I pull away from Atlas, as my breathing starts to get harder, I wipe the tears away and give him a nod.
"Atlas, it's not that you don't love me. Even if it's you loving me because of my heart, or because of me, I know no matter what, you will love me until the end of time." I stop as Atlas interprets the meaning behind my words.
"I love you."
"It’s me. I don’t know if I can come back. I will keep thinking that the only reason I’m here is because of Lucy. Right now, I don’t know if I love you or if Lucy’s heart is making my heart pound for you. My head is all over the place. I’m so confused. I don’t know what I want. Need. I tell him, as he wipes the tears away.
If you come back, it’ll be different. I was scared you would leave and never return, but if you come back, you can drive and go anywhere. I promise!” He earnestly tries to argue back.
I shake my head, he's not listening to what I'm saying at the moment.
"Atlas it's not that, you have no idea how much I dreamed of your eyes and was confused about why, you have no idea how much my heart beats when you're close to me, you have no idea how much I want to make you happy, and when you told me about Lucy, it hit me. You two loved each other that much, you kidnapped someone to have her. Lucy, even dead had a love that strong for you, that it pushed its way into my life." I take a deep breath in, as I feel a little light-headed. "I will have to fight for your love, and I will have to fight my heart to love you, but I don't know if I can do that," I tell him, and I think for the first time, my words have hit him as he stares at me.
"For the past week, I've not once thought about Lucy when I'm with you, all I wanted was you."
I need to get some fresh air in my lungs, I need to get out of the bar.
"I need to go outside for a moment, give me a moment to think please," I tell him as I walk past everyone.
As I get outside, I take in a deep breath. I have to give Atlas a chance, now I know the truth, things might be different for us. And I could move past all this, and one day, forget everything and know that it's not Lucy that loves him but me. I love Atlas, yes I do. I have to give this a chance, I know that Atlas won’t stop until he wins me back. Maybe all this is the universe telling me, you’ve been through so much, now is the time to finally have happiness in your life. With a clear mind, I turn to go back in to talk to Atlas when suddenly I feel a pinch in my neck and arms around me.
I follow Brooklyn out of the bar and look over at Rhys who starts following me. I need her to know that I'm ready to do whatever she wants for me to prove that I only want to be with her. Not Lucy.
I have no idea how I can prove it to her, but I will. Whatever it takes.
I look around the street to find her missing. Where is she?
"Where is she?" Rhys asks me.
"I have no idea, I was right behind her," I tell him as I walk up the street to see if she's in the alley in one of the side streets, and Rhys goes the other way.
"She's not here," Rhys tells me.
"Where's her friend?" I ask as I continue to look around, there is no way she could walk that fast.
"In the restroom with Aiden," Rhys tells me. I shake my head, the man hasn’t left the house for a month, and the first night he gets, he is fucking a woman in the restroom.
I get my phone out and call Aiden. "Fuck her and get outside with her." I end the call and ask the bouncer if he saw a girl get in the taxi. I'm not happy with the answer he gives me.
"We should go to her apartment," I look over at Rhys, then see Aiden and Brooklyn's friend walking out of the bar.
"What happened?" Aiden asks.
"Brooklyn's gone," Rhys tells them as I get my phone out to call her.
It rings out, making me call again, and follow everyone to the car. The phone rings out again.
"Is there anywhere else you go?" I turn to her friend, I swear Brooklyn told me her name, but I wasn't focusing on anything but her.
"She wouldn't go anywhere without me," she says in a panic.
Aiden walks over to the side with her, as I get in the car. I throw the phone against the dashboard.
"I bet she's home, wanting space," Rhys tells me, and drives off the second Aiden gets in the car.
"Told Gabby that I would call her as soon as we get Brooklyn," Aiden says, and I give him a nod.
I'm not going to ask him anything about her because he wouldn't say anything at the moment knowing I want to find Brooklyn.
The lights are off, which is not a good sign. Rhys picks the lock and opens the door.
Walking around the apartment, she hasn't been here. Where is she?
Walking around the apartment, I look at the drawings posted around it. Brooklyn is one hell of an artist. I stop near the big canvas and stare at it for a moment.
"This wasn't here the other day," I hear Rhys behind me.
"All her drawing pads are still here." I walk over to Aiden and look at some of the pads. "She saw your eyes a hell of a lot." Aiden taps my shoulder as he walks away.
Sitting on the bed, I look through the newest pad and see a picture of me. There is that much detail in these drawings, you would think it was a photo. Most of the pages are of me, a beautiful drawing of Beth, even one of the guys too. Paper and pencil is all she needs, this is what has taken her through everything she has been through.
"What do you want to do?" Rhys asks, and I look up as he stands by the door.
"You think she's missing?" I ask because I have no idea what to think, I have no idea where she would even go.
"You want me to call one of the guests, we have four detectives there, one of them could look at the cameras for us," Rhys asks.
"Call him and tell him to come to the club, we should be there in a few hours." I would like to sit here and look through every single pad she has, just to see what she has been drawing her whole life, but I need to get her back first. I grab a few pads and her pencil set and leave the apartment.
I don't know where she has gone, but when I find her, I know these will make her happy.
The guys and Beth have been talking non-stop since we have got back. Beth is in a panic mode, not knowing where Brooklyn is. I'm pissed off too, I'm scared something has happened to her, it's not that long since she came out of the hospital.
"Atlas, he’s here," I look over at the door and wait for Detective Rafe Michaels, a member of the club for four years now. The girls he's been with have said he shows them more respect than anyone else. I've told him if he finds Brooklyn, he gets whatever the fuck he wants. As long as it's under my rules.
"Rafe, good news?" I ask him.
He walks further into the office and opens the laptop up as he places it on the desk. "Yes and no. I've found out why you can't find her, but you might not like what you're going to see. Before I show you, I want you to know, this is my number one priority right now," he says. I pull the laptop over to me, the guys walk around to see it with me.
As the video plays, the sweat drenches my skin, as my eyes throb with pain at what I'm seeing. My ear vibrates as the thumping of my heart pounds against my chest.
My eyes lock on the man standing behind Brooklyn, fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into my palm, as my hands tremble with anger. My eyes burn as I glare at Dean.