Page 60 of Deliver us from Evil

Rube squeezes my hand. “They said you can come home tomorrow.”

“Home?” My mind flashes back to that tiny, cramped room at Saint Amos. To the Brotherhood’s lair where Zach shoved a knife between my legs and told me he’d fuck me with it if I showed my face again. I squeeze my eyes shut. “I don’t want to go back there.”

“Notyourhouse,” Apollo says through a chuckle, making no sense. “Ourhouse!”

“He means our hotel room,” Rube says dryly, but looking at Apollo, not me.

“It’s where we live,” he says, shrugging. “What else am I supposed to call it?”

“It’s not home. Not even close.” Cass runs his fingers over the top of my foot. “But it’ll be a far sight better with you in it, that’s for sure.”

Anywhere’s better than that horrible school. I smile at Cass. At Rube. At Apollo. I get another peck on my cheek from Apollo, and Rube starts massaging my hand. I lift my left hand, and stare at the mass of bandages over it. When Rube catches my puzzled look, he shakes his head and gives me a faint smile. “Dislocated thumb. But it’ll heal just fine.”

When did that happen?

He ducks down, presses his lips to my forehead. Whispers, “You’ll heal just fine, Trinity.”

I let out a happy sigh, but that beautiful moment only lasts a second. I wriggle a little to sit up taller, and crane to look around the room.

Someone’s missing. Did Zach stay away on purpose? He’s made it clear he hates me, so I wouldn’t be surprised. But that hasn’t stopped him hanging around with me before. Honestly, I’d have thought he’d have enjoyed being here, especially if there was a chance to see me in pain. That’s what he gets off on, right? Pain?

But now that I’m looking, I notice an edge to the brothers. A grimness to their smiles. Shadows under their eyes. It’s not the kind of concern you get from someone who bumped their head against a wall.

What aren’t they telling me?

“Where’s Zach?”

When their eyes drop in unison, so does my stomach. Right to the fucking floor.

It makes no sense. He hates me, and I’m terrified of him. But the thought that something’s happened to him, it scares me more than that knife up my skirt ever could.

Because I know he’d hurt me…but never more than I could take.

Knowing that, I shouldn’t have run off that morning and gone to Gabriel, but I’d thought Zachary would change. I thought being with him, with all of them, would make things different. Like I was sprinkling magic pixie dust on them.

I’m worse than a hopeless romantic. I’m a fuckingfool.

No one’s going to change just like that. And these men? Probably never. The damage done to them is too deep. It may have scarred over, but those scars are permanent.

Instead of trying to change them, I should accept them for who they are.

But something tells me my epiphany came too late.

“Where is he?”

“Let’s not…” Apollo trails off.

Cass steps back, waving a hand. “You know what, we can chat about that later. You need to rest.”

I turn wide eyes to Reuben, who’s looking from Apollo to Cass with a blank expression. “Reuben? Reuben!”

He looks down at me. Strokes my eyebrow with his thumb. “It’s too early to tell,” he murmurs.

“What is? What do you mean?”

“You don’t remember?” Apollo asks.

I stare at him, my voice rising to a shout. “Remember what? Tell me what’s going on!” The last I direct to Cass.

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