Page 34 of Toy

She burst into tears again. “Yes. I get it. I’m a monster. Do you think I don’t know that?” she choked out. “It kills me to think about what I did. I’ve felt so guilty for so long.”

“As you should.”

She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I’ve tried to make it up to Jolie as much as I can without admitting what I did to her. I’ve been here for her all these years, supporting her as much as possible through all the shitty times she’s had. I’ve helped her however I can.”

I smirked. “How generous.”

“It’s not just that. I’m studying to become a nurse so I can help other people, and I volunteer at every charity I can. I’m trying my best to be a good person, Mason. Please believe that.”

“You really thought you could make it up to her? Or any of the others you hurt over the years?” I asked, upper lip curling with disgust.

She shook her head miserably. “Not really. I know I can never make up for the things I did back then. But I want to try anyway.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “So you don’t believe in the cult doctrines anymore?”

“Of course not!” she said indignantly. “The moment we were rescued, I realized how badly we’d been betrayed by the men with all those terrible lies. I hated them instantly. I hated myself too, for going along with their bullshit.”

Fuck. I gritted my teeth. It would be a lot easier if Lauren was still a believer. She’d be able to contact the men and possibly lead me to them.

Then again, she could always be lying to me right now. Perhaps she was still in contact. A little more torture would get the full truth out of her.

I picked up another knife. “Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, I want you to tell me what happened after you turned me and Jolie in.”

Her forehead creased. “What do you mean?” she asked, voice shaking as she eyed the knife. “I told you, I turned you both in. The men were grateful. That was basically it.”

“But they trusted you to an extent. You were their little snitch.”

“I guess.”

“After you told them what Jolie and I were planning, they would’ve reacted right away. So you must’ve heard something, right?”

She did her best to shrug despite the ties binding her arms to the chair. “Nothing important.”

I ran the tip of the knife along her chest, watching calmly as beads of blood popped up. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

She winced. “I swear, I had no idea they were going to hurt you!” she said. “I had no idea they were going to kill your family! I only found out about all that a few weeks ago. From Jolie.”

I studied her face for any sign she was lying. Darting eyes. Flushed cheeks. Twitching lips. Rapid blinking.

There was nothing. She seemed to be telling the truth.

“All right. But that’s not what I’m asking,” I said, retracting the knife. “I’m simply asking what you heard that day.”

Lauren closed her eyes. “When I told the Prophet and the Elders, they started frantically babbling amongst themselves. They were scared, for obvious reasons. I heard a few things before they finally remembered I was there and threw me out of the room.”

“Good. Tell me everything.”

“I don’t understand why you want to know this,” she said in a small voice. “Like I said before, it was eight years ago. I know I hurt you, but I can’t change the past. So I don’t know why it matters now.”

“I said fucking tell me!” I roared. I grabbed the red hot poker and jabbed it against her ribs again.

“Okay!” she screamed. “Just stop hurting me! Please!”

“You know the deal. I’ll stop it as long as you’re talking.” I retracted the poker.

She nodded shakily. “The first thing I heard them saying was something about a backup plan. It sounded like they’d always had one, even before New Eden was built. A place they could start over if New Eden failed. It was already built and set up. All they had to do was make it there.”

“I knew it,” I muttered. “Go on.”

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