Broken Souls

Chapter 20 - Logan

Stepping out of the bathroom in my sweatpants, I noticed Bailey asleep, looking utterly serene. I didn’t want to disturb her just yet, so I paused for a moment. When I shook myself from my reverie, I joined her in bed, pulling her gently against my chest. She was perfect, and I vowed to do everything in my power to protect her. As I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep, holding her close as if she was my lifeline.

I woke up around 6:00 am and noticed Bailey still asleep. Trying not to disturb her, I quietly got out of bed and went to the kitchen, where I found Brian, reading something on his phone. "Morning," He looked up and nodded in response. I poured myself some coffee and took a seat across from him.

After about half an hour, the rest of the guys joined us. We sat down to discuss the work that needed to be done in the coming week. Having Bailey there will be a huge help, as I won't have to deal with all the unnecessary hassles. Bailey walked into the kitchen with a smile, still wearing just my shirt, she looking f*****g eatable. I quickly got up, motioned for her to sit, and poured her some coffee. Rolling her eyes at me as she went to sit, "You know I can get my own coffee, right?" I ignored her and changed the topic. "You mentioned you have some conditions for moving in. What are they? Just remember, we’ll decide whether or not to accept them."

She fixed me with a piercing gaze that made me smile at how endearing she looked. “Alright, if you want me to stay, you’ll have to let me get my own coffee for starters,” I gave her nod knowing I’d probably end up bending that rule, but she didn’t need to know that. “I’ll take care of the housework, the washing, and cleaning,” I quickly shook my head, “No. We have someone that comes in twice a week to handle that.”

“Seriously, then give me something to do because I’m not staying here doing nothing.” Brian caught my attention with an unusual smile. “Okay, you can help me cook dinner every night”. We were all stunned, as he usually preferred to cook alone. He shrugged. “I enjoyed it when she helped the other night, and it gives her something to do, it’s a win - win.” Justin shook his head. “So why are we not allowed in the kitchen?” They exchanged glances, “Because you’d f**k it up, that’s why.” Justin flipped him off, and we all burst out laughing, the mood finally lightening. “Deal. I’ll be happy to help you and then do the dishes afterward, is that a deal?.”

We all agreed to her terms, which made her smile broadly. We chatted about various topics for a while. The guys headed to the living room to turn on the TV for the football game we planned to watch later. As Bailey was about to leave the kitchen, I pulled her close, "Where are you going? I haven't received my morning kiss yet." I whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver, which I absolutely loved. She turned in my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck, and whispered, "I was going to get ready for work." Her whisper made me hard as f**k, "Damn, you're driving me f*****g crazy woman.". She pulled back with an innocent grin and walked away.

I sat quietly, trying to gather myself before joining the others. As we were talking, Bailey walked in, and we all turned to watch her. She came over and gave me a kiss, and greeted everyone. I let her know that I'd be at the bar later, and before she could respond, I raised my finger to signal that I wasn’t ready to discuss it. She left without saying another word.

We watched the football game, and around 5:00 PM, I let the guys know I was heading to the bar. They said they’d come by later. When I arrived at the bar, it was already crowded because of the game with the usual crowd that hangs out there. I looked around but couldn’t see Bailey, and felt panic hit me, a tightening feeling in my chest. I went up to Shaun and asked where she was. He told me she had gone to the back because they had run out of some alcohol. Just then, Bailey walked in with a crate in her hands, and a wave of relief washed over me. I’m sure she noticed the worry on my face and frowned. I shook my head to reassure her and ordered a beer.

After about an hour, the guys arrived, and we started playing pool. I spoke to Jeremy, and asked him to make this Bailey's last night, and he agreed also letting her know. We stayed at the pool table, challenging others while we waited for Bailey to finish work. Around midnight, Jeremy told her she could leave, and we all left the bar. As we followed her, I felt so relaxed my mind was occupied with everything. A black car suddenly sped up, forcing her off the road. The tinted windows made it impossible to see who was driving. I stopped my bike and rushed over to her, while the others chased after the car. I opened her car door and checked on her, “Are you okay?” She couldn’t speak as she was in too much shock. I held her tightly, almost too tight, after ten minutes the guys returned. Before I could ask anything, Brian spoke first, “We lost him a couple of miles back.”

“f**k!” I shouted, causing her to flinch. I quickly apologized and told her we needed to head home. Once we got there, she didn’t say a word. She went straight to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I could hear her crying through the door and it was unbearable. I knocked softly on the door, “Angel, can I come in?” When she didn’t respond. I opened the door and she was sitting on the floor with her face buried in her knees. I sat down beside her, gently pulling her onto my lap, holding her close as she cried. After a while, I noticed her breathing had steadied, when I looked down, I realized she had fallen asleep.

I gently lifted us both from the floor and laid her down on the bed, carefully removing her shoes and jeans. This is strange I usually only remove a womans cloths when I f**k them, but with Bailey, I want it to be her choice. I covered her with the blanket and then quietly left the room.

I grabbed a beer and sat down, my mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. Everyone had just entered the kitchen when Julian gave me a concerned look, “There’s something I need to tell you, and I don’t think what happened earlier is a coincidence.” Confused, I tilted my head, trying to understand what he was referring to. “The other day when we left the mall, there was a guy leaning against her car, staring at her smiling. I wanted to confront him, but Bailey bumped into me, and by the time I looked back, he was gone. I haven’t seen him again.” Anger surged through me. “Why are you only telling us this now?” I demanded, “I’m sorry,” his regret was evident. “I didn’t think much of it until now.”

“We need to locate him. I have a suspicion about who it might be. ” Everyone looked at me, concern etched on their faces. “What’s our plan?” Justin asked, standing up to grab himself another beer, “First and foremost, we can’t tell her anything. If she finds out it might be him she will run, and then we won’t be able to protect her. No matter what, we must keep her under constant surveillance. Understood?” They all nodded in agreement.

I walked back to the room and finished getting dressed. Climbing into bed, I noticed Bailey twitching in her sleep, signaling she was dreaming, though I couldn’t tell if it was a nightmare or not. I pulled her closer and closed my eyes. Suddenly, Bailey jolted awake, gasping like she was struggling to breathe. I tried to comfort her by reaching out, but she screamed as if she thought I meant to harm her. I got up, approached her so she could see it was me, and gently cupped her face. “Angel, it’s just me. You need to slow your breathing,” talking to her in a low voice. She sat there, disoriented, but gradually her breathing steadied. I held her close as she clung to me, as if afraid I might disappear at any moment.

We settled back down, but I couldn’t sleep, aware that I wasn’t going to get any sleep. I laid there, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Julian had said.