Reclaimed by Terri Anne Browning Read Free Book Online

linked our fingers together as he pulled me out of the room. Drake, Shane, and Jesse followed us out and onto the elevator. None of them spoke a word as we rode down to the ground floor. I could feel the tension rolling off of all four of my guys, but for once I couldn’t do anything to help ease their minds. I was useless right then. To them. To Mia.
    To myself.
    The ride back to the buses was short and quiet. I held onto Nik’s hand like the lifeline it was for me. His thumb rubbed small circles on the back of my hand and normally it would have soothed me, but not today. Maybe not ever again. I couldn’t understand how he couldn’t hate me when I was full of so much of it at myself. How could he still love me after I’d put our child at risk? How?
    I wanted to scream the question at him, but was too scared of his answer. Maybe he didn’t love me anymore after this, and I knew I would have deserved that, but I was desperate to hold on to it. If I didn’t ask him, then I could live in blissful ignorance.
    Reaching the buses, I took my time getting out of the back of the SUV one of Seller’s men had driven us in. The four big men stood waiting for me as I stepped down, blocking my path to the bus that I’d called home for the entire summer. I kept my gaze lowered, not having the strength to look any one of them in the eyes and see the loathing that I knew must be there.
    When I tried to move around Jesse, he caught hold of my arm and held on just tight enough to let me know he meant business. I’d never had a father before, but if anyone had ever been a father-like figure in my life, it was Jesse Thornton. He had loved me like his own from the time I was five. I felt Nik’s heat at my back and saw Shane and Drake coming up on either side of me. They were all ganging up on me all of a sudden.
    Jesse lifted his free hand and cupped my chin, lifting my head and forcing me to look him in the eye. “I can see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours, Em. Listen to me. This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t yours, or Mia’s or Shane’s. The only blame is on the bitch who did this to us. And she did it to us all, honey. We’re a family and that means we all stick together, no matter what.” His eyes were midnight black, and I knew his pain matched my own and that they were all feeling the same thing I was. Violated. Scared. Pissed the fuck off. “I love you, Emmie. We all love you. Don’t you forget that, do you hear me? Don’t forget that. Nothing you do will ever change that. Nothing. I swear it.”
    “I don’t see how,” I told him in a choked voice. My throat ached from all the tears that I’d already cried and the millions that still clogged it. “How can you, any of you, still love me after all of this?”
    Nik’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind and he kissed my neck. “How can we not?” he murmured softly against my skin. “I love you, baby girl. Jesse’s right. None of this was your fault.” He lifted his head and looked at Shane who had his jaw clenched so hard I worried he was going to break something. Instinctively I offered him my hand and after only a small hesitation he took it. His fingers were freezing, but so were mine. “No one blames you, Shane.”
    “Emmie?” Shane’s voice was so rough from the pain shining back at me from those blue-gray eyes, it sliced at something deep inside my heart. I tightened my hold on him. “Do you blame me? Do you…hate me?”
    “N-no,” I was quick to assure him. “Why would I blame you?”
    “Because whoever did this was after me. I’m the one who brought this nutcase into our lives. If it weren’t for me, Ranger wouldn’t have nearly died all those weeks ago and Gabriella wouldn’t be fighting for her life right now. I’m to blame for all of this, Em. Me. Not you.” He was openly crying now and I pulled out of Nik’s arms to wrap my own around the bassist. Shane pulled me closer, burying is face in my hair as he wept.