Page 67 of Cruel Knots

Pushing the tray aside, I grab Damien’s hand. “You remember him, don’t you? Dad was kind to you and your brothers. He’d have never allowed Callum to hurt you guys.”

He jerks his hand away. “Is that all you had to say to me?”

“I missed you and your brothers.”

“We’re not the same people you used to know,” he says in a grim tone.

Sadness washes over me. “I know that now. You were never so cruel, Damien. You and your brothers were always protective of me. You guys always watched out for me.”

Tears roll down my cheeks as my heart cracks. “Believe me, Damien. I’d have never let Callum take you away that night if I knew he intended to kill you.”

“Your intentions don’t matter anymore. You can barely stand to even look at me.”

“That’s because I didn’t recognize you sooner,” I say. “And what about you? Did you give me a chance to like you? From the moment you took me, you’ve hurt me.”

He watches me with a strange look in his eyes. His thick scars keep his expression hidden from me. It’s hard to tell if any of my words are affecting him at all.

“Get some rest,” he says, getting to his feet. Bending down, he lifts the tray with all the empty dishes on it.

“Do you believe me?” I ask as he turns his back on me.

“Not yet,” he says, marching toward the door.

Soon, he walks out of the room and I’m locked in. Brushing away the tears, I move toward the window and stare out at the dense woods surrounding the grounds. Will I ever be able to escape from my new prison?

20

Damien

My mind replays the things Lucia told me this afternoon. Pity flickers through me every time I think of the years she spent living with Callum.

My brothers and I always kept a tab on her, so we knew she’d dropped out of school soon after we’d been eliminated from the picture. She’d been homeschooled and that was the end of her education. We wondered about her decision to not go to college but decided it had been her choice.

It was Callum, I realize. He must’ve been the one to forbid her, forcing her to stay a prisoner at home and under his watch.

The revelations happening since the moment we stole her are surreal. The facts are getting stranger than the ideas we’d built in our heads. If what Lucia told me is true, Callum is a bigger bastard than we’d anticipated.

“Is Leon home yet?” Lilja’s voice sounds at the door of my office.

“Not yet,” Mikhail says, lying in a boneless heap on a couch nearby. He’s immersed in his phone while I stay buried in my thoughts.

“What’s taking him so long?” Lilja mumbles, coming into the room.

I’m surprised to see her dressed in black leggings and a cropped denim jacket this late in the evening. “He promised to tag along with me for a race in Murdock Valley. It’s already past nine P.M. If we don’t leave now, we won’t get there in time.” That explains the ridiculously heavy makeup she’s painted all over her face.

“Leon’s got more serious shit to do than race bikes at the moment,” Mikhail mutters, keeping his gaze locked on his phone.

“Yeah? Like what?” Walking inside the room, she sinks into the couch and snatches Mikhail’s phone out of his hand.

“Oi!” he shouts. “Give it back! I’m working.”

She holds her hand back, refusing to give the phone back. “What are you up to, brother dear?” she sneers. “What’s all this secrecy about?”

“It’s not for you to know!” Mikhail grabs her wrist to take his phone and soon, they’re both locked in a wrestling match.

I rub my forehead, trying to drown their incessant curses as they fight and tear at each other’s hair. My glance falls on the wall-mounted clock in the corner.

Leon should’ve been back home by now or at least, sent me a text to tell me where he’s stuck. The last message he sent me was at noon, informing me he was scouting the Morelli estate.

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