Page 52 of Prince of Pain

“I’m fine.”

Skeeter opened his door and climbed out, walking closer to rest his forearms on the roof of my car to lean in my window. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“It’s dumb. I’m just really mad. It’s my fault I keep helping her and expecting it to work, so blaming her is pointless. I’m worried about her.”

“It’s not dumb. It’s frustrating to see someone sinking themselves and not accepting help,” he chuckled lightly. “We felt like that about you at one point, you got that stubbornness from your mother. We couldn’t help you until you wanted to change, and now the same thing is happening with Tempest. You might understand her, but you’re not trained to handle it.”

“You don’t get it. The only thing you’ve ever been addicted to is Mom,” I joked, earning a smirk.

“Women are powerful, it’s why men try to control them. No weapon is stronger than a woman. I know I don’t understand what you’re going through, although I try, but that’s why I thought Mark would be good company for you. Him and D will always understand you more than the rest of us ever could.” He reached in and cupped the nape of my neck, giving me a firm look. “We love you. No matter what you say or do, we will always have your back.”

“Love you too,” I murmured, giving him a smile to reassure him that I was okay, then he stepped back and gave me a nod.

“Take your time going home. Let Mark take you out for coffee or something and just hang out.”

It sounded nice, so I agreed and watched him leave before turning to Marco. “I can’t just abandon Tempest.”

“I know. It’s the smart thing to do, but I also know it’s not in your nature to turn a blind eye on your friends. Talk me through it. What do you feel for her?” Marco asked as he angled himself to face me.

It wasn’t a simple answer, and I didn’t get the attraction myself.

“I shouldn’t like her. She fucks everything with a pulse, and she’s a hot mess.”

“Sounds like someone else we know. Keep going.”

“I just know how she feels. A lot of her mental state is bullshit delusions from whatever drugs she's taken over the years, it’s altered her brain and how she reacts to things. She knows I understand, so she listens to me. What if I don’t answer her call and no one else can calm her down? I don’t want that on my conscience. She was out of her mind last night, Dad. No one could get through to her until I showed up. She believed me when I told her she was imagining things, and she stopped swinging the damn knife around once she knew I was there.”

“That’s a lot of power to have over someone.”

“I know. What do I do with it?”

“I was referring to her having power over you. You’ve convinced yourself you’re the only one who can save her, possibly even made her feel that way without realizing it. If she calls you, answer and we’ll deal with it. That way you know she’s okay but she’s not relying on you,” he offered, and I sighed.

“The guys don’t want you hanging around. They don’t want to get dragged into anything.”

“If the little shits don’t do anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about,” he answered with amusement, frowning as my phone rang on the holder and Archer’s name popped up. “The fuck is he calling you for?”

“No idea,” I mumbled, hitting answer and putting it on speaker. “What did I do now?”

He was quiet for a second before speaking, his voice strained. “How long has she been hurting herself for?”

“She trusts me to keep her secrets.”

“I don’t need details, just a time frame. How long?” he asked quietly, and Marco nodded as I looked at him. I didn’t want to rat her out, but maybe telling him would mean he’d get her the help she needed.

“Years. I’ve been trying to convince her to go to rehab, but she doesn’t want to fix it.”

“Years?” he repeated, and I wasn’t surprised when Mark took over.

“Hendricks, it’s Mark. We want to help her, but she’s putting all her shit on Ry and it’s too much for him. I don’t want him slipping back into old habits because of her.”

“I don’t want that either,” Archer replied. “Know much about Mason? He seems to worry about her, but that could’ve been an act. Considering she just flipped out and slapped me, then attacked him, I’d bet that he’s not lying, but I want to be sure.”

“She attacked Mase?” I cut in.

“Are you friends with that kid?”

“Sort of. What happened? Where are they now?”

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