Page 45 of Truths

“Yeah, we have stuff to do... around the house,” Colt agrees.

“Like each other,” Lily laughs. “Have fun. Scream out in ecstasy for me.”

“Oh, I will,” she says and kisses her cheek. “Love you.”

They walk out as Felicity comes back from the cafeteria, both women glaring the other down before Lex and Colt walk into the elevator. Maybe it's a good thing they don't plan to move back to Griffin's Beach anytime soon. Things would definitely explode otherwise.

Chapter Seventeen

Summerville

Chance

Sitting at the clubhouse, Chance glares into his beer bottle. Nowhere lately feels happy. Ever since this shit with Kara, Chance has been in a perpetual state of anger. All anger all the time. But when the front door opened, and he saw Dax walk inside with Dani in tow, the anger disappeared.

Dani still looks frail and ghostly, and she holds her hands to her body protectively as though creating her own personal barrier. Dax looks so distraught, but he's trying his best to help reacclimate her into the world outside of shitty basements and chains. They sit at a table together, but she pulls her legs up and hugs her knees. When Dax tries to reach out and touch her, she flinches away from him.

If I'd believed Kara, we could have freed her sooner. Not by much, but still, sooner.

It's an unwelcome thought because it means admitting he needs to be at fault for at least some of this. He's not ready to admit it yet, but something else has been nagging at him.

Standing, he walks up to the table where Dani sits when Dax walks to get something to drink.

“May I sit?” Chance asks, and when she gives a little nod, he takes a seat. Looking at her makes his heart break. “Can I ask you something and get an honest answer?”

“Maybe,” Dani says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Kara left me to hook up with a Kingsmen trying to get to you. I need to know, from what you know, how much danger did she put herself in?”

Swallowing, Dani rocks slightly and lets out a slow breath. “A lot.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad could it have gotten?”

“Thirteen.”

His stomach drops. “How bad do you think it was for her?”

“How long was she with them?”

“A few months.”

“Nine.”

Looking at the ceiling, it hits him just how stupid he's been. “I'm sorry, Dani. I'm so sorry.”

“I don't see Kara. Is she coming tonight?”

“We, uh, I've been angry with her. We're not, uh, together right now.”

Nodding, she gives a sad smile. “Sounds about right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Promise not to get mad?”

The fear in her voice makes Chance want to ride out with a machine gun and shoot up any and every place he knows the Kingsmen hang out. “I promise.”

“Kara's always catered to you. She wants to make you so happy that she locks away parts of herself that she doesn't think you'll like. Fantasies she has or being affectionate in public. You have always been the most important thing to her.”

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