Page 39 of Bound By Secrets

“Fuck!” Connor shouts, walking back to the table and slumping into his chair, mumbling an apology to me. My gaze doesn’t leave Nate’s. I bite down on the inside of my cheek as I contemplate how to tell them about every little fucked up thing that we’ve all endured over the past few years.

Callum sighs from beside me and pats my hand.

“Our dad puts us in the basement sometimes. It’s a man-made torture maze in all honesty,” he mutters. Three pairs of brows raise and Kat releases a strangled noise. Callum briefly glancesat them all before continuing. “It’s dark and cold, and there’s a bunch of tunnels. He drugs us, with god knows what, and then they dump us down there, they always put something harmful down there with us in the hopes that we’ll hurt ourselves… It’s not so bad if we’re in the basement together.” He shrugs and squeezes my hand.

“How can you just shrug it off like it’s perfectly okay?” Kat asks, her voice shaky. “That sounds awful!” Callum watches her, studying her teary eyes and wobbling lips. His gaze drops to her hand connected with mine on the table, and he closes his eyes, drawing in a deep breath.

“The basement isn’t a big deal. We know our way around some of the tunnels by now, we’ve just got to be cautious because we never know what they’ve put down there each time,” he tells her, opening his eyes again and looking between me and Connor. “We usually come out of there unscathed, right?” I nod in agreement and Connor grunts.

Brad lets out a humourless laugh. “This is so fucked up.” I ignore his comment because, yeah, it is fucked up. We know it is. Unfortunately for us, it’s our normal.

“What happens in the basement is child's play compared to what happens outside of it,” Connor says. Kat’s hand tightens on mine whilst Brad leans his elbows on the table, bringing him closer to us all. Nate just sits between the two with wide, worried eyes.

“What happens outside of the basement?” Brad asks quietly, so quiet that he might as well have whispered. My muscles freeze up, and I let my eyes fall to the table again.

This is it. This is where I need to tell them. If they know everything, then maybe they can help. They could give suggestions on how to get what Colin needs so the police can put Derek away. On the other hand, this could also make them all see me in a completely different light. I don’t want them to lookat me like I’m this fragile little girl. I don’t want to be coddled. I have had enough of that from my brothers. I don’t need it from my friends.

There are also doubts creeping into my mind about if they’d even want to stay friends with me after they know the truth… My heart starts to beat rapidly as my internal thoughts cause panic to flare through my body. I close my eyes, squeezing them shut, and force myself to count to ten whilst taking calming breaths.

In through your nose… Out through your mouth…

That’s it Callie, one more time.

Deep breath in. 1… 2… 3… And, let it out…

My eyes snap open and I instantly search around the room. My body relaxes when I see that only Kat is staring at me. Everyone else seems to be in their own heads, staring into space.

Kat smiles at me, encouraging me. ‘It won’t change anything’,she mouths. I bob my head up and down, choosing to believe what she’s telling me.

Just as I’m about to explain about Fraser, a phone starts ringing. Everybody jolts a little at the unexpected noise interrupting the somewhat comfortable silence we’d fallen into after Brad’s question. Connor shifts in his seat so he can grab his phone from his back pocket. His eyes go wide when he pulls it in front of his face. He stands abruptly, mutters something about Johnny, and then escapes the kitchen, through the living room, heading for the front door.

Callum and I exchange confused looks with each other but he shakes his head, silently telling me we shouldn’t follow. If it was important, Connor would’ve said something. If it were my father or one of his lackeys trying to find out where we were, Connor would’ve shoved both Callum and me out the front door as soon as he could.

Brad snaps us out of the distracted moment, rapping his knuckles against the table. “So, what happens outside of thebasement?” He asks again, a little impatiently this time. Nate comes out of his stupor and nudges Brad, hissing at him to relax.

“Well, you all know about my missing finger,” Callum says, lifting his left hand and waving it before their faces, showcasing his stubbed finger. “That’s one thing that happened outside of the basement.” Kat slaps a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.

“Your father did that to you?” She asks, a tear tumbling down her smooth, freckled cheeks. Callum laughs, and Kat’s eyebrows furrow in confusion at his response to her question. “No, it wasn’t Daddy Dearest that cut off my finger. Don’t get me wrong, he issued it, but my supposed Uncle that did it. After I’d been beaten close to death by our brother and father.”

Nate’s complexion pales instantly, and he rests his head on the table, hands pulling at his hair. Brad and Kat stare at Callum wide-eyed like he’s a madman. In all honesty, he did just laugh before telling them that and he’s still smiling now, despite the topic of conversation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a little unhinged, I’m starting to think my whole family is.

Connor walks back into the room. His brows furrowed in confusion as he slips his phone back into his pocket. He looks at me and Callum then shakes his head and then sits down at the table.

“What was that about?” I ask him. He frowns, holding my questioning gaze, and shakes his head again. “Nothing,” he grunts.

“Okay, can we get back to the topic at hand, please? Because I’m not over the fact that you’ve had your god damned finger cut off!” Brad exclaims. Callum chuckles again, Connor groans and slouches in his seat, and Nate finally lifts his head. He’s not as pale as he was a few moments ago, so I think he’s wrapped his head around everything that he’s learnt so far.

“What would you like to know?” Callum asks them, his gaze flicking from one face to the next. Kat leans forward in her seat.

“What’s the worst thing that’s happened to any of you? Is it the missing finger incident?” Her eyes find mine for a brief moment, concern leaking through the connection before they focus back on Callum. Callum’s face is now solemn as he stares back at her. Connor lifts himself up, sitting straighter now, and his stormy-coloured eyes meet mine as he lifts his brows in question. I know what he’s silently asking me.

Are you going to tell them?

“Having my finger chopped off is the worst that’s happened to me,” Callum offers, pausing as he looks between me and Connor. “Connor’s lucky in some sort of way. He doesn’t do much that they deem troublesome and worthy of punishment. If he does, he just gets beaten until they can jab him with a syringe, and then they fight with him till he passes out.”

Kat sneaks a glance at my mostly silent brother, sympathy pouring out of her. Connor’s gaze is glued to the table but no doubt he can sense everyone’s eyes trained on him.

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