Page 114 of Lace 'em Up

And yeah, no, I’m not going to expose Rory to that.

“As you can see,” I say again, drawing my chair back and starting to sit down, “we’re eating. It was good to see you, though.” I plunk my ass down, turn my back on her.

Dismissing her.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t go away.

“What are you doing here?” she snaps.

Not directed at me.

At Rory.

Who’s gone even stiffer, whose hands are clenched into tight fists on her lap.

Whose skin is pale and lips are pressed flat and…her eyes won’t come to mine.

Fuck. That.

“You need to go,” I tell Stacy.

Another sniff, this one sent in my direction.

Fuck this bitch.

Especially when she reaches for Rory’s arm and snaps?—

“Not until I talk to my sister.”

Thirty-Two

Rory

It’s like I’m back in that house again.

Trying to be small and quiet.

To go unnoticed.

So their cruelty…

Well, so it wouldn’t touch me.

But just like every other time I wanted to hide and they were determined to find me, to unleash whatever unpleasant emotion that was bothering them onto me, it doesn’t matter how small I am.

They still see me anyway.

She sees me.

“Not until I talk to my sister,” Stacy snaps, hand jerking out, fingers and long nails curved like claws.

I’ve felt them bite into my skin plenty of times before.

But today, they don’t make it that far.

King’s hand shoots out in a flash of movement, faster than my eyes can track, but suddenly his hand is next to me—faster than her. His strong, thick fingers grip Stacy’s wrist, staying it less than an inch from my shoulder. “I don’t think you need to talk to your sister right now.”

His tone is cold, far colder than I’ve ever heard it.

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