Running To Nowhere

Three

The night seemed to be going well, they had been hard at work since she had asked her to help. Ava didn't know if Clare had told the women to not think about what they saw or to not mention it, but nobody came up to her that was at the pool that morning to ask about the scars she had on her body, and for that she was grateful. 

She was loading more food when her boss came over, "So I see she drug you into helping for tonight?" he asked her.

She looked over at him and raised her eye brow. "She asked me yes, but I agreed." she stated.

Silas laughed, "Ok then, how is it going? Did you have a good day off?" he asked her, taking a swig from a beer.

She eyed his drink cautiously, "Yes, it turned out to be a very good day thank you." she told him.

"Good take one more off, then I want you back at it same time, same muck." he said to her.

"Yes sir." she stated.

"Please, stop calling me 'sir' makes me feel like my father, its Silas." he stated.

Ava nodded her head at him, "Ok thank you Silas." she said to him, then she picked up empty trays and plates and walked inside his house.

Hearing her say his name gave him chills, she sure was a cute one, he thought to himself, he might try to see what more she had to offer. Pushing that thought aside he went to go find his mother. He spotted her by the pool talking to a few women, so he walked up, he only caught the end of the order his mother was giving them, "....And don't let the poor girl hear any of you talking about it again am I understood?" she had asked, the women nodded their head and scampered off.

Silas raised an eye brow when his mother spotted him, "What was that mom?" he asked coming up and giving her a beer.

Clare pointed towards the grill, "Come with me over to the cooking food, now." she said to him and started walking off.

Alarmed he followed her, "What the hell is going on?" he asked again more force full.

Clare took a long swig of her beer then set it down and flipped a few burgers. "Earlier today, while Ava was at the pool, she must have forgotten she was wearing a white t-shirt over her bathing suit," she started looking at her son to make sure he was paying attention.

"And?" he said waiving his hand.

"And, when I came to talk to her she got out of the pool and every woman and child that was there saw alot of scars on her stomach, even a few poking out of her bikini top. They were dark and hard to miss, very grewsome looking scars Silas." she said turning to him with her beer in hand again.

Silas stopped and stared at his mother, as if she had said the most ridiculous thing to him. "What happened after?" he asked her.

"Well I ran and grabbed her towel throwing it over her soaked and very visible body, then I walked her inside and sat her at the kitchen table." she said to him.

Silas nodded taking a swig of beer and thinking a moment, "Did she tell you anything?" he asked, his temper getting a little heated.

"No not really." she said to him. "She said maybe someday, but she was safe for now she had ran far away from him and hid." she told him.

"Mom, listen to me, the other day when I approached her and Jax in the barn, I kind of came off forcefully and she had panicked falling to the floor holding herself and apologizing to me." he told his mother.

"That explains it," she said nodding her head.

"Some f**k head did a number on her, you think she was abducted?' he asked.

"I'm not sure my son, all I do know is she is scared, she is afraid to piss people off, she does her work to a T then she goes home, just do do it all again the next day." his mother said to him.

"We need to make sure that our family is safe mother, I like the girl and something is telling me to keep her here but I wont risk everyone if she was into some mofia kind of thing." he said.

Clare slapped his arm. " Don't be a damn i***t, I don't believe it was anything like that, and I think your somewhat right, something is telling me to help her as well, we cant just demand she tells us what is going on, but we do need to keep an eye on her, and Silas?" his mother asked.

He looked at her beautiful face, "Yeah, Ma?" he said back.

"We will not be kicking her out, ever, this is her home now she loves it here anyone can see that, you don't take that away from someone that would make us just like who ever hurt her. Besides, everyone seems to like her the women were just really stunned." she said to him.

Silas chuckled, "Do you think Sil will like her?" he asked.

Silvia was his ex girlfriend although she got along with most of the women out here, there were a few who had crush's on him that she would bite at, even though it had been over for a few months, she still laid claims and he found her possessiveness quite funny. He had found her in bed with one of his ranch hands in the bed they had shared, he had kicked her ass out and fired the man who touched what was his, ever since then she has been trying her hardest to get him back, and it just wasn't working.

"She can just keep her f*****g distance." His mother said to him.

Silas nodded, if she hadn't been his fathers best friends daughter she would have been out of here as well, but as it should go she also owns half of the ranch they are living on right now, so he had no choice but to live with her. She would be due back soon, she had taken some time off and went on vacation, good for her, maybe when she gets back she will have another man on her arms. The thought didn't even bother him, he was hoping like hell that would be the case.

The night went on and it had been a great night he saw his new team member talking and laughing with the women around her, she stayed away from all of them men, but she made her way around talking to every woman that was here until she got back to his mother, then they spent the night talking. When the party was over everyone retired to their cabins and Silas offered to walk Ava back to hers, she of course denied the offer but he insisted anyways.

So here they were walking and not saying a damn thing, she was fidgeting with her hands and looking straight ahead of her, her unease making his gut turn, "Ava, can I be blunt about something?" he said to her.

She finally looked at him and said, "Ok?" shooting up her brow.

He found it so cute when she did that, "Ok, I'm not going to hurt you, none of the men here will." he said to her.

She stiffened at that then stopped and looked at him, "I know that." she said plainly.

"Alright, I just hate how tense you are around the men especially me when we get near you." he said to her.

She sighed, "Look there is some things I need to get over and its going to take me some time, but to be frank with you? I don't much like being touched, by anyone women included. "I don't like when people drink, but I cant stop them so I just ignore it. And I don't think I need to open up to everyone about what has gone on in my life." she said to him.

"Alright sweets, calm down." he said in a calming voice. It seemed to have a little bit of an affect on him and he liked that, " Just one thing I need to know, mom told me about the pool incident, I wont be going around blabbing it, but I do have a question." he asked of her.

Sighing again she knew this was going to come, so lets home its not so many questions, "What is it?" she asked giving her full attention to him.

"Tell me as little as possible if you chose but at least answer me." he said to her and waited, when she threw her arm out as for him to continue he did, "Kidnapper, or Other half?

"Other half." she said flatly.

"Abuse or Neglect and Affairs?" he asked her again.

"Abuse, Neglect, Affairs, r**e, Pimping, Torcher." she said looking at him, she watched as the shock came to his face. "Now if you had had enough questions I am tired thank you for getting me this far I'll go the rest of the way on my won, good night Sir." she said and walked off.

To stunned to move he just watched her walk the rest of the way to her place, when he heard her door slam he turned back towards his house. There was a lot his mother and him had to talk about, "Mom? you still up?" he hollered.

"In the kitchen babe." she hollered back.

He rushed into the kitchen and sat down in front of her, "It is way worse than we thought." he told her.

She scrunched up her face while looking at him, "What are you talking about?" she said to him.

All Silas said was "Ava." 

"What did she tell you?" she asked on full alert.

"Just bits and pieces," he said shaking his head at his mother then replayed what had just happened a few yards from his house.

"What the hell?" Clare said looking at her son, he was shaking with fury. "You need to calm down Silas, there is no way you could leave and beat the guy up for what he did to her, besides if you try to look then he would probably find her. If she told you the truth about what happened to her, even the littlest bit, he would probably be the type of man who is obsessed with her, so I bet you he has been looking for her since he noticed she was gone." she told him.

"I know you are right, but this is completely fucked." he said to her.

"That it is, but all we can do now is make her feel like we will be here for her." Clare said to her son.

Silas nodded his head, "Alright, I'm gonna sleep on it, night ma." he said.

"Night Silas." she replied and watched her boy walk out of the room. At the age of 35, her son, Silas had grown up to be a hard ass boss, taking control of the slipping ranch from his father and his bestfriend, and with the help of Silvia, they had grown up and turned this place around. It was now bringing in more money than it had her whole marriage, he had all the hands he needed and all the trainers he needed, though she had helped raise Silvia, she was by far a fan of the girl, her father spoiled her rotten and she grew up a brat that cried when she didn't get her way, and she let no woman near her son.

She for sure didn't want her to try and get her son back and she would slap him silly if he took her back, but she needed to be here to protect this land with him as his partner on the ranch, she needed to take up her responsibilities. Sneering at the thought of the troubled girl she rolled her eyes and shook her head, and went back to thinking of Ava.

The girl had good bones, she knew how to work and she did it well, she was kind, despite what had happened to her. Though she didn't take interest in the men around here while they took interest in her, she did see her staring at Silas a few times in the night, this had made her smile. Her son was a fine man now and if the girl wanted a man to protect her he was the perfect fit. But she was afraid the girl was also to afraid to let another person close to her.

Clare finished off her coffee and put her cup into the sink. She would just have to spend time with Ava and get to know her more when she wasn't working, she had over heard Silas tell her to take another day off, so maybe she would take the girl to town and get her some things that she needed and take her for lunch. She would just stop by Jax's pin tomorrow while she had him and aske her.

Clare made her way to the bedroom she had shared with her late husband for 46 years. sitting down on her side of the bed she ran her hand over his side, he also had been the best man of her life. Their son being just like him made her smile everyday with pride. Her husband cared about people and he made sure they did what they were supposed to but he was to kind at times. Then he and his bestfriend had gotten into an accident on the interstate coming back with a load of horses, the roads were bad and it had been snowing, they had lost control and everyone had lost them. This was about 5 years ago when it had happened. Her son was already prepped to be the lead of the ranch and took over when she no longer wished to do so. 

It had taken Clare nearly those 5 years to get back to her old self, but every night she would run her hand over his side of the bed, whisper her I love you's and go to sleep. As she prepared to close her eyes she thought about the plans for the next day and a smile played at her face when she began to make plans as her  brain settled and let her fall asleep.