained. Will stared at E with his mouth opening and closing like a fish for a few moments before he engulfed her in a tight hug. He whispered something to her over and over, but I couldn’t make it out from here. She stiffened in his arms, and he eventually decided to let her go.
“Inside. Now.” Grey barked, once again talking to us both but looking at me.
My shoulders tightened at his demanding tone. I did not take orders. Not anymore. After being under dad's control, I made a vow to myself to make my own decisions. When and how I wanted. Everyone else be damned. E visibly slouched and let out a sigh. She looked exhausted. Defeated. I hated seeing her like that because that was exactly how I’d felt my entire life. She walked into the illusion and Will disappeared after her.
I continued looking at Grey defiantly. He was tightly wound and ready to explode at any second. I knew that, and I shouldn’t push him any further, but I’d made a commitment to myself.
“Ask nicely.” I crossed my arms as I made my own demand.
His eyes lit up like fireworks and his fists tightened at his sides. I still had no plans on backing down. It may have been stupid and dangerous to stand out here, but right now my pride was winning over logic.
“Please.” The word was ground out between tightly clenched teeth.
Satisfied that I’d won, I brushed past him and through the illusion. The office doors, which were thrown wide open, came into sight. I’d only just gotten through them when a hand snaked around my bicep and tugged me forward. It was surprisingly gentle despite the way I knew Grey was feeling inside. He led me toward E’s bedroom where she, Jax, and Will were already sitting.
Will was staring at her worriedly, as if he could make her speak by thinking about it hard enough. Well, newsflash, buddy. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Grey pushed me down into a chair that had definitely been moved in here from the front office and I glared up at him. He took position in the doorway after closing us all in, standing there like a prison guard.
“Sure, come on in.” E suddenly muttered.
I had no idea what she’d been through, but it was obvious that she wanted some alone time right now. I’d happily give that to her if the boys would allow it. But, of course, they wouldn’t.
“Start talking.” Another order from Grey.
E narrowed her eyes at him, and my lips twitched. Under different circumstances, I probably would’ve laughed. Either way, it was good to see she still had her spark.
“I’ll go first.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. I felt the need to shield myself from them, like when we’d first met. I hadn’t been away long, but they seemed like strangers to me now. “My father is planning an attack. He knows we’re here.”
“Shit. You should’ve led with that.” Jax rested his elbows onto his knees and let his head fall into his hands.
He was the only one among us that looked normal. Tired, yes. But he’d at least been taking care of himself. The same couldn’t be said for anyone else in this room.
“I was occupied.” With not dying, fighting Grey, the important stuff.
“You didn’t feel the need to tell me that on the way?” E sounded truly offended.
“No.” I answered simply. We had to focus on getting back here quickly. She said herself that plans needed to be made before acting, and I wanted to make sure the guys knew what was going on before moving forward.
“When will they come?” Grey asked from beside me.
“I don’t know. I didn’t feel like sticking around to hear the details.” I was being harsh. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop myself. All the anger and hurt I felt the day I left was coming back twice as hard.
“We need a plan. Fast.” E was already strategizing.
They began discussing it and I zoned out. They didn’t bother including me in the conversation and I was honestly a bit relieved. I knew I didn’t belong here. I wasn’t a part of their group. Their voices blurred together as I stared at a chip in the concrete floor between my disgusting shoes. I needed a shower badly. That’d be my next step. After this, I’d shower, pack a new bag, and get the hell out of here. I’d given them the information they needed, and they could handle the rest from here.
“...starting tomorrow.” I snapped back into reality at the sound of Will’s voice. It’d gone rough, if not demanding, as he said the words. Before anyone could disagree, he continued. “We all need a good night's rest. We can start all that tomorrow.”
No one seemed inclined to argue with him. The energy in the room fizzled away into pure exhaustion. Mentally, physically, emotionally. A full night of sleep, in a bed, would definitely help me reset. But I couldn’t stay.
“Okay.” E relented. “Now get out.”
She didn’t need to tell me twice. I bolted to my feet. Grey hesitated to move out of my way, still stuck in his position by the door, but he eventually stepped to the side. I made my way toward my room quickly. I needed to get this process started so I wasn’t here any longer than necessary. I’d only made it halfway when I was practically thrown into one of the unused offices. This place was big enough to accommodate us all and then some. There were many rooms that remained empty.
“What the—” Was all I managed before a pair of lips crashed onto mine.
It wasn’t a sweet kiss. It was rough, and harsh, and showcased everything Grey was feeling. Despite my brain begging me not to, I responded almost immediately. I couldn’t help it when it came to him. He pushed me into one of the walls and I winced as the cool rock chilled my back. But I didn’t care. I pulled him closer by the soft fabric of his shirt.
“You're never doing that again.” He pulled away just long enough to say that before reattaching himself to me. At this moment, I didn’t mind the demand.
His arms wound around my waist and mine curled against his neck. I toyed with the hair at the base of his skull as he deepened the kiss. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this. I was mad at him, and I wasn’t staying, but no amount of rational thinking was going to stop my body right now. He moved his head back again but kept his hold on me.
“You have no idea...I couldn’t...what were you thinking?” He rushed out as if he were afraid I’d run before he could finish.
“I’m sure you already know.” The words came out harsher than I’d meant them, but they were true, nonetheless.
“No,” He shook his head. “I won’t do that to you anymore. Not if you don’t want me to.”
I cleared my throat and pushed against his chest to get some space. Of course, he didn’t move an inch. So, he didn’t know I was leaving. That changed things. Now I felt like I’d taken advantage of him. He thought I was staying, and this was us making up.
“Talk to me.” He urged gently.
I weighed my options. I could be honest with him. Or, I could disappear tonight without a trace. He wouldn’t know where I’d gone, and he’d never see me again. It would be simple. A clean break. We’d never talked about this thing between us, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist.
“I’m not staying.” I forced the words out.
“Like hell you’re not.” He immediately stiffened and took a step back, but moved his arms on the wall to cage me in. Okay, never mind. Telling him was a bad idea. I started to object but he cut me off. “I don’t care if I have to chain you to my side. You’re not leaving my sight, and you’re not leaving this team.”
“This team.” I scoffed. “The one I’m not a part of.” He chased my eyes with his, ducking down into my space until I looked back. They were shining with depth and a genuine seriousness.
“No,” His voice was gentle, almost a whisper. “The one you brought together.”