"We have to keep it a secret until I can figure out what to do. If Dom finds out about this whole mess he'll flip shit." I told Wade setting down a plate of pancakes in front of him. "And I don't know what Shannon will do." I added.

"I would rather the whole world know you were mine." He said obviously unpleased with the situation at hand. I shot him an apologetic look, because I wanted the same.

"I know. It's not forever only a week or so." I told him sitting down at the table beside him. I nibbled on a piece of bacon now lost in my own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked curiously. Truthfully I was thinking about the asshole that took my gun, but I didn't know if I should tell him that.

"I need to tell you-" I was cut off by the deep rumbling of my brothers 67 Mustang pulling into the driveway, I shot Wade a look of panic, why now? "Fuck my life." I mutter, "This should be interesting." I add, watching my brother as he got out of his car and eyed Wades SUV skeptically. Vince and Leo followed him up into the house, where he proceeded to slam the front door shut and stomp into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" He shouts at him, making me jump in my chair.

"Jesus Dom, what the hell is your problem?!" I snap at him, already annoyed with my brother's behavior. Wade had don't nothing to make him act this way, when I said things were going to get interesting I meant I thought he would ask about why Shannon isn't here or something.

"Shannon called me this morning." Was all he said, staring daggers into Wade who has still said nothing. He continued to sit there calmly, leant back in his chair, face expressionless. "Said this one and his little buddies can't be trusted, that they're snitchers." He says.

"Please, and you believe everything that Shannon tells you?" I ask him, standing from the table and taking mine and Wade's plate into the kitchen.

"Allow me to-" Wade started.

"If you're smart you'd keep your fucking mouth shut." Vince warned him, cracking his knuckles like it was something to be scared of.

"Will you guys knock it off." I tell them, slamming the plates into the sink to express even more how irritated I was with their attitudes. "Shannon only told you that because he's upset that I dumped him for Wade." I say, motioning to the man sitting at the table. Dom looked at me as if I was just about the most insane person on the planet, then glanced back at Wade.

"So you're a woman stealer?" He sneers at him.

"I in no way encouraged her to leave Shannon!" Wade shouts, losing his cool and standing up and towering over my brother by at least 6 inches, "I expressed my feelings to your sister not knowing that her a Shannon were even together, it's not my fault that I came out with the better end of the deal." He said, starting to calm down a little bit, "If Annabelle had left me for another man, I would be jealous and spiteful as well." He concluded.

"What the hell is it with you and men now?" Dom asks, turning around to look at me. "You spent 3 years avoiding anything with a penis, and now within the span of a week have 'dated' two different guys." He asks, "Something is going on, and I will figure it out." He says pointing an accusing finger in my direction.

"So now I'm a slut, gee thanks Dom I feel loads better." I shrug, "And nothing is going on, I think you're just losing it." I tell him walking over to where Wade was standing, "You should probably go before a fight breaks out and chaos ensues." I say with a smile, wrapping my arms around his neck. I hear Dom let out an annoyed sigh before retreating up the stairs, followed by Vince and Leo.

"Are you coming with me?" He asks hopefully.

"No, she's not." Dom answers for me, "She has work to do here." He adds.

"I can't answer myself." I shoot up at him, "I really do, have to work." I tell him, starting to drag him out to the SUV where Dom couldn't eavesdrop on the conversation. "Text me later ok?" I ask him.

"Hold on, wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?" He asks, giving me a skeptical glance.

"Oh, uhm yeah but it'll have to wait." I say, earning another look from Wade, "I don't want my brother to hear anything and it's about, well you know…" I mumble.

"Will you come over tonight? I don't want to leave you here." He says, letting his thumb strong across my cheek and leaving a kiss on my forehead.

"I'll try." I assure him, "I have a lot of shit that I have to do here before I can even dream of leaving." I tell him, shutting the door to the SUV. "Bye." I mumble, turning around and walking back up into the house where I knew I was about to have another fight with Dom.

"I want to know what the deal is, Shannon never acts this way and I've known him since school." Dom says to me in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah? You knew him in this same kind of situation?" I ask him heading towards my bedroom, "Shannon is jealous and he knows that you'll believe him over Wade… And you do, nothing more to talk about and I made my decision." I say, shutting the door. I pull out my phone and send Shannon and angry text message.

"You need to mind you own damn business and stop talking shit to my brother." Text to Shannon.

I threw on a pair of old blue jeans and a tank top with my boots and headed out to the barn to get some stalls mucked and turn out some of the horses.

"We don't know what that group is capable of. I was only warning him." Text from Shannon.

"Stop it. It's not about that and you know it." Text to Shannon.

"I'm busy. We'll talk later." Text from Shannon.

With an angry huff I tossed my phone out into the hallway of the barn and continued to clean stalls.

"You weren't out there counting the cows this morning." I hear a familiar voice muse from a few feet away, I jumped a little and looked up to find the man from yesterday leant up against the door of the stall I was cleaning.

"I haven't made it there yet…" I trailed off, "Who are you?" I ask curiously.

"John. And you are?"

"Annabelle." I mumble, confused at how 'normal' this conversation was. Yesterday this guy had me flat on my back with my head bouncing off the dirt, "I… I really don't even know what to say." I chuckled. Obviously I couldn't over power him, he obviously wasn't here to hurt me, and even if I screamed now Dom would never make it to me in time.

"You don't need to say anything, I just need you to pass on a message for me." He says with a smug smile, the smile along made me take a step back and I raised the pitch fork slightly, which didn't go unnoticed. "If I was going to hurt you, I'd have done it yesterday." He smirks, "Tell your boyfriend that I'm around and I'm looking for him." He says.

"And he knows you?" I ask, raising my eye brows at him.

"Oh yeah. He knows me alright." John laughed, "Let him know I'm in the woods behind your house… That should be enough encouragement for him to talk to me." He adds before strolling out of the barn. When I went to follow him out and ask more questions, he was gone.

"I'll be there tonight. We need to talk." Text to Wade.

"Is everything ok?" Text from Wade.

"Guess we'll find out later." Text to Wade.

I didn't like the way he sauntered around like he did, and I for sure didn't like the way he talked to me. Just the tone of his voice was enough to rub me the wrong way. It took me about 6 full hours to finish the stalls, feed all the animals and do a few other small things around the rescue that I had been neglecting to do.

"Finish working?" Dom asks when I walk inside.

"No thanks to you." I mutter walking down the stairs to my room. I shut the door and go to take a shower, then change into a pair of cut off jean shorts, my tennis shoes and a zebra pattern tank top. "I won't be home tonight." I inform Dom as I walk back up the stairs and pull my truck keys off the hook. He says nothing but let's out a long and extended sigh as I walk out the door and hop in my truck. I drive the 20 minutes to Wade's house and park in front of it. Shannon and Jeff were both outside sitting on the porch.

"Can I talk to you?" Shannon asks as I walk up to Wade's front door.

"Not now." I tell him, not bothering to knock and shove the door open. Heath is sitting in the living room with Justin, "Where is he?" I ask them.

"Upstairs." Heath answers in his usual deep southern voice.

"Belles?" I hear Wade call from upstairs, I climb the stairs and walk the length of the hallway into his room where he is hammering up his curtains… Shirtless, in a pair of sweatpants. "You worried me earlier." He says bluntly.

"You're friend John came to visit me today." I reply, with the same bluntness. His head immediately whips in my direction, this has defiantly caught his attention. "Says he'd like to talk to you." I add.

"Where is he?" Wade asks, stepping off the stool and standing only a few inches from me.

"I think, 'who' is he is a better question." I tell him, not bothering to hide how annoyed I was with the events that have unfolded in my lap the past few days.

"He used to run with us, until he stabbed the group in the back." He answered shortly, "Did he hurt you? Threaten you?" He asks, looking at me with concern.

"No. He said that he wants to talk to you, and to look for you behind my house in the woods." I tell him, "Said that should be plenty of motivation for you to talk to him. What the hell Wade?! First I can't be alone in my house because of the fucking ginger, now because of some random guy that turned on you however long ago?" I exclaim, completely exasperated.

"Hey, calm down." He says soothing, running his fingers through my hair and stroking my face, "I'm going to take care of it alright? If John had any intentions of hurting you, trust me he would have done it already." Wade tells me.

"He's the one raiding the livestock." I mutter, "Caught him before you came over yesterday going after the cows. I threatened to shoot him." I shrug.

"You'd have never even gotten a round off baby." He chuckles, sitting on the bed and bringing my towards him, "I'm going to take care of it tomorrow alright?" He tells me reassuringly.

"Alright." I say caving into him, totally unaware of what was about to happen next.