“See you then.” Evie grinned before leaving, unaware of the hurt Winter was hiding. She made her way to the chair by the window and looked out without actually seeing anything. The day was unseasonably warm, making one think spring was officially here. It hadn’t been a warm winter, so the men took advantage of the weather and fired up the grill in the huge backyard. It took several minutes before she could gather her thoughts enough to realize she was actually watching Viper and Shade putting steaks and burgers on the grill. The women were sitting around the two large picnic tables, talking. Winter did not need to see the scene below to realize she didn’t belong.
She was about to turn from the window when she saw Evie approaching the men with a seductive walk. Both men turned and watched as she approached. Winter’s stomach clenched and she was sick at what she knew was about to happen. Evie leaned into Viper, who put a casual arm around her waist and laughed at something she said. Evie wiggled closer and reached out a hand to trace down a particular path on Shade’s arm. Winter felt eyes on her; Shade was watching her watch them.
He turned back to the grill, turning the steaks, moving beyond Evie’s touch. When Viper and Evie looked up, she realized he had used the motion to warn the other two that she was watching.
Stepping away from the window, she went into the bathroom, locking the door and turning on the shower. Winter was not surprised to hear the bedroom door open and Viper knock on the bathroom door.
“Do you need some help downstairs? The food will be ready soon.”
“No thanks, I’ll get something later. I think I will take a short nap first.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” Winter cut off the water, not wanting to raise his suspicions, and was relieved when she heard the bedroom door open and close. She waited a few minutes before opening the door, making sure he wasn’t coming back. She went to the closet and dragged out her suitcases. Packing her things took little time, mainly jeans and shirts. Putting everything by the bedroom door, she changed into jeans and a loose fitting emerald sweater. Brushing her hair out, Winter took a long look at herself. This time she was determined get out of the house. He wouldn’t be able to throw up her helpless condition when she looked healthy. For the first time in a long time, she stared at herself shocked at the changes.
Her hair had grown out and now brushed the top of her shoulders, curling softly and gleaming the chestnut color that suited her pale complexion. The green sweater matched her emerald colored eyes. She had lost weight after the attack but the workouts had tightened and toned her body. She was still underweight but she had gained muscle mass. She would never be as pretty as the other women but she at least no longer looked helpless. Winter reached out and grabbed the dresser as she fought to regain control of her emotions.
When she had first found out the severity of the damage that had been done to her body, she didn’t see an end to her misery. Winter feared she would never fully recover, not only from the attack but also from her love for Loker. Now she could see that she was almost there. To do the rest she had to accomplish two things. First, keep strengthening her body with the therapy and workouts, and two, put an end to Viper’s games. With that in mind, she used the phone to call the one person she knew would enable her to walk away from the man she was determined to cut from her life for good.
Carefully going down the stairs, Winter focused intensely on making it on her own. Everyone was outside, leaving the house strangely quiet, but every creak made Winter’s hear skip a beat. After finally making it to the bottom, she let out a huge sigh of relief and headed towards the back yard.
Their Friday night was in full swing. She made her way to the picnic table that Evie, Bliss, Dawn, Rider, Viper and Shade where sitting and eating at.
Finding an empty seat at the end of the table next to Dawn, with Bliss across the table, she gave everyone a fake smile as they greeted her.
“Let me get you a plate.” Viper offered as he started to get up.
“No thanks, but I will take one of those beers. She pointed to the cooler at the end of the table. Shade reached in and pulled one out, passing it down the table until it reached her. Opening it, she took a long drink as the conservation returned to normal. She sat and listened as they talked, watching as several members from the other table got up and began dancing and sitting around on the patio furniture. The music was a nice touch and for a second Winter regretted not being there for the spring and summer, imagining the yard was very nice during the warmer months.
“Bliss, I like your top, the color suits you,” Winter complemented the woman during a lull in conservation.
“Thank you, I got it with the gift certificate you gave me for Christmas.”
“I’m glad you were able to find something you liked,” Winter said sincerely.
“I was wondering something, I noticed all the women members have tattoos with different numbers on them.” Evie and Dawn tops were barely there, and had tats that were easily seen on the curve of their breasts.
“Yes, we can pick which tattoo we want and put the date on it.” Evie explained. “Some, like me, just have the date tatted.”
“I see.” Beth took another sip of her beer, aware of the conversation at the table.
“Does everyone have the same date?” Winter wanted to know why Bliss was hiding her tattoo from her and she was determined to find out before she left.