Abby

"Why would you torture me this way?" Shawna asks from her spot on the floor. I look down and see she has abandoned her sitting still, a normal for Shawna, and has now started snooping under Chance's bed.

"How am I torturing you?" I smile at as her ass bobs up and down. "You know you can't fit under there right?"

"Are you calling me fat?" She pops up, blowing the few strands of her dark hair out of her face.

"Yes."

"Well okay then." She smiles then leans down to finish her snooping. "He's got to have something in here that will intrigue me."

I tried. I really did, but when she told me she was here to wait for Max, and that she wanted to snoop in Chance's room, I knew there was no stopping her. Shawna isn't necessarily the kind of force to be stopped easily.

"And how am I torturing you?"

"You know I hate awkward silences, and ever since you came back in here after checking on your dad, you've been doing the awkward, Shawna doesn't need to know what I'm thinking game." I giggle at her words as she pops her head back up with an exasperated breath.

"Found anything?" She shakes her head but stares at me. I should have figured she wasn't going to let me get away with ignoring her statement about me being awkward.

"I was expecting some sort of dead body, or at least a fun sex toy. Your man is boring."

"Shawna, Chance is not my man."

"Now it's my turn in the silent awkward stare at the ceiling game."

"Shut up." I lay back on the bed and smile when I feel her come up alongside me and lay down as well.

Shawna has been my friend for a long time. Her and Max dated years ago but broke up because of some confusion and heart ache after he got back from his tours. Now that they have rekindled, I'm happy to have her back in my life. Shawna has been though a lot in her life. Abandoned by her parents, moved around from foster parents, everything she went through with Max, and a few months ago, when she had a still birth. Any of those things would make any one person break down, but Shawna is strong, a survivor. I wish I could borrow her courage once in a while.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right Abby?" I turn my head to look at her and see her eyes closed.

"Yes." I lie. I have never felt comfortable telling anyone my true feelings. Me and the girls have always been close, but I've always felt like the odd man out. Between Candice, Shawna, and Lyla, I have always been the more reserved one. Even in school, I never once told Bone how bad bullying was for me because of my connections with the MC. I always felt like he had too much on his plate as it was.

A knock at the door has us both looking up as Chance opens the door and walks into the room. He spots us both on his bed and smirks.

"Didn't realize there was a party in my room tonight."

"Well Abby and I were enjoying ourselves until you interrupted." Shawna smirks and stands, stretching then slapping Chance's shoulder as she walks towards the door. "Think I'll go find Ghost, heard Max is leaving for a few hours, this is my chance to bug the hell out of him knowing he can't do a damn thing about it."

"Stay inside the compound Shawna." Chance says still staring at me.

"You got it." She salutes him and closes the door behind her.

"Poor Ghost." I say aloud almost laughing when I think of Shawna's inappropriate questions for him. Ghost had been a prospect for a couple of years and was finally patched in recently. He and I have always had a good friendship. Besides the girls, he has always been a kind and sweet person to me. Out of all the brothers he is the one that doesn't treat me like an annoying little sister or the daughter of one of the original members.

"I'm sure he'll like the company. He's cleaning out the guns." Chance states walking further into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Chance, can we talk?" He blows out a deep breath and I almost change my mind, but I need to know what went down between my father and him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Abby. It was just a misunderstanding between me and your dad."

"I'm sure it was, but that's not what I was going to ask you about and you know it."

"Look, can we let this go please?"

"No, Chance, you have been my best friend for years and I know nothing about you. I think I deserve something here."

"Not now, okay?" He looks back at me with such a pained expression. I've never seen it on his face, so I simply nod my head and look down at my toes.

"We'll stay here for now. Your place isn't safe until we figure more out. I'll take you back and forth to work, just let me know what days and shifts. I'll also arrange for you to have someone there watchin' over."

"Chance, who was that guy that attacked us? Was he a part of the guys that kidnapped and held me in that basement?"

"You know I can't discuss that darlin'."

"Look, I get that I'm not in that room for church with you guys, but my childhood home was shot at and I almost died, again. I helped tonight Chance, for the first time in my life, I had courage. I deserve to know what we are dealing with just as much as you all."

"Abby?"

"No, I won't make the same mistakes as my mother. I won't stand around with a blind eye and be okay with not knowing my own fate." This makes Chance look over to me with shock. I have never expressed my true feelings about how angry I was with my mother for not demanding more from Bone. She was a good old lady, but those same thoughts also got her killed.

I stare at Chance, hoping he can see the worry in my eyes, not just for myself but for him and the others. After what feels like eternity, he nods his head.

"We haven't questioned him yet. We don't know if he was a part of that group, but Max and Shane are going to find an old pimp, see if we can get some info on him."

"Pimp?"

"Abby, the guy that you killed, he was what's called a scout for the sex trafficking ring. He was the one that held the girls before transferring them. Now that he's dead and missing, we don't know what that will bring on this club."

"Oh my god." I knew the way that man and Alberts spoke, that he was a part of something, but knowing my choices could impact the MC so drastically, has me shaking. "I didn't know,¡­. I'm sorry I¡­."

"Hey, I don't want you worrying about that. We talked about this, you didn't have a choice. Besides, you saved a lot of women babe."

Chance holds me and begins rocking me back and forth. My mind is on all the images that frequent it and I push myself off Chance and look up at him.

"I can still see him Chance. I see him all the time still." He stares at me and when my tears return for what feels like the millionth time, he holds me once again until we fall asleep together.

¡ù¡ù¡ù

Coldness wakes me, and when I open my eyes and turn around, I discover why. I am alone in the bed in Chance's room at the clubhouse. I stretch out, realizing its midmorning and I slept the best I have since everything went down last week. Feeling up to it, I grab my small bag that I packed, pick out some comfortable clothing and head for the shower. Chance is most likely on a job for the club, so I take my time in the shower.

Coming out of the room I spot a few brothers and wave them hello as I head straight for the kitchen. Growing up here has some advantages. I was always surrounded by men that would die to protect their own and although I never felt that from my father, I've always felt it with these crazy men.

It's like having a bunch of annoyingly, loud, rambunctious uncles.

"Abby Kadaby, come on in here." Max yells out just as I am rounding the corner to the kitchen. I spot him, Austin and Shane in the living room having a beer. Shane is sitting on the couch next to Austin and Max is in his usual armchair. It's strange seeing them so calm after everything that has happened, and something tells me I am simply catching them at the only down time for the day.

"Hey guys. What's up?"

"Was gonna ask you the same thing babe." Shane smirks looking exhausted. Now that he has a family I see him so much less now. In fact, I see them all much less now.

"I'm holding up." All three eyes lock onto mine and I roll my eyes hating that they could see so easily through me. I walk over to Max's armchair, shoving him off it and taking his place. He pretends to act hurt and falls dramatically on the ground causing me to giggle.

"Could never lie Abby. Not to us." Austin says smirking at the television. I turn my head to see what they are watching and see some movie with half naked girls and fast cars.

Typical.

"Wasn't trying to lie." I mumble. "I really am holding up."

Austin nods his head and we fall into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, you guys remember the last time it was just us four somewhere?" Max asks breaking the silence.

"It would have to be Abby's eighteenth birthday party." Shane says and we all chuckle a little.

"That's right. We took you to that damn lake Crusher used to tell us about when we were kids." Austin chimes in.

I smile remembering that special day. I was depressed because my dad had forgotten my birthday. I was just going to make it regular day and do what I always did the night of my birthday. Make a wish over a cupcake that I would pick up after school. Shane, Austin, and Max had shown up at my doorstep that evening and told me they were there to kidnap me and take me somewhere special. Having them all years older than me, I figured they were too busy to do anything for me that night. I was surprised when they wanted to take me somewhere we used to always talk about going when we were kids.

"Yeah, remember Max tried to swing from that old tire swing and almost killed himself?" I giggle.

"Hey, someone should have warned me that it would be a very dangerous thing to do."

"You were getting ready to go back on tour, you should have sensed the danger yourself." Austin adds causing us all to laugh.

"It was a good night. We got Abby drunk and she spilled some juicy secrets." Max smirks at me but I shake my head.

I had told them the story of my first kiss being with a Kenneth Dimitru. He was the school jock and I had the biggest crush on him. He took me behind the bleachers and told me he had always wanted to be with me and kissed me. It was the best kiss I ever had, until later on when I found out he just wanted to see inside the notorious Nightmare Warriors Compound. Austin, Max and Shane handed him a new one.

We spend the next hour going over all the good moments we all had. I'm laughing so hard at the memories that I don't realize I have tears in my eyes until Austin leans over and wipes one of them.

"It's going to be like that again Kadaby. Got my word." I wipe at the remaining tears and nod my head. I hate that my tears come out even in my good moments. Seems I can't control them anymore.

"Yeah, we definitely need to do that camping thing again. Maybe with our own kids someday." We are stare at Max as he stands up, dusting his pants from the ground.

"Heading out?" Austin asks standing as well.

"Yeah, I'm on shift tonight with Ghost, think I'll go bang my girl and then come back in. See you guys."

"I'll head out too. Lyla's working tonight, so I've got Adrianna." Shane says standing and leaves right after kissing my cheek.

"I'm going to go make some food for everyone. I'm sure they are going to come in here like caveman." I tell Austin as I head for the kitchen but stop when I hear my name being called from behind.

"What's going on with you and Chance?" His arms are crossed, and I know I am no longer speaking to one of my best friends, but to the president of the Nightmare Warriors.

"We're just friends Aus." I say then shake my head and answer him correctly when he smirks. "No matter how much I wish there were more."

"You're not the only one feelin' that way darlin'. But you need to sit him down and demand he either take it or leave it. He'll realize soon enough what he wants when there is an opportunity to no longer have it."

I look towards the ground, understanding his meaning. I need to show Chance I can't be a damn yoyo. Nodding my head, I walk over to Austin and hug him, laughing when I hear him mumble something about bikers and hugs.

"Bikers hug too ya know." He rolls his eyes and releases me.

"Not safe for you here. Gonna send you to one of the clubs safe houses. I'll have a brother protecting you while you're there."

"Okay." I nod and watch as he heads towards the hallway. Just before he exits the room, I call out his name and wait for him to turn around. "Who's going to be watching over me?"

Austin smirks and crosses his arms then leans against the wall. "Chance." He says then turns to leave again.

He's been spending way too much time with Candice.