Evelyn POV
I worked all day, around closing time Ryland came in. He sat in one of the booths waiting for me to shut everything down. "Want a hand" he asks as I reach up pulling the shutters down.
"No I got it" I tell him before walking back inside. I lock the door, turning the closed sign.
"Did Thaddeus send you?" I ask. Now that I had time to myself and was able to cool down I now felt terrible for yelling at Orion not so much Thaddeus, he said things that hurt too.
"No I wanted to check on you" he says getting up from his seat following me out back while I put the till in the safe.
"Are you coming home?" He asks.
"Am I allowed to?" I ask.
"Why wouldn't you be?"
"Thaddeus said not come home" I tell him.
"I will deal with Thaddeus" he says and I nod.
I flick the light off to the office out the back turning to walk back out to the front but Ryland blocks the door. I look up at him when he doesn't move.
He holds his arms out wanting a hug and I move pressing myself against him. His arms wrapping securely around me. I wrap mine around his waist hugging him back.
"Everything will be okay love, just come home" he whispers into my hair before kissing my head. I nod not wanting to let him go but know I have to if we actually want to go home.
I step back and he grabs my hand. I follow him outside to see his car pull up out the front. Stopping I see Orion hop out and look over at us. Ryland locks the shutter in the door. And I make my way to the car. I see Mara in her carseat in the back and climb in with her.
"Hey princess," I tell her, kissing her head. She clutched onto my shirt and I rub my nose on hers as Ryland and Orion hop back in the car. Orion starts driving.
"Where is he?" I ask and I see Orion look in the rearview mirror.
" I'm not sure" he says and I look back at our daughter who was playing with her book.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you" I tell Orion. He nods once looking back out the window.
We drove home pulling into the shed. I got out intending to go into Amara's studio when I was pulled in the opposite direction. Mara was asleep in my arms having fallen asleep on the drive home.
"What's wrong?" I ask, wondering why they were looking toward the house.
"Something's happened," Ryland says, walking toward the house. I follow after him walking in to find Amara pacing worriedly.
"She is probably off playing with her boytoys" Theo tells her. Making me wonder who they were talking about.
"No, I have a feeling something is wrong," Amara says.
"Wrong? Why was her house wrecked, anything out of the ordinary?" Tobias asks but Amara shakes her head.
"No but something wasn't right, she doesn't do this I can usually find her in her normal places but there was no sign of her"
"Who are you talking about?" I ask snapping everyone's attention to us. Thaddeus looks over the back of the lounge at me. A growl escapes his lips before he stands up.
"I thought I said don't come home" he says walking over to me. He tries to take Mara from me but I pull back.
"Give her here now Evie" he says, his eyes turning black.
"Just stop, you will wake her Thaddeus" I tell him when she stirs.
"You're not leaving with her" he says walking back to the lounge and sitting down the lights flickering with his burning anger.
Unable to tolerate him, I turn to Ryland. "I'm going to put her to bed" I tell him, turning and walking out the door. I am suddenly ripped backwards by my shirt smacking into a hard chest. He moved so quickly I didn't even hear him get up off the lounge.
"Thaddeus!" Orion snaps at him.
"You aren't fucking leaving with my daughter Evelyn" Thaddeus snaps at me.
"I'm not leaving I am putting her to bed"
"What the fuck is going on?" Amara says stalking toward her brother
"Stay out of it Amara" Thaddeus snaps at her.
"Like hell I will, how dare you speak to her like that" Thaddeus turns on his sister and I decide to let her deal with him darting out the door and going back to the studio.
"And you still blame me" he growls low, and I try to step back but there is literally nowhere to go in this cramped shower.
Thaddeus cages me with his arms against the tiled walls. "I would never Intentionally hurt you or our children. Haven't I done enough to prove I have changed?"
He has changed but that didn't make me doubt he was the cause for all this.
"I don't blame you for losing him, I just don't believe it was a gas leak, that it has something to do with your past" I tell him.
"And if it does Evelyn then what you just going to hate me forever? I can't be with you Knowing you hate me"
"I don't hate you,"
"No not yet but you will, if you truly believe I had something to do with this"
"I want to go home, I want to see for myself"
"Evie that's not a good idea"
" I need to know"
"Say it is true and it has something to do with my past then what?"
"You fucking kill the people who did it, everyone goddamn one of them" I snap at him. He seems shocked. I am usually non violent. I could feel his shock, smashing into me. I hated the idea of him killing people. Hated what he had done but I had this nagging feeling I was right. Some instinct telling me something wasn't right. They would pay for it, they took my son and I will make sure I take their life for it.
"And if you find nothing?"
"Then that's it, we move on"
"That simple, just move on?"
"No, I don't know Thaddeus, we just deal with it" I tell him. He sighs leaning his forehead on mine.
"Promise me if we find something you will kill them" I ask him. He looks down at me gripping my chin.
"I promise if anyone has anything to do with our son's death they will pay with their lives. I will make them pay for hurting what's mine" he says and I nod. He doesn't let go though instead moving closer, his brushing mine, his tongue slips into my mouth. I kiss him back, his hands suddenly gripping my waist as he lifts me pressing his body against mine.
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