Ginny frowned. “Viper told me he was the one coming back with me, not Gavin.”
Killyama shrugged. “I don’t know why the change of plans, only that Reaper was freaking the hell out on them.”
“I’ll call Viper. I don’t want Gavin forced to do anything he doesn’t want to do.” Ginny began reaching into her pocket for her cell phone.
“Don’t be stupid. Nothing is going to happen with Reaper in Treepoint and you in Nashville. Reaper will ignore any attempt you make to contact him, and he sure as fuck won’t be calling you. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Don’t think I didn’t get some dirt under my nails when I wanted Train. Reaper is a mean fucker, and if you’re his soul mate like you think, you better be prepared to use every motherfucking advantage you’re given. I didn’t spill my guts to you about Reaper for you not to use it to your advantage. Look at it this way, you’re not forcing Reaper to do a damn thing; Viper is. See? Problem solved. You can keep a clean conscience and have Reaper with you in Nashville. Enjoy the plane ride.”
Ginny jumped back from the car as Killyama jerked the door closed. Jesus, and they call Crazy Bitch crazy. She and Killyama should switch names, Ginny thought to herself aloud, getting in her own car. There was no way she could go inside the church now with her stomach churning from the information Killyama had given her.
Merging into slow traffic on the main road, Ginny drove to a quiet spot where there wouldn’t be many around—the lookout, where Willa had almost fallen to her death trying to save Sissy. Parking in an empty space, she got out of the car, walked to the edge of the cliff, and looked out over the town. Seeing that she was alone, Ginny released the torrent of emotions that she had kept bottled-up in front of Killyama. Low sobs turned into louder, harder ones that had her falling to her knees and clutching her belly.
How had God allowed one of his precious souls to be treated that way?
When Trudy told her that Gavin had been found while she was living in Queen City, she’d told her that he’d been in bad shape. Trudy had given her a few details but hadn’t gone into the graphic ones that Killyama hadn’t held back. Imagining the pain Gavin had been forced to endure had her wanting to drive back to The Last Riders’ clubhouse just to assure herself that he was still there.
Minutes turned into an hour, as her anguished sobs transformed to painful hiccups. The mental and physical abuse he suffered was more than horrendous; it had been pure evil. Ginny was no stranger to true evil; however, what Gavin survived had taken a mental, emotional, and physical toll on him. Locking him in a basement, unless being used for someone’s amusement, would have driven any normal man insane. The isolation of being separated from The Last Riders would have made it much worse. Ginny had worked with them, she saw how close they were, so being left to himself must have been a torture in itself. Ginny knew how lonely she was when she’d been separated from the Colemans.
The feelings that must have gone through Gavin’s head during the years he was held captive had her snatching up a rock and throwing it as far as she could.
How many days, months, years had passed before realization inevitably struck that he wasn’t going to be rescued? Like Gavin had said, I learned that something you had to wait for wasn’t worth having. Was that why he felt that way?
Her fingers searched the dirt, found another rock, and then struck out at an invisible God high in the heavens, beyond her fury. Ginny raised her eyes heavenward. “How could You? I thought he was safe in Your arms!” she screamed. “Why? You could have saved him!”
Memories assailed her of what she had been doing while Gavin had been kidnapped. Every joy-filled moment or any spark of happiness was now tainted by what he must have endured.
“How many times did he call out for Your help, only for his pleas to go unheard? How often did I pray for him? Begged for You to love him until I could be by his side? Why? Oh God, why didn’t You save him? Or Leah? No more! You hear me?” Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs. Using her fingertips, she wiped her tears away, getting back to her feet and staring dismally up at the sky. “No more,” she stated in a cold voice. “Never again will I ever beg You for anything,” she vowed, leveling her gaze to stare blankly at the town below.
Gaining Gavin’s love wasn’t going to be possible until she earned his trust. To do that it would be necessary to be in close proximity to him. As much she hated Gavin being forced to go to Nashville with her, it was the only way she stood a chance of reaching that goal. Killyama had been right to let The Last Riders take the fall for that, as much as it hurt her to achieve it that way. Killyama was right about another thing, also. She might have to take a backseat where Gavin was concerned for now, but she darn sure could do something about eight stubborn males who didn’t live too far from here.