Page 60 of These Dangerous Fates

When Ellis returns a couple minutes before nine, her face is drawn and pale. It’s like she took that time to hide the part of her we’ve worked so hard to bring back to life. There’s a negative energy swirling around her, a pessimistic aura that threatens to swallow every bit of light she owns. It makes my heart ache to see this side of her again.

Kai reaches out and pulls her onto his lap. He gently pulls her lip from between her teeth with his thumb. “Try not to worry, baby girl. We’re all here for you. Nothing your dad says will change that.”

She jumps when Kai’s phone rings, her skin paling even more. As she watches Kai’s thumb slide across the phone screen, she swallows.

“Malakai Thorne,” Thomas Kennedy says on the other end.

“Kennedy,” Kai says in his most unfriendly voice.

Ellis’s dad grins as his gaze travels over the group huddling around Kai’s chair, before landing on his daughter. “Ellis, darling,” he drawls. “How are these men treating you? Good, I hope.”

I scowl at the false concern in his voice. What a load of shit. This man let his daughter get raped and beaten repeatedly under his roof and did nothing to stop it. Ellis swallows again like she’s drawing on a cloak of resolve, and straightens her shoulders. She says nothing but stares her dad down through the phone.

“What do you have to say?” Kai asks through clenched teeth.

“I would like to speak with my daughter in private.”

“Fuck that,” I mumble.

Ellis takes the phone from Kai in a shaky hand and walks around the coffee table to sit on the couch. When Kai attempts to follow her, she gives him a look, so we sit across from her and watch like a hawk. The first sign of distress and one of us will step in.

“This is as good as you’ll get,” she says. Only a slight tremor is noticeable in her voice.

There is a pause before her dad says, “Fine. Look, Ellis. I have recently learned of something that greatly disturbs me, and I’m afraid it will affect you as well.” He pauses dramatically, and I roll my eyes. “I’m concerned about your safety, Ellis. I wish you would come home.”

Ellis barks out a humorless laugh. “You think I’m safe at home? With you?” Incredulity paints her words, and she shakes her head. “You knew what was happening to me. You knew I was being raped and beaten, but you did nothing to stop it. This stupid challenge you insisted on starting has turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“But do you even know who those guys are?” he counters. “How do you know you’re safe with them?”

“I know enough,” she says firmly.

“Do you, though?” The slimy smile on his face is evident in his voice.

What is he getting at? The three of us stiffen, ready to jump in and rescue her.

“If you have something to say, spit it out already,” Ellis snaps.

Her dad sighs. “I don’t want to be the one to say this, as it seems like you trust those boys. But one of them is hiding something from you. I just learned of it, or I would have stopped Malakai from competing.”

“What are you talking about?” Ellis asks, exasperated.

“The night your mother and sister were killed …” Kennedy trails off.

In the silence following his statement, no one breathes. Ellis is shaking already, her fingers clutching Kai’s phone so tightly it would break if she had any supernatural abilities. I hesitate. Should I stop this? Is what her dad is about to say the truth? Or is it a ploy to get her away from us? I look at Kai and see the same indecision on his face. Glancing to my other side, my brows draw down. Sterling is sweating. His face is drained of all color and his icy blue eyes are wide with fear. What the hell? Ellis’s dad continues, but I keep my gaze trained on Sterling.

“The authorities never found out who killed them. They never found any evidence. But just the other day, I received a letter in the mail. I don’t know who it was from, but inside there were pictures. Images from the security cameras before they were wiped. Ellis, Sterling Harrison was there that night. He was part of the group that killed your mother and sister.”

I whip my gaze from Sterling, who has gone completely still, to Ellis, who is shaking uncontrollably. Before the phone hits the floor, Kai shoots forward, impossibly fast with his reflexes, and snags it from her fingers. I’m right behind him, grabbing Ellis’s shoulders to keep her upright.

Kai growls into the phone, “This conversation is over. Next time you want to slander one of my brothers, you do it without involving Ellis.” He hangs up and drops his phone on the coffee table before Kennedy can say anything else.

Ellis stares at Sterling with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Is it true?” she gasps through hard, fast pants. Tears fill her eyes, but she holds them back. She doesn’t acknowledge Kai or me sitting on either side of her.

“It’s true,” Sterling rasps, shifting on his feet.

I snap my head in his direction. What the fuck? Did I hear that right? Devastation lines his features, but I really don’t care about how he’s feeling right now. Especially as Ellis gasps and places a hand on her belly. The tears spill over and track down her cheeks, each one like a knife to my heart.

“It’s a complicated story, but yes,” he confirms again. “I was there when your mom and sister were murdered.” His gaze drops to the ground in front of him, like he can’t bear to watch her fall apart.

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