Secrets Worth Keeping (Finding my Home #2)- Nikita Parmenter Page 0,142

Riot says exasperatedly.

I can’t help the laugh that escapes me at Jensen’s pout and as he grumbles. We all unpack the crates and whem Trick comes back in with Atlas he makes Jensen take all of the crates back to the wine cellar himself. After going back and forth for a good twenty minutes Jensen finally manages to convince Trick to bring one crate, promising that they wouldn’t get caught with it. We finally have the trailer all packed again and surprisingly, without the five extra crates of alcohol everything fits just as well as did before, go figure. I don’t think any of us are really mad at Jensen for the extra work though as it just means we get to spend a little bit of extra time with Atlas. It seems like it’s not only me that’s worried this will be the last time we see him. Considering he already disappeared on them for a year it’s not really surprising.

After spending the last few days with them all it’s obvious to me that they really do consider each other family and that somehow I’ve now been included in with that and I feel incredibly lucky. It does make it even more hard to leave one of our own behind though. I think I would’ve found it hard if me and Atlas had just ended up being friends, especially knowing that he is going to be in danger and has something major going on that involves this town. He’s not just my friend though and my feelings for him are definitely way beyond friendship. They’re just as strong for him as they are for the others. Which is why it feels like a piece of my heart is breaking more and more the closer it gets to the time we need to leave.

I take a deep breath and watch curiously as Atlas darts back into the house.

“I don’t want to leave him” Trick mutters next to me and I lean into him.

“Me neither” I reply, my voice already thick with emotion.

“We have to trust that he knows what he’s doing though and that he will bring us in as soon as he can” Cash says seriously, closing the door on the trailer.

“We need to talk about if we’re truly prepared for what that may entail when we get back, although I have a feeling I already know what the answer will be” Trick chuckles and the guys join in as I grin.

I don’t imagine these guys would ever turn their backs on one of their own.

“Ok this is a burner phone. I can’t use it to contact you regularly but I should be able to use it very sparsely” Atlas says as he reappears and hands a phone over to Trick.

“Promise you’ll use it if you get in too deep and need a hand” Trick orders and Atlas smirks.

“You can count on it brother. I promise” he replies, settling something inside me, at least we have some sort of contact with him now.

I stand off to the side with a strangle hold on my emotions as the guys all say goodbye to Atlas. Jensen says something to him that’s too quiet for me to hear but he looks more serious than I have ever seen him. His feral darkness comes out to play as Atlas nods at whatever he asked him. He looks at me as he steps away from Atlas and gets into the car with the other’s, all of them giving me and Atlas a chance to say goodbye in private.

Atlas strides over to me and wraps me in his arms holding me tightly. I gulp back the tears, as he leans back and looks down at me, he studies me for a second, looking for something and whatever he finds has him taking a small step back from me. I watch curiously as he spins a gold ring with some sort of crest and gems on his middle finger before he slips it off revealing a band of pale skin beneath.

He motions for me to turn around and I feel him messing with the necklace that Jensen gave me as a Christmas present before the weight of Atlas’s ring drops down between my boobs resting near my heart and next to the infinity sign on the necklace.

“Forever and always, Princess” he vows as he turns me back around and kisses me softly, “you’ve given me something to fight for and made me more determined than ever