Page 91 of Unwrapping Deviance

“It was other people loving her,” Christian finishes miserably.

“Her stories started escalating, getting elaborate and dark. Before long, we were the brothers who bullied and forced her to commit indecent acts. We hurt her and tortured her and made her watch while we did vile things to each other.” Daniel broke off with a shake of his head. “She painted us to be sex starved monsters that shouldn’t be trusted around anyone.”

“She told people you raped her?” I breathe.

“Never in those words,” Christian says. “It was only ever implied.”

“I think that’s the only reason we didn’t have a mob burn the house down,” Daniel mutters. “She was always very careful toword it like she was a participant, but only because we gave her no choice.”

There’s so much to unpack. So much trauma to sift through. Maybe I really have been sheltered because this whole thing sounds more like some crazy horror movie than real life.

“What happened?” I ask once I’m sure I can handle the rest.

“Things got really bad. We couldn’t leave the house. Couldn’t go into town. Kids would throw eggs and vegetables at the house. Once, someone burned a shitty diaper on the porch. We were trapped in that house with Dad and that was a whole other set of nightmares.”

I don’t press that story. I can only handle one terror at a time.

“Then her brothers got it in their head that justice needed to be served to honor their sister,” Christian picks up where Daniel stalls. “Four fully grown men with bats waiting in the dark for two teenage boys.”

“Stop. Please. I don’t—”

Daniel pulls my stiff fingers to his lips and gently kisses each one. His eyes fixed on the road.

“You need to hear it all, baby girl. You need to know so you understand.”

But I did understand. I understood that this town was the very seed of all evil and it created, bred, and grew evil.

“Wyatt was killed,” Christian says gently. “I don’t remember how. I don’t know...”

“It was dark,” Daniel picks up the story when his brother fumbles. “They had the weapons. Christian was hurt badly and he ... I was on top of him, trying to stop...”

“Daniel...” I drag his hand over and press the back to my damp cheek.

“At some point, they stopped hitting us, but they were hitting something. I grabbed Chris and pulled us into the bushes. I couldn’t hear them or see them. I kept going in and out ofconsciousness. I just remember thinking I needed to protect Chris. I think I heard screaming, and I think maybe they realized they’d beat Wyatt to death.”

“Good,” I blurt without thinking. “It could have been you or Christian. They were clearly aiming to kill you, and karma got them instead.”

“Didn’t do a damn bit of good at that point. The damage was beyond repair. Plus, no one corrected Jameson when he told everyone we killed his brother. The only thing that saved me and Chris from seeing a prison cell was the lack of weapons. Nothing with our prints on them. No way to prove a damn thing when we were admitted into the hospital, and they didn’t have a scratch on them. Mayfield police did a whole investigation and made the mistake of handing it over to Brewer because it happened in his town. The whole case mysteriously vanished. No charges. Chris and I were in the hospital for several months. Once we could leave, I never returned.”

“They did it!” I cry, outraged. “They killed him.”

Daniel shrugs. “That’s not how they see it. It’s our fault any of this happened.”

“It was Lucy’s fault,” I argue, knowing they already know that, but feeling the need to point it out anyway. “She’s the problem. This is all her fault.” I spin in my seat slightly and stab a finger at Christian. “Her fault. Not yours.”

He avoids my eyes, and I know he doesn’t believe me.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MIRA

––––––––

My ass is asleep by the time we finally hit a fast-food joint just off the highway. My legs are throbbing and my back aches, and I have to pee like it’s nobody’s business. I’ve never been so happy as I am when we pull into a parking space.

Christian rolls out of the car the second Daniel kills the engine. He mutters something about needing the hole before shutting the door and hurrying inside.

Daniel faces me, soft, golden eyes searching. “You okay, baby?”

---