Page 71 of Wicked Revenge

“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath, moving out of the crosswalk and pressing my back to the cold, stone building. I’ve got to get it together. After my breathing has returned mostly to normal, and my heart doesn’t feel like it’s going to beat out of my chest, I continue the short walk to Twisted. I need to talk to Ella. She can help me figure out my next move.

***

“Rae?” Ella asks, throwing down the towel in her hands she was wiping down the bar with and rushing over to me. My face is streaked with tears that refuse to stay inside. Her face twists in rage when she sees me crying. “I will fucking gut them. What did they do? Did they hurt you?”

“Oh, El,” I cry with a broken sob.

She engulfs me in a tight hug, allowing me to fall apart in her arms. It takes me a few minutes to control the waves of heartbreak and betrayal crashing within the confines of my chest and leaking out of my eyes.

“Let’s go to the office. We will be open for lunch soon,” she says, taking my hand and pulling me down the dark hallway.

This is where I first met Maddox. He pulled me into his alluring shadows, enchanting me with his feral touch and intoxicating smell. I was drawn to him before I ever saw his face.

My heart breaks just a little more, but I shove it down like I always do. There is no time to wallow in my self-pity. I was stupid and allowed myself to be put in a position to be hurt. Again. They might not have hurt me like King did, but the emotional pain somehow seems to hurt worse. I can heal broken skin and bruises. I don’t know how to heal the wounds on an imaginary organ.

“Okay. You better tell me right now what the fuck happened. I know where they live now. I will drive over there and–” She says, but I cut her off.

“No. Don’t. Please,” I rush out, grabbing her hands in mine. “They didn’t h-hurt me. Not like that.”

“Okay…” she says, drawing out a breath, relaxing a little. “How did they hurt you?”

I blow out a breath, trying to will the storming emotions not to muddle my voice, and then I tell her everything I’ve learned.

“Motherfuckers. I thought they would have told you,” she says, relief evident in her voice that I don’t understand.

“You knew? You knew and you didn’t say anything?” My voice is laced with accusation and hurt. How could no one tell me? How could they think I would be okay in the dark?

“Raena, he is not their father.”

“What do you mean? I heard him call him Dad on the phone,” I ask confused.

“King adopted those boys when they were teenagers. They hate him almost as much as you. They have no loyalty to him. That's why they created the Shadows. To overthrow him. But from what we recently learned, they can’t kill him until their sister is located and rescued.”

“They still should have told me.” Some of my pain has eased with her words, but the sting of betrayal still burns in my chest. They know what King has done to me. They should have told me from the beginning so I wasn’t blindsided.

“Yes, they should have. I should have. I knew who they were the night they unmasked themselves. I’m sorry. I should have made sure you knew before I left you with them.” Regret laces her tone as her face pleads with me not to be mad at her. I recognize the look from our childhood. She couldn’t stand it if I was upset with her.

“It wasn’t your place, El. I’m not mad at you. I just thought they were lying to me about everything, and none of our time together was real. I thought they were going to deliver me to King.” My voice breaks, emotions threatening to swallow me whole again.

So many emotions shoved down inside me. I’m terrified that when the dam finally breaks, my body is going to be in pieces on the floor.

“They wouldn’t do that, Rae. I can see how those men look at you. They would burn the world down before they let anything happen to you. Speaking of, where do they think you are?”

She looks concerned for a moment, and I don’t blame her. They are probably freaking out right now. I’m going to be in so much trouble. Royal is going to make good on his threat to tie me to his bed and not let me out for days for running from them.

“Uh, I kind of…ran? I overheard them on the phone with King, and I guess I kind of overreacted? Maybe? I just took off. They’re going to be looking for me. They might actually burn down the town if they can’t find me.”

Chapter 38

Papers rain down around us as Royal sends the wooden table crashing into the concrete wall of the basement before it lands on its side.

“Fuck!” He screams, his hands immediately lacing behind his head as he squats down to calm his rage.

His phone in my hand shows the image King sent. Liquid ice runs through my veins as I stare at the terrified little girl who stole our hearts two years ago. The look of absolute horror on her face enrages me like nothing else. She’s innocent. She’s just a child. Her life should be filled with joy and happiness, not death threats and terror.

Maddox paces behind me, his hands pulling at the dark strands of hair on his head. He looks more unhinged than he ever has.

I hit the lock button on the phone, putting it in my pocket. I meet Maddox halfway through his pacing loop, gripping his neck and pulling his forehead to mine.

---