Page 144 of Prized Possession

Jake’s expression turns sad. “It’s not in the past, but you do seem better lately,” he says, looking over at me. “I guess, I have you to thank for that.”

I smile at my friend, not really sure what to say.

“She’s doing much better than she was.” It’s the truth, but it doesn’t betray any of the trust Chloe placed in me.

Jake turns back to his sister, grabbing her other hand now too. “I want to be a better brother, so when the time comes that you feel comfortable enough to tell me what happened, I’ll be here to listen. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove you can trust me.”

“It’s not about trust, Jake,” Chloe says, sounding so lost and sad.

I want nothing more than to reach over and pull her onto my lap, but she needs to do this with Jake. I can hold her later.

“It is, Chloe. It’s about you trusting me with your secret, knowing I won’t be selfish, and will help you.”

Chloe turns to me, and I can see the confusion on her face, but there’s longing there too. She wants to trust her brother, to believe all the things he’s saying.

“You don’t know until you try,” I tell her, reminding her that she has to give people a chance to be there for her.

Chloe lets out a long sigh and looks down at the table. I can see her trembling from across the table, but Jake keeps hold of her hand, supporting her.

As Chloe opens up, telling Jacob her biggest secret, I watch it play out over the table.

She starts with the date she went on, and when Jacob finds out who she means, the rage in his eyes is barely controlled. It worsens when she tells him about the days he kept her kidnapped.

Although she glosses over the details of what happened in those two days, like she did with me, she uses the wordrape, and I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the gut, so I can only imagine how Jake feels.

He keeps hold of her hands, giving her his full attention, even when they both have tears streaming down their faces. And when she finishes, he pulls her in for a hug that seems to last for ages, but they both need it.

As the siblings hold each other, Miles leans over to me, whispering in my ear, so that only I can hear. “Did you know about all of that?”

I turn and give him a stern nod, trying to keep my expression as neutral as I can.

“She told me a while ago, before anything happened between us.”

“I’m assuming we’re killing him?” he growls, looking just as furious as I feel.

I’m sure the sadistic grin that spreads across my face is almost maniacal, but I don’t care.

“He’ll be wishing for death when we’re done with him.”

Miles’ sadistic smile matches mine, reminding me why we’ve been friends for so long. “I’m in.”

I give him a short laugh. “I assumed you would be.”

Whilst Miles appears friendly and easy going, and often has a smile on his face compared to my scowl, if you’ve wronged him, or anyone he cares about, he’s a sadistic son of a bitch, and won’t hesitate to get his hands dirty to get his revenge.

I hear my name being mentioned by Jake as he talks to Chloe, and it pulls me back to their conversation.

“We don’t have long left in this visit, and I’d really like to talk to Marcus about work stuff. Are you okay giving us five minutes alone? Miles can show you around a little, if you’d like?”

Chloe nods and smiles at her brother, looking lighter than before she came in here.

“Of course. Do you promise you’re going to be okay? I don’t want what I’ve told you to set you back.”

Jake shakes his head vigorously. “No, I promise you, that won’t happen. I’m stronger now, and I’m glad you told me. I’m just sorry you couldn’t tell me before.”

“It’s okay.”

Her voice is small, and we all know she doesn’t mean it, but it’s nice of her to say that to Jake. Knowing him, he’ll have to live with the guilt of not protecting his sister for a long time, but being in therapy should help.

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