Chapter 6

Abby started shivering. She wasn't cold, but she didn't feel particularly warm either. Her ears picked up on a keening sound. It didn't occur to her that the noise was coming from her until she heard José mutter, "Shit," under his breath.

Suddenly Abby was lifted into the air. Her hands gripped his shirt tightly as he carried her out of the room and back into his bedroom. The fact that she was awkwardly large with a baby that wasn't his didn't seem to bother José in the slightest. Absently, she wondered if it was possible for him to truly love two babies that weren't his.

When they were teenagers, Abby had never planned on giving her virginity to anyone but José Santiago. While her parents' views on religion had been strictly different from hers, Abby did believe in God. It had been her decision, not her parents', to wait to have sex until after José and she had gotten married. Their plans to get married before they went off to college weren't so they could have sex, but so they could start their life together. That didn't mean she hadn't been nervously excited about consummating their relationship.

In the back of her mind, Abby felt José move them onto the bed. He had his large body spooned around her, lifting the covers up over them. He held her tightly to him and buried his face in her hair. "Let it out, Red. I'm here. I'm right here."

Abby's sobbing intensified.

Abby had tried to stay impartial while telling her story. It was the only way to get through it, but she was far from nonchalant about the fact that she'd been repeatedly raped for over a year. That her children were a product of that rape. A man had taken something precious from her, something that hadn't been his to take.

It had been José's.

She'd only ever wanted José. She recalled people around town telling them that the two of them would never last, that it was a childish crush, or that they were foolish to have plans to get married so young.

They didn't understand. From the time their eyes had met on that first day of kindergarten, José and Abby had been bound together. Call it fate, call it true love, call it soulmates… It had never mattered to her beyond knowing that she'd found her person.

And he'd been ripped away from her. Sixteen years. She'd lost sixteen years with the man she loved because of her father's religious beliefs that had turned fanatical.

Abby must have dozed off.

She woke up still cocooned in the covers. José was sitting up in the bed, the only light on from the lamp on the nightstand. He had Caleb on his lap. Her little boy was standing on José's thighs, bouncing on his pudgy little legs. José's large hands engulfed Caleb's tiny ones as he balanced him. José was murmuring low praises to the baby.

"…look at you go! You're going to grow up to be big and strong. I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a man. Your mama's been through hell, little guy. You and I are going to do everything in our power to protect her, yeah? And soon you'll have a little sister. Are you excited? I can't seem to decide on a name. ‘Abby' is already taken in this family, and that's my favorite girl's name. I'll have to keep thinking. If you have a name, make sure you learn to talk in time to say it…"

Abby faded off again.

It was dark out when she woke next. The bedside lamp was still lit, which she was grateful for because she didn't like the dark. She felt warmth pressed up against her and looked down to see Caleb's little body curled up against her chest. She rubbed his back soothingly.

Her bladder woke her sometime later. Abby opened her eyes to see José now lying in bed with them. José was on his side with his arm wrapped protectively around both her and Caleb, who was nestled between them. She wanted so badly to ignore her bladder but knew she couldn't. She shook José awake.

After she was done in the bathroom, he got her some crackers and a glass of water. When she was done with those, he helped her lay back down without disturbing Caleb. José went over to his side of the bed, the side closest to the door, and climbed in. Abby drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

His mom foundhim struggling in the living room. Louisa had been trying to talk to him for most of the day, but Bulldog had always found a way to avoid her. Mainly by sticking close to Abby and knowing his mom wouldn't say anything that might upset her. However, he also knew his mom was stubborn enough to track him down and speak her mind regardless of what else was going on or what time of day it was.

Apparently that time was when he was fighting with a squirming child and a poopy diaper. To make matters worse, he also had a stream of pee across his chest and, he was pretty sure, in his beard. Despite having helped Abby in the shower earlier, he hadn't showered himself. Once he got Caleb back to his sleeping mama, Bulldog was definitely going to have to take advantage of the shower himself.

Light chuckling came from his mom as she knelt down beside him. Bulldog had laid a towel out to protect the coffee table, but Caleb was wiggling so much that it wasn't doing much good. With the hands of a practiced mother, Louisa showed Bulldog how to grab Caleb's ankles and wipe his bottom.

"That doesn't hurt him?" Bulldog asked in concern.

Louisa shook her head. "No, he's used to it." She nodded towards his wet shirt. "If you lay a cloth over his penis while changing him, it will help prevent or contain accidents."

"Wish I'd known that five minutes ago," he grumbled.

His mom laughed and handed him a clean wipe. She indicated to Caleb's genitals. "Make sure you wipe carefully and get between his thighs." She reached into the backpack Steel had brought them the night before. "This is diaper rash cream," she pulled it from the bag. "I'll show you how to apply this too."

Fuck.Hand Bulldog a M16 and he could disable it and put it back together blindfolded. But a diaper? He was way out of his depths. "Are girls this much work?" He'd soon have two babies in diapers.

"They don't tend to pee like boys do when undressed, but do require a bit more maintenance." Louisa handed him a clean diaper. "Slide it under his butt and tuck his penis so it's facing downward. It'll help prevent him from leaking out the top."

Bulldog shook his head at his mom's words but followed her instructions.

"I think it's commendable what you're doing," she said softly. "Taking in Abby's children and claiming them as you are." He could easily hear the pride in her voice, along with worry. "But I wouldn't be a good mother, though, if I didn't ask how are you doing with all of this."

Bulldog put his full attention into making sure the diaper was tight. "Fine."

A very unladylike snort came from his mother. Surprised, Bulldog turned around to look at her. Her too knowing eyes stared right back at him. "My dear, sweet boy, you are anything but fine. The girl you have been in love with your entire life came crashing back into your life yesterday. She's been held captive for years and is pregnant. If you truly were fine, I'd be calling the psych ward right now and having you committed."

Bulldog reached for a clean night onesie for Caleb. He was only able to keep his voice under control due to not wanting to scare the boy he was dressing. "What do you want me to say, Mamma? That I didn't have the shock of my life last night? Or that I don't feel guilty that I didn't know she was suffering all this time? Or that it doesn't kill me to know she was taken against her will? In more ways than one?" He raised his eyebrows at his mom in question. "Maybe you'd rather hear about how I look at her and feel like throwing up because I want more than anything for her to still be my Abby but know deep down that there's no way she can be." His fists tightened so much his knuckles cracked and turned white. "Or the pure rage I feel at what was done to her. Like a fire in my gut that I can't put out until I make the motherfuckers who made her life a living hell for the past sixteen years pay for every hurt they inflicted on her."

In an effort to calm down, he picked Caleb up—only to remember that he had pee on his shirt. He quickly stripped the shirt off and then reached for the baby again. He tucked him against his chest, marveling at how the simple action helped ground him.

His mom continued to stare at him.

Bulldog let out a long sigh. Fuck, his mom had a way of getting her point across without saying a damn word. "I'm sorry I cursed."

She snorted. "Oh, I think if there's ever a time to curse, it's now."

Bulldog felt his lips twitch. "What am I supposed to do, Mamma?"

"You do exactly what you've been doing. You comfort her, guide her. You accept her, hurts and all. You teach those sons of bitches a lesson for daring to hurt her."

Bulldog's head flew up and his eyebrows raised as high as they could go. He hadn't heard his mom curse since the day her husband abandoned them after learning his wife had breast cancer.

Louisa leaned forward, placing a hand on his bearded cheek. "My sweet José. You think I haven't seen the pain you've been in? You haven't smiled, truly smiled, since the day the Knights' car pulled out of Mount Grove. You haven't been living, my love. It's like you've been subconsciously waiting." She indicated her head in the direction of his bedroom. "Some part of you has been waiting sixteen years for her to return to you and, by some miracle of God, she now has. I know things are emotionally crazy right now and you're exhausted, but I have faith that you'll get your happily ever after." She gave him a sad smile. "No one deserves one more than you."

Bulldog pressed a kiss to his mother's forehead. "Thanks, Mamma."

"A word of warning though," her eyes turning stern. "Don't push her or you'll lose her, despite having gotten her back. That girl's in a world of pain. Romance might not be on her mind right now."

"I know. She needs me to be her friend right now more than anything else."

Pride shown on his mom's face. "Good boy."

* * *

Bulldog steppedout of his bedroom and leaned against the wall for support.

He sensed Scar only a second before Bulldog saw him standing beside him. Since the hallway where they were standing was a dead-end, Bulldog had no idea where he'd come from. The night before, Keys had installed security cameras outside. Bulldog was tempted to not tell Scar about them and see if he could finally discover how his friend was entering his house unnoticed. Then again, Scar had probably been listening in when they'd called Keys to ask him to set up security around the Santiago house.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you even have a home and you actually live here like one of those secret squatters in horror movies."

All he got in response was a single eyebrow raise. That wasn't a no.

"Great," Bulldog grumbled. "No way an exterminator will come out to evict you like he did that raccoon living in our attic last year."

A very rare smile appeared on Scar's face. Despite their years of friendship, that smile was wicked enough to cause Bulldog to shiver.

"That's creepy. Don't do that."

Scar tipped his chin towards the door where Abby and Caleb were sleeping.

"Watch over them for me," Bulldog asked. "Steel called a meeting. They're on their way over."

Scar dipped his head in acknowledgement. Then he raised an eyebrow.

"She's mine, Jules," Bulldog answered the unspoken question. "She's been mine since she was five years old. I'm not losing her again."

A hand brushed over his shoulder, just barely touching his shirt, as Scar walked past him into the bedroom. Bulldog knew, if he had to choose one person in the entire world besides himself to protect Abby and Caleb, it was Scar. The two of them sparred on occasion, and Scar was a very capable opponent. He also knew that Scar held back when they sparred.

One might consider it eerie that Scar had gone into the room where Abby was sleeping without her knowledge that he was there, but Bulldog didn't. Scar wouldn't be watching Abby sleep but watching for danger as she slept. He trusted Scar more than anyone on this planet, including his own brother. People looked at Scar, saw the damage done to him, and automatically saw him as damaged too. Very similar to Abby's earlier concern that Bulldog would see her as damaged once he knew the terrible things she'd endured in her past. Bulldog, more than anyone, knew that Scar was a good man, the best man. He'd survived a horrific situation and still had goodness in him. His moral compass might be slightly askew but, then again, so was Bulldog's and he hadn't been tortured for weeks by the Taliban.

Until Bulldog knew who Adrian was and how far of a reach he had, he wanted Abby in Scar's sights if she wasn't with him.

* * *

Steel,Lucky, Bulldog, Bear, Jumper, and Demo were squeezed around the kitchen table with coffee or water before them. Every Friday, the club officers met for their executive Church meeting. Generally, the meeting was held at the clubhouse and normally it was at ten in the morning. Depending on how that meeting went, they could call for Church involving all the patched members. Prospects were never allowed in Church until they'd been patched over.

This early morning meeting had been called because Carlos had a late morning shift and Steel didn't want to risk being overheard by the household. Bulldog wasn't prepared to leave Abby, even if she was protected, to go to the clubhouse, so they had had to come here. He'd gone sixteen years without her. It would be a while before he was ready to put some real distance between them, and likely not until after the baby was born.

"Where's Scar?" Bear asked.

"I pulled him to guard Abby," Bulldog answered. While an officer, Scar's position as Enforcer fell under Bulldog's domain as SAA. If a vote was called, Scar's absence meant that his vote was transferred to Bear. As Road Captain, Bear's position didn't get a vote unless it was as a tiebreaker or another officer was absent.

Steel called the meeting to order. He didn't have his gavel, so he just wrapped his knuckles on the table. "We're going to skip over the usual stuff and get right to the matter at hand." Steel indicated to Bulldog.

"I've got Sara and Will outside. Sara's on the north side and Will's on the west. Sara says she has a drone she's going to fly over the house at random intervals to keep an additional eye out."

"Night vision?" Bear asked with a look of excitement.

"And heat sensors," Bulldog said.

"Oh, that's sweet."

Steel took a sip of his coffee. "Keys thinks he found the cult community Abby and the kids came from. He sent me an article. CliffsNotes version is, a few years ago, a couple reported escaping a cult near Roanoke. They claimed both of them were held against their will, even the man. When the police went to investigate, they found a close-knit religious community but nothing illegal was seen by the officers or reported by other residents."

"So it's not their community?" Demo asked.

Frustrated, Bulldog said, "Not necessarily. You should hear Carlos bitch about how local police have more red tape than the public realize. Everything must be proven, or they have to have probable cause. If no other residents came forward and nothing illegal was in plain view, there's nothing they could have done. It would have been a he-said, she-said situation. If the couple making the accusation didn't claim a specific person was holding them against their will and was pointing fingers at a community, well, that's even harder to prove."

Lucky looked nauseous. "You're telling me that police were at their community and they did nothing?"

It was a sickening reality, but a high possibility. Bulldog clenched his fists on the table. "Unless they spoke to a resident and she told them she was being held against her will, that's exactly what I'm saying. The police wouldn't have had cause to search individual houses. As far as the cops are concerned, being extremely religious isn't a crime. They might not agree with the community's views on things, but that doesn't make it illegal."

"It's the First Amendment," Demo said offhandedly.

Steel added, "The article gives the location of the community as south of Roanoke. It is called the Heaven Haven Community."

"More like Hell on Earth Community," Bulldog grumbled under his breath.

"Was Keys able to make a connection between the community and Castillo?" Lucky asked. "We never found the man Castillo was selling the Ohiopyle women to."

Steel shook his head. "Juan Castillo got back to us. He's still at a dead-end regarding the name Cameron. He thinks he's just a broker with no real power. People sell to him because he's anonymous and he finds buyers."

"Whether there's a connection between Cameron and Roanoke or not," Bulldog stated, "Abby said that her friend Milly was held against her will, same as Abby. Cassie was raised at a community like the one that was holding Abby and then sold or traded, she doesn't know. Regardless, there are women being mistreated, children being raised to believe this is the way the world works, and men who clearly have a penchant for young girls. I plan to call for a vote to go down to Roanoke."

"To what end?" Steel asked Bulldog in return. "We're talking about a community of religious zealots. What are you planning on doing with the bodies? More importantly, the survivors?"

Bear shrugged, "I say we sit back, relax, and send Scar in to deal with the motherfuckers."

Though Bulldog echoed the need for vengeance, he glared at Bear for viewing Scar as a weapon of mass destruction. "I say we let the police go, but they don't find Adrian, Gordon, John, or her father."

"You want her father too?" Steel asked.

"The fucker stuck his daughter in chains and sold her! Fuck yeah, I want her father and the men who bought her."

"The police would have manpower," Jumper said, getting everyone's attention. "If we go, we're talking a full-on assault. Even if we got the intel to come up with a non-suicidal plan, I don't know if we have the numbers to take on something like this. This community could potentially have hundreds of members. Jonestown had over nine hundred members; Sullivanian had over five hundred." He looked at Bulldog. "I'm sorry for what happened to your Abby. I really am. The fact that there appears to be a connection between the community she was at and Mateo Castillo makes it even more personal. But I won't vote for anything that could lead to a loss of a brother. I've lost too many already."

Everyone sat still as they waited for Steel's response.

As Steel thought, so did Bulldog. Jumper had a point. Unlike last year with Cottonville, they could get enough evidence to get the police involved and expect a fast response time. If Bulldog remembered correctly, cults in and of themselves were not illegal. However, there are laws that prohibit certain conducts commonly found in cults. Like underage marriages. If they went to the police, Abby would be swept away by the investigation. She might even be placed in protective custody or WITSEC. She'd be questioned repeatedly, and poked and prodded by doctors. Cassie and Lila would be taken away by social services and placed in foster care. Caleb would be able to stay with Abby once DNA proved he was her son. And her new baby?

It would be no secret who the father of her children were. Her children would one day be able to Google their names and find out exactly how they'd been conceived.

Like Elizabeth Smart or that case up in Cleveland, Abby's story would become a national, and maybe even worldwide, story. Strangers would know her name and give opinions on her life like they had a right to pass judgment. They would all be separated, forced to relive their story over and over again. First to the police, then in front of a court. It seemed so unfair what victims had to endure to find justice. Bulldog understood the purpose of it: innocent until proven guilty. People had a right to face their accuser. He got it, but that didn't mean he liked it.

And certainly not in this case.

He never wanted Abby to ever have to be in the same room as Adrian or her father again.

Bulldog knew, though, that his biggest fear of all was that Abby would be taken away from him. That he'd have to watch her get into a car with a police escort and be driven away without him knowing where she was going or for how long. Fuck, he felt like he was being ripped in two at the thought of her leaving and him never seeing her again.

Finally, Steel turned to Bulldog, "Put together a surveillance team. I'm not making any decisions or calling for any votes until we have more information." Steel made sure to meet all of their gazes before he added, "Regardless of how, the Heaven Haven Community will be shut down. Even if I have to go down there and do it myself."

Demo scowled, "Going to the Feds would be less bloody."

"Tell that to the nine survivors of Waco," Bear said under his breath.

* * *

Rumbling beneath her roused Abby. She turned her head, and a shooting pain pierced her skull. Her body rebelled, causing her to heave, but there was nothing in her stomach to vomit up. She coughed and gagged, making her head feel even worse.

"…waking up!"

"…can you hear me?"

Abby moaned. Whatever she was on that was shaking would not allow her stomach to settle. She tried to lift her head again before everything faded into darkness.

"You stupid bitch!" The kick to her middle caused her to lose her breath. She gasped and moaned in pain. She was now on the hard floor of the kitchen. She could smell the cleaner she used to scrub the floors. The left side of her face burned. "How dare you ruin my dinner! Are you trying to poison me?"

Hands came around her throat, squeezing off her air. Abby tried to claw against the weight holding her down, but her fingernails went through his skin instead of scraping it.

Someone came up behind him and threw the monster off her. José's thirteen-year-old face filled her vision. "Are you okay?" His voice sounded feminine and young.

Abby tried to speak but could only cough. She needed to tell them to run. They had to get away from the monster. Her baby. Where was her baby?

Suddenly the monster was there, holding a knife above his head as he prepared to stab José in the back. José couldn't see him. Her throat burning, she managed to shout, "NOOO!"

* * *

Abby jumped awake.Her injuries immediately protested the quick action. She was breathing heavily, wincing every few breaths. Her arm was still around Caleb, but thankfully hadn't woken him. The lamp was still on behind her, which she was grateful for.

It took some maneuvering, and a lot of cursing, but she was able to get herself on her other side facing the window. She paused, trying to catch her breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw the glass of water she'd been aiming for being held out to her.

She reached for it. "Thank you."

It was only after she'd finished sipping the water and was ready to put it back on the nightstand that she realized the man standing next to her bed wasn't José.

She jumped. The water glass slipped from between her hands, but he caught it before it spilled. Years of conditioning kept her from yelling out automatically but would not stop her from protecting her child. She reached behind her and tucked Caleb into her back.

The man standing by her bed was lean and muscular. A long, jagged scar ran from his left temple, down his cheek, under his nose, and over his lips. His eyes were bright blue. He had closely cropped hair and no beard.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

He put the glass on the nightstand. The man reached up and touched his cheek over his marred skin. Then he took a slight step forward and tipped his upper body towards her. He tapped something on his shirt with his pointer finger.

Abby squinted her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't his shirt he was pointing to but a vest, like the one José had been wearing the night before. On the vest was a patch with the word Scar. Underneath was another reading Enforcer.

Scar must be his nickname, like Jumper, Bear, and Steel. "Scar?" she asked. "Is Scar your name?"

He nodded once and stepped back. There was an air about this man, Scar, that was menacing and dangerous, but one look into his eyes and Abby instinctively knew she didn't have to be afraid of him. He might look like a monster, but he didn't have the soul of one. She knew what true monsters' souls looked like. This man had a hard exterior but, in contradiction, his eyes were kind.

Like his skin was a mask.

There was torment in his gaze too. A pain so deep, it ran through his bones. Abby could relate to that. Whatever crucible this man had suffered had been life altering.

Abby positioned herself more comfortably, needing to take the pressure off her back. She made sure Caleb was good too. "Are you a friend of José's?" Then added, "Bulldog's?"

He nodded once.

Odd that he wasn't speaking. Was he afraid of waking up the house? It was dark outside, and the house appeared quiet. She hoped the girls were sleeping okay. Abby felt bad that she hadn't spent much time with them today, or yesterday she supposed.

"Can I ask why you're in my room?"

Scar pointed one finger to his eye and then gestured to outside the window.

It took her a moment. "You're watching outside?" Then she clarified her own question, "You're keeping watch."

He nodded. Again, not speaking.

"You're here to protect me. What about the girls?"

Scar looked around the room before he simply gestured all around.

Abby didn't understand until he went over to the wall and pointed to a person in a picture frame. "Carlos? Carlos is watching the girls?"

He nodded.

Abby didn't want to be rude, but she had to ask. "Do you speak?"

Scar made a noncommittal shrugging gesture and then scrunched his nose like he smelled something bad.

"You don't like to speak?" she specified her question.

Scar nodded then tapped the middle of his throat. There was something faint on his jugular, not quite a scar. She couldn't see it clearly with the distance between them but thought it might be a slight indent.

"You hurt your throat?" Abby felt for the man. Communication must be difficult for him, though he seemed to be getting his point across to her. "I'm sorry."

Scar made a shrugging gesture as if to say life sucks, what can you do? Then he pointed to her belly.

She put a hand over where her baby rested. "It's a girl. Tessa says it's hard to tell with how underweight we both are, but she thinks she's getting ready to come soon."

Scar nodded sharply.

She took his expression to mean good. "Do you know where José is?"

Scar pointed out the door.

"In the living room? Is he sleeping?" Odd, he'd been sleeping in here with her earlier.

But Scar shook his head. He went over to a different photograph. This one was of seven men sitting on a row of motorcycles.

"He's on his motorcycle?" Abby questioned. That didn't seem right. It was the middle of February. Wasn't it too cold to be riding a motorcycle?

Scar shook his head. Abby looked at the picture again, noticing how Scar wasn't pointing at José or his motorcycle. He was running his finger along the bottom as if to indicate to all of the men in the picture.

"He's with the others in that picture?"

Scar nodded.

Abby frowned. It seemed a bit early for a meeting. "But he's here, right? He didn't leave the house?"

Scar nodded again.

Abby let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if she learned José had left the house, at the very least without telling her.

Scar went to stand by the window again as if indicating their conversation was over.

Her gaze landed on the tree outside her window. A shiver ran through her at the thought that Adrian or her father could be out there looking for her and her babies. "Do you really think he's out there?"

Scar stepped into her line of sight. His face was stern as he shook his head.

"Do you really believe that or are you just saying it to make me feel better?"

Scar raised an eyebrow.

Abby gave him a small smile. "Thank you. I appreciate you not lying to me. I'd always rather be told the truth, even if it's not good news."

Scar placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head slightly.

"Are you promising to always tell me the truth? Because I don't think that promise counts when you aren't actually telling me anything."

Though his eyes narrowed, Abby sensed no malice behind it. Scar reached forward and just barely tapped her nose with the tip of his finger. Then he pointed to the bed.

He was telling her to go back to sleep. She nodded and started to ease herself down onto the mattress again. When she winced, Scar bolted to the side of the bed. His hands hovered over her as if he wasn't sure where to touch her or how to help her. Abby got the distinct impression that Scar didn't interact with people often—well, that made two of them. Maybe that was why she felt so unexpectedly calm around him.

"Please make sure you get some sleep too, Scar. Everyone here is doing so much for me. I don't like that I'm disrupting people's sleep too."

Scar pointed to the bed and then at himself before shaking his head.

At first, Abby thought he was saying that he wasn't getting into the bed with her, but something told her that was wrong on her part. She looked down at the bed. He wasn't saying no to the bed, but no to sleep. "You don't sleep?"

Scar shook his head.

"Ever?"

Scar nodded.

There were times when Abby had been in so much pain or terrified of what the next day would bring that she hadn't slept that night. The next day had been even worse because she was not only in pain and/or terrified, but she was also exhausted. Eventually, though, she had to sleep. One time, she'd collapsed while scrubbing the floors. Gordon had locked her in her bedroom for two days with no food, water, or bathroom breaks for that transgression. He'd said that if she wanted to sleep so bad, he'd grant her wish.

But to not sleep at all? Abby couldn't imagine it.

Personally, Abby wasn't sure if she would wish for the ability to not sleep. Some nights, she was hesitant to fall asleep because she knew she'd have a nightmare. Most nights, though, sleep was an escape from her reality. Her dreams took her outside Adrian's house, a place she hadn't been in eleven years before yesterday.

"Why? Do you have bad dreams?"

Scar shook his head. She opened her mouth to tweak her question, but he more sternly shook his head. He pointed to the bed before turning off the lamp.

Abby could barely make out his silhouette in the shadows cast by the hallway light as he moved to stand next to the window. He stood straight, arms crossed over his chest, as he stared outside.

"Goodnight, Scar," Abby muttered before falling back to sleep.