Page 41 of Stolen Love

“Oh no, I would never.” She reaches up and tugs on her ponytail. “I just find serial killers fascinating. Fictionally. There’s something about a man who loves you so much he will do anything for you. Gah, I love romance. Is that too much information about me? I feel like it might be.”

“It’s fine.” I brush her off. It’s a little off-putting that she’s so obsessed with death, but the documentaries and dark romance… I get that.

“You know I won’t let him anywhere near you,” Rogue promises me. “Never again.”

“I know.” I just wish that Alec was like Rebel or Riot or any of Summer’s brothers that I’ve heard about. The kind of brother that is protective and decent. Who wouldn’t take joy in hurting me.

I think that’s why I believed him when he told me I was weak. When he told everyone I tried to drown myself and he was the one who saved me. I wanted him to be the good brother so badly.

Now I know the truth, or at least I’ve put two and two together. I just wish I could prove it.

Along with everything else that I’m uncertain about. At least I can finally find out for sure if I’m pregnant. I have the test Jackson picked up for us stowed in my purse. “We should probably do that thing.”

“Can I borrow you for a minute, brother?” Rebel asks as he comes to join us.

Rogue makes an apologetic face at me. “Can you give me a minute?”

“Take as much time as you need.” It’s not like waiting a little while longer to take the test will change the outcome. “You should be with your family. My brother hurt them too.”

“You are my family.”

“I know. And I love you for putting me first, but I’m okay.”

He nods. “You need me, come get me.”

“I will, but Dizzy and I are just going to hang out for a little while. We need some girl time, don’t we?”

“Absolutely.” Dizzy bounces on her toes.

He kisses my cheek. “Dizzy, no more conversations about serial killers, okay?”

“Yes, Rogue.” She salutes him with her tongue in her cheek.

It makes me laugh. She’s the weirdest, bubbliest person I have ever met. Some days I do not know what to make of her, but I swear her heart is one hundred percent in the right place. I’m not sure Rogue feels the same way about her though. He’d probably be more comfortable if we weren’t constantly under threat.

“I’ll make this quick,” he says.

“Don’t rush,” I tell him as he joins Rebel. “Dizzy and I have things to chat about, don’t we?”

Like how she really got those marks on her wrist. And why I have such a vivid image of her brother in my mind when I don’t remember meeting him. Unless of course… I did meet him that night in the limo.

Chapter Eighteen

Rogue

“I can’t believe in this day and age that men like Alec Hawthorne still get away with this bullshit,” Summer says as I choke back the shot of tequila.

“We knew how it would go,” Rebel says. “As soon as the validity of the photos came into question it was all over.”

“It’s totally fucked.” Riot sloshes the clear liquid over the rim of his glass as he fills it for a third time. He has that glassy eyed, ruddy cheek glow already. “Ro’s gone through reliving this trauma, and for what?”

Summer stares moodily at the untouched glass cradled in her hand on her lap. “They’ve made her out to be at fault for what happened to her. Why is it always a claim that the woman sent mixed signals? Or was a little too flirty? God, it makes me so mad.”

Across the room Ivy and Dizzy slip into the kitchen together.

I don’t know what it is about that girl, but she gives me weird fucking vibes sometimes. All that serial killer talk, but then she’s sweet as pie. How well did Ivy really know her before she lost her memories? Because I could swear they hadn’t really been all that friendly.

But that might have been because Dizzy was dating Ivy’s friend Ben and there was a time when there were feelings between him and Ivy. I had issues with him when Ivy and I started seeing each other. Mostly jealousy on my part.

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