Page 70 of Better Hide

“Knees, Jo.”

“Fuck you!”

“It’ll hurt less if you do it yourself,” Jayden warns.

I glance at the small rocks. Jayden has a strong grip on my hair, causing tears to rush to my eyes. I struggle again, and Jayden yanks on my hair so hard that I yelp. Then he shoves me to the ground.

A rock digs into my right knee, shooting pain through me. I suck in a breath and struggle to get off it, but Jayden leans into me. “No. Take your punishment for being such a fucking whore.”

I hiss. The rock hurts, and it’s digging into my skin. I try to put all my weight on my left knee.

“Now.” Jayden glances up at Ralph, who is watching us with huge eyes. “Where were we?”

Ralph trembles.

“Oh, that’s right. You were going to be a good samaritan and help your brother in need.”

Jayden leans into me, forcing more pressure on my knee, and I growl. Cole throws Jayden a harsh look, and Jayden doesn’t respond.

My knee throbs, but it doesn’t take away from my anger. Jayden is barking orders at Ralph, who gets on the computer. I can’t believe I even thought about trying to get close to this monster.

My heart pounds. Jayden leans down, whispering in my ear, “Oh, kitten. Your face is all red. Did you think you could just do anything now that you’ve cozied up to Cole?” He grabs a handful of my hair and yanks my head back. “Tsk, tsk. Silly girl. Silly, vulnerable kitten. You know what I love best?” He leans into my face. “Breaking girls who don’t know how to stop fighting.”

Hatred flashes through me. Why the hell does he have to be so horrible? I blame his harsh grip on my hair for the tears that are pricking my eyes.

I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid. How could I have let my guard down?

“Jayden, enough.” Cole’s voice sounds harsh.

Jayden lets go of my hair, and I face forward, overwhelmed by a rush of anger, shame, and loneliness. Horrifyingly, I want to cry.

Oh fuck. I can’t cry. I can’t do that. My knee throbs, and I lean into it. The pain overwhelms the need to cry just a little.

I’ll never be seen here. All I’m wanted for is something to break, and I’ve been weak to think there could be something else.

The rest of what Jayden does goes by in a blur. At some point, Cole comes over and asks softly if I’m okay. I just nod blankly. He frowns and gets in my face. “Jo,” Cole says in a warning tone.

I can’t look at him. His searching gaze scares the hell out of me. I lean into the bite of pain in my knee. It keeps me grounded.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Cole mutters. He pushes me gently, lifting my knee off the rock. Suddenly, panic runs through me. I need that! Oh fuck, don’t take that from me. I scramble to get it,but Cole leans into me. “You don’t have to sit here, little one. Let us take care of this. Go get a glass of water. I’ll be right there.”

I blink, and my vision is foggy. Oh fuck. I might actually cry after all that effort not to. My face burns, and I scramble to my feet. Jayden is hovering over Ralph, who’s working on the computer, but Jayden’s gaze darts to mine.

“Don’t even think about it,” Cole snaps.

I just need to get anywhere but here. I snatch the keys and my stuff and dart out of the room. I blindly search the house until I find the garage.

And there’s our car. I fumble with the keys until I get it unlocked and sit inside, panting.

I was stupid. This will never work. I was being stupid.

Unwanted feelings overwhelm me. I’ve never been wanted. Not by my parents, not by Kyle, and clearly not by them.

Well, maybe by Cole, but he’s a package deal with Jayden.

My hands tremble. I hate feeling things. I hate being out of control. I need it to stop. I need it to stop so I can think about what to do next.

My eyes drop to the knife I brought with me, and suddenly, all I want to do is feel the bite of the blade across my skin. To feel the relief.

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