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I can’t help but wonder what it is that keeps her away? She seemed genuinely interested for a split second until Catalina reminded her of something.
Chapter 9
“Catalina, I can handlethis,” I interject, urging her to maintain her silence.
I know what she wants to say, but the truth is the last thing I want them to know. Mostly because I don’t need any kind of pity party on my behalf. This will only be a weakness they’ll try and take advantage of.
I know how these boys can get with their unwavering determination. These four individuals have a tight-knit brotherhood that thrives on the principle of relentless pursuit. I spent two years with them day in and day out, and when they set their sights on something, they get it.
That included me. Even after one year of denying their charms, they managed to inject their spears into my heart and pull me into their little crew. I was blind and stupidly in love with each one of them.
Regardless of whatever crap they’re claiming about not knowing about the media frenzy I was bombarded with a decade ago, they completely missed one crucial element that cancels everything.
They never cared enough to find me.
My disappearance probably threw everyone into a loop, and my elusive location deep within the Mojave desert was the perfect place to ensure I was left alone.
My kidnapper never found me.
The desert’s been my sanctuary for ten years and served its purpose of guarding me from the outside world.
But now these men need me for something, so they’ve gone that extra mile to find me.
That’s ten years too late.
Maybe I can forgive them for releasing that video to frame me and abruptly remove me from their band, but I will never trust them again. They can keep telling me their side of the story until they’re blue in the face but the only thing that keeps ringing circles in my head is that they never made any real effort to find me.
Sure, they threatened my friends, some of them even had restraining orders against some of them, but the undeniable truth is that they fucked off back to England.
They’re here now because they need me after all this time. That says a lot about how important I truly was to them back in the day.
The disposable girlfriend.
After ten years and seeing them here in the one place I thought I was safe from them, I’m not going to lie; it still hurts.
It hurts even more with the way they are playing me. And it's working because I miss the music, the jamming, and the performance. It’s all I ever wanted since I was a little girl and their mention of it brings back that feeling. One I’ve tucked away for years, convincing me it wasn’t good for my mental health.
Except music is what frees my mind therapeutically.
Catalina knows me well enough to realize I’m contemplating this, and she is only stepping in to bring me back to the reality of the situation.
He’s still out there.
The memory still burns in my heart.
I need to remain in hiding, even if he’s long gone or lost interest in me.
I don’t want to know either way.
I purse my lips and squint at Catalina, a silent beg for her to stay quiet.
“What’s going on Eden?” Haze asks, and I know he suspects there’s more stuff that I haven’t revealed to them. His deep, throaty voice always gave me the chills in a good way.
Haze was always the epitome of allure, but now, as I see him here after all these years standing tall in my home, his entire silhouette commands my attention. His athletic physique is a perfect balance between strength and agility. He now wears his blonde hair in a short faux mohawk style, highlighting his bright blue eyes that always reminded me of the clearest summer skies.
Then there are those gorgeous cheekbones and perfectly sculpted jawlines that both he and his brother have. Seeing him and Callum all grown up, their similarities couldn’t be more alike.
Of course, Callum looks as if he lives and breathes the bad boy rocker lifestyle with his longish blonde hair and faded red balayage color at the ends, and the number of tattoos and ink on him are stunningly impressive. I’d love to unwrap him and discover what his ink looks like.
