Abby

The cool sheet hangs around my body as I watch Chance thrash back and forth. His arms have banged against the nightstand and headboard enough that I know he will have some bruises. I have tried calling out his name but he's not answering. It's like he's in some kind of trance, trapped in his own nightmare.

It's been several minutes of the same thing. I thought he would tire himself out, or wake himself up, but nothing. I tried waking him myself, tried shaking his body, but I was thrown off, causing my back to hit the floor hard.

Panic sets in when I see him thrash so hard he nearly leaps off the bed.

This is getting dangerous.

I decide then and there that one more time of trying to wake him is better than impatiently waiting. Running over to the side of the bed, I call out Chance's name once more, getting no answer in return other than the same name he continues to cry out for.

Who is Ava?

I shake my head, jealousy can come later, right now Chance needs me. Leaning over the bed, I hop on top of him and hang onto his sweaty body. His arms reach out and immediately grip mine and I bite down on my lip from the pain causing me to immediately draw blood.

"Chance, wake up, please." I cringe when his hold tightens even further and cry out in pain.

"Ava?" He whispers.

"Chance, it's me. It's Abby. Please wake up, you're hurting me." I feel his body slowly loosen and his eyes slightly open, blinking a few times to get his bearings.

"Abby?"

"I'm here, it's okay, it was just a dream."

He releases me suddenly, as if I am poison and pulls his body back so that I have no choice but to get off him. His back hits the headboard causing the blankets to lower to his midsection. Memories of how sweet he was to me last night flash through my mind, but I tamper them down.

"Chance? Are you alright?" I whisper, placing my hand gentle on top of his. He pulls it back so fast it feels like I was slapped right in the face.

"Don't."

"You don't have to be angry, I just woke you from a nightmare."

"It's more than that and you know it." His anger is pissing me off, but I don't let it goad me. I don't want to fight, not after how perfect things were just hours before.

"You can talk to me Chance. We shared something special last night, you can always open up to me."

"You mean like how open you are with me?" He snaps. I bite my tongue and look down at my thumbs. He's angry, I just have to keep telling myself that. He's saying hurtful things because he's reacting.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me every detail of your past life, but there are obvious issues you're not facing." He stays silent and brooding so I continue to prod. "Chance, who is Ava?"

Quicker than lightning, he jumps off the bed, grabbing his jeans off the floor and putting them on. My heart beats rapidly of what he is doing right now.

No, please don't leave me. Please don't push me away again.

"Chance"

"No. You don't get to sit there and demand I tell you everything. You're nothing but a quick fuck from last night Abby, not my old lady, not my fucking wife, nothing. Stay the fuck here, I'll have Ghost watch over you." His words cut me to the core. Pain slices through my heart as I blink back tears once again from him.

He storms through the door slamming it shut behind him and I collapse onto the ground. I can hear his boots stomp down the hall and out the main door. Seconds later I hear his bike peel out and that's when the first set of tears fall.

ùùù

"I don't know how you did it so quickly, but I appreciate it Miss Prince." I adjust the phone to my other ear, relieving the tension I have in my neck from leaning over at my laptop for the last four hours.

"Don't worry about it Mr. Yooliz. I'm just happy I was able to get it for you before the weekend. Enjoy, and please let me know if you need anything else."

With a few last parting words I hang up and rub my eyes. Weariness is affecting my eyesight, so I decide to take a break.

It has been hours since Chance broke my heart and walked out the house. Moments after he left, Ghost came into the room to check on me. I didn't have the heart to lie to him so when he asked me if I was okay, I told him no. He didn't ask for more information, didn't question what happened, only held me while my sobs wrecked my body to pieces.

It's nearing nine in the morning, so I head for the kitchen for some much needed coffee. My worry for Chance rose as the minutes turned into hours. As much as he hurt me, I know he was hurting as well, and I don't feel comfortable with the way he left the house. My eye catches my cell phone sitting on the bar of the kitchen and I make the decision to message Austin.

Me: Chance left earlier, seemed real shaken up, can you check on him?

Austin: He hurt you?

I roll my eyes, but a small smile grows on my face. Austin knows me well enough that something must have went down, but the truth is too intimate to explain, especially via text, so I give him a simple answer.

Me: No

Austin: I'll have Shane and Torque look for him. Ghost there?

Me: Yes.

Austin: Stay safe.

Putting my phone back down, I head over to the coffee machine and start on my cup. Once I hear it beginning to brew, I head over to the backyard to see if Ghost wants a cup as well. After leaving the room this morning, he seemed more solemn and I hope all my drama did not give him that emotion. I find him in the same spot he's always in whenever he is back here.

"Hey, I making some coffee, want a cup?" I ask leaning over to see him under the hood of that beat up old car.

"Yeah, thanks." He doesn't take his eyes off the engine merely focuses on his work. I've seen Ghost like this before, he's a lot like me, tedious and meticulous. When he focuses on something, he gives it his all. It's admirable, but I think he does it so that he doesn't focus on thoughts inside his own mind.

It's a sad thought, but something I am familiar with.

"Need some help?" This catches his attention and his shocked expression turns to greet me. I nearly laugh at how contorted his face looks.

"You want to work on cars?"

"Sexist much?"

"Just sayin'. Not really a thing I see a lot of women doing." He rolls himself out from under the hood on one of those roller boards, then stands to his full height. I look up at his face, using my hand to block the sun from my face, and take him in.

Ghost is good looking, a fact the girls constantly remind him of. Today he looks more sexy than handsome. His beard has grown, making his grey eyes pop even more. He's wearing a tight white tee that has a few grease stains on it, and his tight jeans making his body look yummy.

I hear his throat clear and blush when I see a smirk coming off him. I quickly change the subject, embarrassed that he clearly saw me checking him out. "Yeah, there are a few things women are doing these days. Can you believe they let us vote now?"

"Ha-ha smartass." I laugh along with him. "I'd love some help. That way you can learn how to take care of that piece of shit car you have."

"Hey, my car is a beauty. It's old but reliable."

"No babe, it's just old." I giggle knowing he's right. I bought my car right after high school. My grandmother on my mother's side, someone I had never even met because she didn't like that her daughter married and had a kid with some biker scum, her words not mine, had left me some money in her will. It wasn't much, but with it I was able to get my 99' Nissan Maxima.

"Shut up. I love my car. I'll go and get us some coffee, then you're going to show me how to fix my car until it looks like a Mercedes Benz."

"Ain't the fairy godmother babe." He calls out after me and I flip him off as I walk inside the house.

My heart aches, knowing I could have woken to Chance being sweet and romantic, but instead, I was called an easy lay and left on my own. I don't know who Ava is, but I know something in Chance's past has given him heartache unlike anything else. Since he left this morning I am filled with the doubts and questions.

What if Ava is his ex-girlfriend? What if he still loves her? What if I really am an easy lay?

Placing the coffee into two small thermals, I take them both outside to the back deck but stop when I have the familiar feeling on someone watching me. I turn around but see no one. My eyes glance back over to where Ghost is and see him walking up to the deck slowly. Shaking my head, I ignore the paranoia I have and set the two thermals down.

"Ready to get those dainty fingers dirty?" He jokes grabbing one of the thermals that have pink leopard print on them. I barely hold back my giggle.

"My hands are so not dainty." I say then look down to examine my finger. Looking back over at Ghost I see his smirk has grown to an all-out bright smile. Something he should positively do more often. "Well, I'm a nurse, what do you expect?"

"Not judgin'." He shrugs.

We sit back and drink our coffee, each of us in our own thoughts and enjoying the comfortable silence. Ghost has proven to be a good friend and as angry as I am that Chance was acting like a dick, I'm glad Ghost is here right now.

"So, what made you want to tinker on that old beat up Chevy anyways?" He asks after coming back inside from rinsing out our thermals.

"You just seem so into it. I figured you were doing it to get your mind off things. I've cleaned the house, did all the laundry and got caught up with my web orders. Figured, maybe I would give what you were doing a try." He looks out towards the horizon his body leaning against the fence while I remain sitting on a small white chair.

"It helps. Gets your mind off the negative thoughts. It helps to tinker. At least with me it does."

"And what kind of darkness lies between those thoughts for you Ghost?" If he's surprised by my question he doesn't show it. He simply turns and shrugs his massive shoulders.

"Life I suppose. Didn't have the best childhood. Kind of flowed into my adult life. Trying to get past it all, helps to tinker."

Nodding my head, I stand up and stand beside him, looking out past the yard as well.

"Not going to pry huh?" I smile up at him and shake my head. "You surprise me at every turn."

"If you want to talk about it Ghost, I'm here. You have proven to be a good friend and a great listener. I want to be that for you, but I know you didn't get your name because your transparent with your emotions." This causes another laugh from him.

"No, no I did not."

"Want to tell me?"

"How I got my name?" We face each other and I nod my head towards him.

"Shane found me in a bar. Said I looked dead. That was until some fucker was messing with me. He wanted to show off in front of his new little girlfriend, I hadn't gotten too far in fuckin' him up when Shane pulled me back. Told me about the Warriors. Thought it sounded like something that could save my life from either getting killed or being arrested. Austin made the same comment about how I looked dead because of my eyes, Ghost was created."

"I'm glad you got patched in Ghost." I know more haunts Ghost than he lets on. I've seen the names of the men he has killed tattooed on him. I've also overheard my father mention some kind of mafia when it comes to him. I don't know the details, but I don't need them anyways. Ghost is my friend, when he doesn't have to be, and that's enough for me.

"Same."

"Alright, enough with the touchy feely moments, you ready to go knock out some man stuff." I say making my voice deeper and beating my chest with a fist.

"You're a fuckin' nut." I laugh but stop when the lights in the house suddenly go out. I look around and see that all the lights are out, even the ones connected to the garage.

"Power out?" I ask but Ghost face is lethal. He quickly grabs me by my shirt and takes me inside.

"Go inside to your room, lock the door. Do not fuckin' open it unless it's me."

"Ghost"

"Go."

I run past him down the hallway and slam the door shut behind me once I get inside my room. I'm shaking, hating that I didn't think to grab some kind of weapon before coming in here. I look around and don't see much I could use to fend off an attack.

Placing my ear to the door, I listen out for anything of suspicion. Boots stomping, people yelling, gunshots, anything but am only met with my own haggard breathing.

I pace the room for what feels like hours. It's been half an hour since I was put in here and I know if everything were fine, Ghost would have come and got me by now. I make the unconscious decision to go out in search for him, hoping he isn't hurt or worse. Slowly opening the door I creep out down the darkened hallway and see nothing.

"Ghost?" I whisper but get no reply back.

A blow out a nervous breath and continue walking past the living room and kitchen. I make my way to the back door and spot Ghost laying on the grass. He looks unconscious so I sprint out to him to make sure he is alright.

Bad decision.

I am slammed against the ground before I can reach Ghost. My breath halts as I see a man crawl over me. I immediately begin to fight but he's quick to grab my arms and haul my small body up. I thrash but he just holds me tighter.

"That was easy." Another man calls out and I look up to see two men walking from the side of the house. They stop right at Ghost and the other leans in to land another punch to Ghosts body. He grunts but remains on the ground.

"Leave him alone." I scream but my mouth gets clamped down by the asshole holding my arms to my sides. I can feel his heavy breathing from behind me and I inch away from the stench.

"Sure does have a mouth on her. I can think of a few things to fill it with. Let's get her in the house." Panic sets in as I recall the feeling of being trapped and immobilized while that filthy man did those God awful things to me.

"Boss wants her untouched." The one on the right says. Their eyes are covered by sunglasses and they have back beanies on, but I can see a bit of blond hair on his sides sticking out.

"That don't mean her mouth can't be of use for a little while." The man holding me begins dragging me in towards the open back doors. I jerk and fight him, but his strength far surpasses mine. "Stay with the fucker, I'll find something to tie her up with."

"Make sure to leave that mouth wide open." They chuckle as he leads me inside. I kick over a lamp and slam my foot against the coffee table. Pain ignites inside my ankle, but I ignore it, my mind too focused on what they intend on doing to me.

Ghost is unconscious leaving me all alone, I won't go down without a fight, I owe that much to myself not to get into another situation like I was in before.

"Easy there girlie. Won't take long, then we'll take you to some place where they get to beat the fight out of you." Shutting my eyes I try and concentrate on my own breathing, something Chance taught me.

Chance.

I hate knowing he isn't here, but I can't worry about that right now. I have to get out of this situation and save Ghost. They're after me because I know something, I'm able to I.D. the person that held me down in that basement for hours. I can't let them take me back to that place.

I let my body slouch and I know my plan is working when I hear him chuckle. "That's a good little slut, don't know why all this fuss about you, but I bet you're a good fuck. Once they wear you out, think I'll have my turn."

He leans his fat arms around my body to unbuckle my shorts and I take my opportunity and lean my head forward, then send it roaring back into his nose. I make direct contact and fall to the ground when he releases me. Clutching his nose he looks over at me, blood dripping all over the ground and then comes after me. I take my chance and run over to the kitchen grabbing a knife and facing him.

"You don't have the fuckin' guts bitch." He snarls. "Now hand me the knife and I won't fuckin' kill you right away."

Gripping it tighter in my hand, I aim it right at him but don't move any further. Could I do this again? Could I kill another man, only to have it haunt me? It's him or me, I keep the mantra in my mind on repeat, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Before I could make up my mind, he launches grabbing the knife from my hand while simultaneously using his elbow to slam my body into the nearby pantry. I try to push him off but to no avail. Gripping my throat next he brings the knife over to my face and smiles down at me.

"Stupid bitch, that was the only opportunity you get." Pain ignites in my flesh as he nicks my face with the knife. I can feel the blood tricking down my cheek, A stinging sensation follows as I cry out still attempting to push him off me.

"Please."

"That's right bitch beg." Throwing the knife over to the side, he then grips my neck tighter causing my breath to hitch. I claw at his arms somewhat satisfied when I hear him moan from my scratching, but he doesn't let up.

My vision blurs and panic sets in. They're going to rape me then sell me. I can't stop it, I'm too weak. Tears fall from my eyes as I think of the last moments I had with Chance, the words he cut me deep with, the horrid feeling of being unwanted, it all rushes through me.

I suddenly fall straight to the ground, gasping for air as I hold my throat and begin dry heaving. Looking to my left I spot the man that was holding my life in his hands, on the floor in a bloody mess, the knife I was once grasping launched into his chest. A man stands over him, someone I have never seen, then turns to look over at me.

I immediately back up into the pantry but stop when I see his cut.

Nightmare Warriors.

I release a breath of relief and allow him to help me up when he holds his hand out for me.

"Ghost, he's out in the yard with two more just like that guy. He's hurt and"

"Got those two already darlin'. Don't worry."

Ghost takes the ironic timing and comes running in. There is a huge gash on the side of his head, and I run over and inspect him.

"Oh God, you're hurt"

"Fine babe. Why the hell would you not fuckin' run Abby? Why would you come outside?" His anger surprises me but I find myself answering him quickly.

"You were hurt, I didn't know what to think. I didn't think, I-I just acted and" Ghost crushes me to his chest holding me tightly to him. Exhaustion settles in body and I nearly slide down.

"How did you know where to find us?" I hear Ghost turn to our new guest and ask. I release him and turn around as well. He saved my life and I don't even know his name.

"Austin asked me to come by, check on you guys. Guess you weren't answering your phones. Saw the lights, assumed the worst." He shrugs. He is handsome in a sort of lazy way. His hair is long but shaggy and dark. He has a five o'clock shadow and is tall and lean.

"Thank you. I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Jamie, everyone calls me Swatch." I give him a small smile, noticing the small hint of an accent in his drawl.

"Swatch, thank you."

"Welcome. Now, let's get you to the clubhouse, I'm sure your prez is wondering why I haven't gotten back to him." I nod my head and follow Swatch and Ghost out of the house.

"You good to ride?" I nod my head at Ghost's question, but he studies my eyes for a moment then shakes his head.

"I'm fine Ghost really. I just want to leave." There is no other vehicle here and I still don't have my car. I would rather clutch onto him the whole way there, then stay here another second waiting on someone to pick us apart.

"Alright, let's get going." He states then looks over at Swatch getting on his bike. "You know the way?"

"Yeah, I'll ride behind you, watch the girl just in case."

"Abby. My name is Abby." Why am I correcting this man? He just saved my life by doing what I couldn't. He killed a man for me and here I am mad that he called me 'the girl'?

"Abby. Let's get moving. I'll call your president while we're on the way." He nods then hops onto his bike. I feel Ghost pull my arm and head towards his bike and just like that, we leave a crime scene behind and head towards the clubhouse.

It doesn't take us long to get here. I think Ghost felt my panic once I was on the bike and hurried through traffic. He was right, I was not equipped to hang on. Three times I nearly fell off, worried that someone was still after us and was firing.

Ghost parks the bike and I jump off, barely able to walk with my wobbly legs. My body collapses onto the ground, everything starts going black. I feel arms pick me up and take me inside, several voices come from everyone and begin shouting and screaming but only one things clouds my vision more.

Chance is here, and he is drunk.

The moment he sees me he rushes to my side wrapping my hand in worry. I look into his blurry eyes and snatch my hand away.

"Abby, baby I'm so sorry. I didn't know I"

With tears in my eyes and a broken soul, I say the words to Chance I never thought I would. "Don't ever touch me again. Don't ever talk to me again."

I walk away, right into Max's awaiting arms as he leads me away from Chance and into his room where I lose myself in the tears that I constantly have, but for once, think I deserve.