Page 147 of All Your Hate

She was in on it the whole time?

I reach for the door handle and she snaps, “Don’t make a fuss now. I don’t want you getting worked up.”

“You knew, didn’t you? What Tommaso was doing to me, to all the others.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I was the one that made him do those things. Granted, he enjoyed himself a little too much sometimes. Hurting you was never my intention. All I wanted was my baby.” She sounds sincere, but looks manic.

As she reaches between us to the backseat, I bend down to retrieve my dagger. Something sharp and familiar pricks the back of my neck. Whatever she's injected me with works fast. My arms hang uselessly down and I struggle to sit up.

“Don’t worry. I made sure it won’t hurt the little one. You have to be good for me now. If you’re good then maybe you can stay around a while longer. The baby will need a wet nurse after all.”

She’s insane. That’s the only explanation for this. “Daniella, I…” My tongue is too heavy to talk and I can barely lift my head up. She grabs my shoulder and pulls me upright.

This can’t be happening again.

“Why?” My voice is slurred.

“There’s no need to panic," she gently says as she strokes my head. I try to move away from her, but all I manage to do is make my head roll limply to the side.

My limbs feel disconnected from my body. I try to talk again, but the words get lost somewhere between my brain and my tongue. My chest is tight and I can barely breathe. I can't go back to that dark place. I can't. But the walls are already closing in on me.

“It’s alright. Relax. You’re safe now.”

Safe. That word conjures up one image in my mind.Noah. He was my safety, but now he’s gone.I’m gone.

32

BONES

Itake a drive to the cemetery. I’m not sure why I thought coming here would be a good idea. I’ve not even made it past the gates. I'm sitting in my car, staring at them like they hold all the answers.

All I want is to go back home. To make Wynter want me again. But I don’t know how. An apology isn’t enough. Tying her up and fucking her until she loves me again doesn’t feel right either. I’m lost in the unknown. Untethered from the world now that my anchor has gone.

My phone rings and I snatch it up, answering it without checking the caller ID.

“Wynter.”

“Sorry, dude,” Dean says. “You lose your girl or something? You sound stressed.”

Knowing that it's not her, I slouch back into my seat and hang my arm out of the window. “It’s complicated. What do you want?” I don’t mean to be short with him, but it’s been one hell of a fucking day.

“Just checking in after the funeral.” I asked Dean not to come, he knew it wasn’t a veiled invite to a pity party and respected my wishes. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to check in at all.

“It was a funeral. How do you think it went?”

“I’ve never actually been to one. Maybe I’ll crash one, see what they’re like. Hold on a sec—Willow! Little kitten!” I hear her answer in the background. “Want to go to a funeral with me?”

“Has someone died?” she gasps.

“No. Just thought it might be fun.”

“Didn’t Bones bury his dad today? Are you on the phone with him! Dean!”

“Shit sorry, man. Didn’t mean to offend you,” he says to me.

“It’s no sweat. I’m used to your dumbass mouth.” Talking to him has actually made me feel slightly less morose.

“Oh, I forgot to say. Kai couldn’t get hold of you so he messaged me, told me you should check your spam.”

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