Page 94 of Pretty Little Lies

She chortles and hugs me again, lying her check against the flatness of my chest again. “I wouldn’t bring someone stupid with me here…especially with him. I wouldn’t put you in danger like that.”

“Is that why you wanted to go out there alone?”

“That…and I wanted to face him myself. I needed to know why he broke into my house.”

I instantly still and step away from her, breaking the contact of her body against mine and staring down at her with a glower. “He fucking didwhat?”

“Reevie—”

“Hell fucking no, McQueen,” I leer, rounding her body to go hunt him down. “You didn’t sayanythingabout that prick breaking into your home.”

Bay grabs my forearm, and it takes everything in me not to yank it away. “No, stop.Please.” She scrambles in front of me to block my path and I can’t breathe.

I’m fuming with a million and one ideas of how I’m going to kill him and love every damn second of it.

Looking over her head toward the park, I wonder how much time has gone by already and if he’s already gotten to his car.

I’m not playing this shit.

I’m drawing the damn line with break-ins, especially when she has sisters and a dad who can’t fend for his damn self right now.

“Reevie…” My nostrils flare as I give her my attention again. I know what she’s asking menotto do, but it still doesn’t take away the idea. “I can handle this.”

“How? I’m not trying to be a fuckin’ pig, McQueen, but he’ll overpower you. And if he’s stupid enough, which he fucking is, he might hurt your dad or your sister or both. I don’t like that. I’m going to start staying?—”

“You can’t stay at my house,” she says softly. “Mae sometimes sneaks in my room and?—”

“Baby, you’renotgetting hurt on my watch. I’ve told you that a million fucking time?—”

“I know. But?—”

“Are youlisteningto me? I can’t…”

Bay steps up to me, gripping the belt loops of my jeans and keeping me grounded to her.

All I can think about is Rosalie, my sister. How she suffered under my hands and what I did to her. All those nights when our mother would put us together. Her cries and the way she flinched at the sight of me.

She didn’t mean to. She loved me as much as I loved her, but I still did it.

I still hurt my sister.

And I could’ve stopped it if I had a pair of balls.

“Where did you go?” Bay utters gently. “I promise to text you every night. You can even watch me sleep through a video call if you want to.”

That’s not enough.

I’m a fucking monster that lives underneath an easygoing facade, but that’s not what I really am. I’ve done things that Bay would absolutely be disgusted by me for, and I can’t have it.

But I can’t change my past.

I can’t move or shift anything around that’s happened.

A small hand cups the side of my face, and I mindlessly lean into it. “Please, don’t worry yourself to death about me. I couldn’t stand it if you did.”

“You don’t understand,” I confess, my voice cracking and noting my distress. “I have to keep you safe.”

“Okay…” Her blue eyes soften. “What can I do?”

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