“What’s going on?” Ricky asked, joining them. She locked gazes with him. Concern for all four men gave her an instant headache.
“Amelia, this is a serious threat. Do you understand that?” Sandman asked.
“Fuck. What the hell do the other two say?” Brody asked, as he looked over Sandman’s shoulder. They were looking at her phone, and reading the messages.
She pulled from Murphy’s embrace.
“Amelia,” Waylon said. She turned around toward him.
Waylon reached out and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek then neck. He cupped her head and stepped closer. She reached up and held on to his wrist and smiled.
“It’s nothing, Waylon,” she stated.
“That dick contacted her again, Waylon. He threatened her and he threatened us,” Murphy said.
“No. They’re just words. He doesn’t know anything. When he called me that day, I told him that I moved on. He assumed that I meant on to another man. I’ll just change my phone number. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again.” She reached for her cell and Sandman held her hand over the phone. He locked gazes with her.
“This is not something to take lightly. First verbal threats, then physical assault.”
“Already been there. So I guess he’s going backward.” She pulled away from Sandman.
“This guy hit you?” Sandman asked her. He was definitely disgusted.
She turned away and looked at Murphy. “Why are you doing this? Why did you bring me here? I trusted you.”
She turned to walk away. “I want to leave now.”
Ricky grabbed her hand. He brought it against his chest.
“We’ll walk outside to get some fresh air.” Ricky led her outside. She wouldn’t look over her shoulder at the others. She knew they were angry. Those texts were hard to read for her. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for them. They said that they loved her, but she just wanted to move on. Maybe if she ignored Mano’s attempts at pursuing her, he would eventually stop?
* * * *
Ricky pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him. He caressed along her back and inhaled the scent of her perfume.
“You need to calm down and trust us. This guy, he could come here looking for you, and then what?” he whispered against her ear then kissed her skin. She felt tense, but then began to relax the more kisses he would spread.
“I just want to ignore him. There’s been too much drama in my life lately. I don’t want any more of it.”
He pressed his palm firmer against her back, then softly over her ass, before moving back up to her back again.
“Are you scared of him?” he asked.
She seemed surprised as she immediately looked up toward him. His chin was to his chest, and her head was way back to her shoulders.
“Why are you asking me this?”
“It’s a simple question, Amelia. Are you scared of him? Does imagining him physically in front of you, scare you?”
She swallowed hard.
She seemed to think about that a moment. Then she nodded her head. He felt his gut clench and his concern grow even deeper. But she needed someone to be calm here.
“Let me share something with you. Something that a lot of people don’t know about me. You see, I was on a mission in…well, let’s just say, somewhere foreign, and well, I was captured. Fortunately for me, those who captured me were nowhere near their base. Anyway, without getting into too much detail, I escaped. But not before fighting for my life, and getting stabbed multiple times. I was beaten with whips and rope and metal objects. I wanted to die. I survived it. My will to live and move on and see my brothers and my family again helped me get through that. But for years after, I couldn’t sleep at night. I would wake up thinking that I was back there again. I was under their control, their abuse, and their torture all over again. My brothers knew what I was going through. They all had their share of pain and faced death head-on. You survived something, too, Amelia. Your own war at home.
“What I’m trying to tell you is that you’re not alone, the way you thought you were. You don’t have to hide your phone, pretend that Mano’s messages and harassment doesn’t bother you, out of fear or acting tough. We’re here to protect you. We’re here to love you and care for you. You’re not alone in this world anymore, Amelia. You’ve filled our empty hearts. You complete each of us. Take the leap of faith. Let us get this guy off your ass. Fight for us. For what the five of us are together, which is perfection.”
She clutched him hard, wrapped her arms around him, and held him just as tight as he had been holding her.