"Her salty eyes told me stories, that made my heart weep. I wanted to wrap her in a blanket, and tell her she was safe forever."

~Atticus~

F R E Y A H A D never felt so sore in her entire life. Every muscle ached as if she had slept with her arms and legs bent at unnatural angles, and her head pounded with every breath.

She kept her eyes closed, memories of what seemed like only moments before filling her mind. She was frightened that if she opened her eyes, she wouldn't see the usual ceiling of her house but instead an unfamiliar place.

That was until she felt whatever it was that had been placed under her head, move.

With a sharp breath, Freya's eyes snapped open, her head halfway off of whatever she had been placed on. She braced herself on the ground before looking to where her head had been only seconds before.

Legs were the first thing that registered in her mind. Legs that led to a strangely familiar torso and then-

Green eyes bore into her own as her heart slammed against the cavity of her chest. A muffled noise that sounded somewhat like a sob and somewhat like Falcon's name erupted from her lips before Freya's arms wrapped around his neck and dragged their bodies closer.

Falcon's arms curled around her waist, burying his face into her hair as Freya began sobbing into his shirt.

"Shh," Falcon cooed. "It's okay. You're okay."

Falcon rested his chin on her head, his hand finding its way to her hair before he combed his fingers through her locks. The action had Freya's tears drying up in seconds as her little hands clutched the material of his shirt.

Freya sucked in a strangled breath before sniffling and moving her head to look up at Falcon with red, puffy eyes. Her lips were turned down in a heartbroken pout and Falcon would be lying if he said it didn't break his own heart. Freya looked down at his chest, her hand rubbing at her swollen eyes as she wiped away the residue of tears.

Falcon released one of his arms from around her waist, using his hand to playfully flick up her chin so she looked back at him. He gave her a small smile, genuine even though it wavered around the corners.

"Frowning's not a good look on you, princess," He said softly.

Freya's mouth turned up at the corners of their own accord. She sniffled again, shyly smiling up at the man in front of her. Falcon grinned despite the situation, pressing the most gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

"I love you, sweetheart," He dragged her closer so she sat properly in his lap. "And I'm sorry. So sorry for everything."

Freya's brow creased, concern flashing through her doe eyes.

"Bu-but you didn't do anything," Childish confusion shone through her voice as Falcon swept away a stray piece of hair from her face.

He didn't know how to explain it to her. How to tell her that it was his foolishness and his messed up life that got them into the situation. To tell her that would be to tell her what he'd done, and that had to be the single most frightening thing he could think of.

She'd seen him punch people. Hell, she'd seen him beat them up, but those weren't the things that got you a fifteen-year prison sentence with a slim chance of parole. No, those kinds of sentences were saved for the bad cases. The cases that were strewn with drugs and battered bodies. The kind of case Falcon had found himself smack-bang in the middle of.

Tiny, cold fingers traced the line of his jaw as it clenched. Falcon swivelled his eyes back to his girl's, his heart aching. He had to make this right. For once in his life, he had to do the god damn right thing.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, baby," He said, clutching her closer. "I promise to god I'll get you out of here."

Freya greedily snuggled back into his embrace, revelling in the comfort his arms provided. The comfort she had missed the past few days.

"As long as you're there," She whispered, unintentionally making Falcon's heart clench.

The right thing, Falcon. Do the right thing.

~🎀~

Some six miles away, Freya's father - Michael - had finally realised that they had been tricked. The police and himself had waited hours for some sign of life; searching aimlessly through the plot of land they had found themselves on.

It was so much like something out of a classic horror film that Michael cursed himself for not realising the situation earlier. An abandoned warehouse on a large property, flickering shadows adorning the wooden floor. Just add a dead body and some creaking footsteps and they were all set for the sequel of Graveyard Shift.

After wasting their time waiting for Falcon to show up, Michael found himself hightailing it back to his home. He swore on everything holy that if that delinquent had so much as touched one hair on his little girl's head, he was a dead man. He knew he shouldn't have caved in to her pleads, but it hurt to see her cry like that.

Like she was heartbroken. Like she had fallen in love.

It was a look he knew all too well.

Michael shook off the memories that threatened to shake his composure. Now was not the time.

Pulling into his driveway, he had never hated the extravagant front gates as much as he did at that moment. It seemed like an eternity before they opened up enough for him to squeeze his car through and floor it down the stone road.

He pulled up near the front steps, slamming his car door shut behind him as he raced up to the front doors. His heartbeat grew faster with adrenaline as he pushed the doors open with both hands, his eyes searching the interior as soon as it came into view. The doors swung back to hit the wall behind them causing a small side table to topple over with a clatter. Michael ignored the noise as he quickly marched towards the front stairs, calling Freya's name.

He took the steps two at a time, his voice echoing around the empty space. A feeling of dread pooled in his gut, heavy and guilt-ridden. Call it father's intuition; he knew she wasn't there.

"Freya?" He pushed open the door to her bedroom, frantically searching for her small stature. He walked into her closet, his hands shaking as his mind grew more panicked by the second.

He felt his legs begin buckling beneath him as the knowledge finally settled in. He fell to his knees, his hands clutching his head as he gripped his hair in frustration. A gut-wrenching wail tore from his throat as tears began to escape down the side of his face. He rocked himself back on the heels of his feet, sobs racking every inch of his body.

His little girl was gone.

~🎀~

Freya had fallen asleep on Falcon's lap around an hour ago. He was thankful for it; it gave him time to think. Time to figure out how on earth he was going to fulfil his promise of getting her out of here.

He knew his brother would never budge. He'd sooner kill the precious girl he was holding than let Falcon go free. Falcon may have no fear of the man, - as brothers never do - but he knew Kace wasn't sane. There was something terribly wrong with his mind; something that made his threat of hurting Freya very much real.

He couldn't let that happen. He needed to find a way out that didn't involve an encounter with his brother. But even though Falcon could remember the clubhouse like the back of his hand, he came up short. No lightbulb moments, no divine intervention - until a thought struck him.

Ryder.

Once upon a time, the two had been the best of friends. Ryder had been an orphan, taken in by one of the kinder men in the group, Falcon had been the almost forgotten son. Two kids that felt like the world was against them found companionship with each other. That was why it was his betrayal that had hurt the most when Falcon found out that he had been a part of it the entire time.

But, if his reaction to Falcon showing up again was anything to go by, perhaps he could be swayed into helping. It wouldn't be the first time that Ryder had helped sneak Falcon out of some kind of punishment; there just happened to be a life on the line this time. A very important one.

The problem was, how was Falcon meant to reach him?

There was only one option Falcon could think of, and it didn't sit well with him at all. He'd have to accept his brother's proposal - for now. It was the only way he could get to Ryder without seeming suspicious.

Besides, his change of heart was easy to believe. They had threatened the life of the girl he was in love with; who wouldn't do all they could to keep their loved one alive?

With that in mind, Falcon took in a calming breath, resisting the urge to desperately cling closer to the girl in his arms. He adjusted her in his lap, making sure his movements were slow so he wouldn't wake her up. He stood up with her seated on his hip, his movements a little shaky after having sat on the ground for so long.

He calmly walked up the small staircase, reaching the door before raising his fist and giving the wood two sharp knocks. His lips tightened into a thin line as his jaw clenched.

He had to do this. For Freya.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open and suddenly Falcon's plan was made a whole lot more simple. A familiar head of shaggy blonde hair appeared in his line of vision, followed by a pair of brown eyes.

"Ryder," The name rolled off Falcon's tongue with a softer tone than it had the last time they had met.

Ryder's curious eyes fell to the girl in his arms and his brow creased in confusion.

"Who's that?" He asked.

He wasn't lying, Falcon could tell, and the knowledge that Ryder hadn't had anything to do with Freya's kidnapping eased the panic in his chest.

"I need your help."