Page 115 of Resist Me

“Why didn’t you tell me, West?”

“I-I didn’t know.”

“Fuck! God damnit.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You should’ve known something was happening to her, West. She’s your sister. How could you leave her alone?”

“James put on Iron Man and gave me ice cream.”

“Iron Man? Iron Man, West!”

“I’m sorry!” When I raced upstairs, he yelled after me, but I didn’t stop. I did something wrong and I still didn’t understand. I crawled into the bed with Willow. She still had her bracelet on from the hospital. “I’m sorry,” I said into her hair as I held her. “I’m sorry,Willow. Dad’s mad at me. Please don’t be mad at me too. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t… mean to.”

She barely said a word for six months after that. She was a damn chatterbox now and I hung on every word. Those six months were the loneliest of my life. I couldn’t stand the silence.

“West.”

I shook my head, not wanting any company right now. All I needed to do was find my sister, but I couldn’t do it like this.

Kai dropped to the floor beside me and pulled on me hard enough to force me against his chest. “She told me and I’m guessing Rick told you.”

“Yeah,” I rasped. “I should’ve known.”

That was the story of my life. I didn’t know when it was happening and I didn’t even know when he was set to get out of prison. She did. Of course she did. Was that why she’d been so eager to move out here with me? He was in Indiana and couldn’t know where we’d moved afterward, but she was probably terrified every day as it drew closer. God, I’d failed her again. I couldn’t stop failing her.

“West, I know you’re trying to blame yourself right now. You need to stop. This is why she didn’t tell you. She was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?” I shouted, pulling back. “I should be protecting her.”

“No, you protect each other. She loves you and she knows what lives in your head. I wish she would’ve said something instead of sinking into this place, but now you know and the both of you can work through it together.”

I swiped both hands down my face and scrubbed away my tears. “I feel like an idiot. I knew something was up with her, but I was selfish and lost myself in Linc.”

He sighed. “It’s not bad to let yourself be happy. You saw what happened when you tried to force her hand the other day. She wouldn’t say anything until she was ready, so stop looking for a reason to feel guilty.” After a moment, I got to my feet. He stood and looped his arm through mine. “Before we go, there’s something you need to know.”

“Might as well lay it on me. It can’t be any worse than all this.”

He hesitated, which made me wonder if that statement was wrong. When he turned me to face him, his eyes bore an intensity that wasn’t common with him.

“He’s here.”

“Who?” I asked.

“Your dad. He- God damnit, West.”

I was at the door within seconds. My hand slammed into it, making it fly open. Off to the right, Willow was leaning against the building. Kai’s parents were there, along with Sen. His dad looked a little confused, but when he saw Kai, he lit up. I wasn’t sure if he knew exactly what was going on, but at least he recognized his son right now.

The man standing in front of Willow, with a hand on her arm, didn’t look up as I approached. Just the sight of him made my blood boil. Today wasn’t the fucking day.

I grabbed onto his bicep and wrenched him away. When my hands connected with his chest, he stumbled back a step, then planted himself firmly. His dark blue eyes flashed with anger, but he didn’t lash out at me. I wished he would.

His hair was the same color as ours, but his skin was more tan. Our bright eyes came from our mom, which I was grateful for. Everyone said I looked like my dad and I hated that. Any difference I could find made it easier to distance myself from any relation to him.

“Why are you here?” I demanded.

“You invited me.”

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