Page 112 of Stitches

“Multiple.” He laughed like he’d told joke of the year. I had no idea what Cady saw in this guy.

“You have DiD?” Stitches asked.

“Yeah. Something like that. I have other personalities that surface. So far it’s only been two plus me. It’s complicated.”

I bet it was.

“I heard you’re a pyro,” Adam nudged me. “Is that what the fire was about?”

“He wanted to roast marshmallows, but I forgot them at home,” Stitches muttered.

I bit back a smile at his jab.

“Yeah, I like fire,” I said, giving him the very glossed over version of it.

“Sweet. That’s a cool issue.”

I ignored him. None of our issues were cool. They were nightmares.

“Stitches. I heard you have bipolar? You’re prone to violence?”

“It’s like you’ve been reading my records.” Stitches looked out the window at the passing scenery.

“And everyone knows Church is a sociopath. Psychopath.” Adam laughed.

Church caught my eye in the mirror. He looked less than impressed with our guest. I was surprised he hadn’t dumped him on the edge of the two-track and left him for the wolves and bears known to roam out here.

“And Sirena.” There was that silky voice again. “Mute. What happened to make her that way? I heard someone tried to murder her—”

Church pulled the Bronco over so fast the seatbelt cut into my neck.

He slammed it into park before he got out of the car and stormed over to Adam’s door and hauled it open.

Without fanfare, he shoved Cady onto my lap before dragging Adam out and punching him full on in the face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Cady shouted, clawing at me to get out as Church landed another hit on Adam.

“Don’t ever fucking ask those questions again,” Church snarled, his hand wrapped around Adam’s neck while pushing him against the side of the Bronco. “In fact, don’t ever fucking even look in her direction again. You got it?”

“F-Fuck you, Church.” Adam tried to twist Church’s hand off his throat. I held Cady tightly, attempting to keep her from getting out. She was making it hard for me.

“Fucking get him,” I snapped at Stitches, knowing Church all too well to know he’d just stop without intervention.

Stitches got out and darted around the back of the Bronco, but Adam had opened his mouth again.

“She’s just another one of your whores. When you let her go, the rest of us will get to fuck her.”

Church released him and nailed him in the face again before bringing his knee up and colliding it against Adam’s stomach. A whoosh of air left Adam, and he hunched over, breathing hard.

I glanced at Sirena to see her shaking in her seat.

Damnit.

“Stop, Cady. Stop it,” I shouted, trying to calm her down. “Sirena. She’s fucking terrified.”

Cady’s attention immediately went to Sirena. Her fight now was to get away from me and get to her sister.

“Rina. It’s OK. It’s fine,” Cady called out, her voice quaking. “It’s OK. I promise. It’s just an argument.”

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