Page 36 of Tore Up

Than glanced back at me. “I’ll put these in your room.” He didn’t say more before heading toward the stairs.

I was left with following Bane. Than hadn’t wanted to argue with Linc either. Was anyone ever going to explain that to me?

I walked into what appeared to be an office, and Linc was sitting on the edge of the desk with his legs crossed at the ankle and a glass of amber liquid in his right hand.

“How was shopping with Grissele?” Linc asked with a smirk, then took a drink.

It was strange how they all seemed to know my schedule. As if I was being tracked at all times.

“Okay,” I replied. “She enjoys it.”

Linc chuckled. “It seems you’re good for her. We are all relieved she’s out shopping again.” Then, he waved at one of theleather chairs in front of him. “Have a seat, Halo.”

What was wrong now? I glanced over at Bane, but his normal hard-ass expression didn’t help at all. Was this about Ares? What if they’d gone to the police after all? He could be in prison. I wanted him to be. He belonged there. He was a murderer.

I sat down.

“Did everything go smoothly at the doctor’s appointment?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Did you tell Dr. Stella you were having nightmares?”

I swung my gaze to Bane.

He rubbed his chin and shrugged. “I can’t keep sleeping half the night against the wall.”

I’d woken him up again while screaming last night, but he’d not mentioned it this morning. He’d barely acknowledged me at all.

“I did,” I told Linc, looking back at him. “I have a prescription for it. Grissele took me to get all my medications filled.”

Linc appeared pleased to hear that. Not as pleased as I was that Bane wouldn’t be bursting in my room and shaking me awake, then sleeping against the wall.

“How far along are you?” he asked.

“Fourteen weeks,” I told him, “and two days. I had an ultrasound done.”

Linc took another drink. “Very good.” He glanced over at Bane, then back to me. “Grissele has made it very clear she wants both you and the baby in the family. Everyone now knows about you and Crosby. I won’t lie; there are a couple who will be difficult for a while, but we intend to keep you distanced from them.”

Was he talking about Saylor? And why was he saying it like she was part of the family?

“Since this decision has been made, you need to know everything about us. Who Crosby was. Who we are. You are being brought in because you’re the mother of his only child. Thefact remains that Ares killed Crosby. We do not blame you for his crime, but he is not absolved because of his relation to you. He will pay for Crosby’s life with his own.”

I said nothing. I didn’t know how they thought they were going to take a soldier from the United States Army and kill him, then get away with it. The way he’d spoken made it sound like they were capable of doing whatever they wanted. As if they had some pull or control. The police had never shown up about Ronnie’s and Nicco’s deaths. They had no fear of that either. Not a bit of concern. It hadn’t even been brought up. It was like they were … the mob.

I turned my head slowly and looked at Bane. The man who had held a knife to my throat in my bedroom. The man I’d watched kill two men with a shot to their heads, as if it was something he did often. I could feel my pulse in my neck as my heart rate picked up. My breathing felt shallow. Bane’s eyes locked with mine, and the cold, distant way he looked out of them made me shiver.

Turning back to Linc, I stared at him. The tattoos on three of his fingers. What did they say?

“Do you agree that your brother killing Crosby because you were pregnant was a sane choice? Was it a fair response? Had Crosby raped you?”

I swallowed hard. “No,” I replied. “It was consensual.” I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

“Then, Crosby lost his life because he had fallen for you and had sex with you and you got pregnant. Were you on birth control?” Linc asked.

“No but Crosby knew that. He’d asked me.”

“Did Crosby not use a condom while knowing this?” Linc asked.

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