Page 90 of What Lies Within

“Wuss.” I drop the towel back over my ass and reach for the device. “Thanks.”

“You need anything else?”

“Find out what the yelling was about?”

He snorts. “Kane bein’ the fuckin’ asshole he is.”

“What’d he do this time?” I roll my eyes as I unlock the phone.

“Had Rae by the throat.”

“The fuck?” I drop the device to my side and frown at my brother.

"Exactly what Dad said." He raises an eyebrow. Kane's upstairs, sulking. He probably thinks he's in the right, as usual."

“They gonna do anything about it?”

He nods. “Later.” Harvey jerks his chin toward the phone in my hand. “It doesn’t have a lot of charge. I plugged it in, but Hammer took it out to put his on.”

“All good.” I glance back at the home screen. “I won’t need it for much anyway.”

“No?” He leans his shoulder against the doorframe, only to move again when Jamie nudges him in the back. “Sorry.”

“Got you something comfortable,” she says, weaving past my brother to hand me a pair of sweats and a loose T-shirt. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

I glance at the phone—at the numerous missed calls and texts—and set it aside.Not yet. I don't have the energy to get past the wall of reminders of what happened to me.

To us.

“Either of you heard anything about Deo?” I stare at the counter as I ask the question, shame strong as I deal the closest card to my heart.

"It's okay," Harvey says softly. "We all know by now that you went on a date with him, sis." He glances at Jamie by his side. "None of us care."

Fuck these tears.I’m over it. But at the same time, it feels good to cry for somethinggood.

"Hey." Jamie rushes forward and pulls me against her, one arm wrapped around the back of my shoulders. I stiffen, resisting her offer of comfort at first, and glance at my baby brother.

It's his gentle smile that lessens my resolve to guard my weakest organ. I lift my arms and accept the compassion freely given, holding Jamie to me. She draws a deep breath, shoulders rising with the movement, and then releases me to take a step back.

“I heard Dad was callin’ Marco about Deo, but that was hours ago.” Harvey shrugs. “I can go ask if you like?”

“No.” I swipe my phone from the counter and hand it to him. “Can you delete all this, though?”

He glances down at the notifications, confusion apparent in the twist of his brow.

“I can’t deal with it,” I confess. “I don’t want to hear how scared or hurt everyone was.”

“That’s fair.” Jamie reaches across Harvey and swipes the screen open for him.

He levels a flat-lipped smile and nods. "You want me to tell you any of it? I mean…" He hesitates, opening a message andreading the words. His lips move slightly as he does. "You don't want to know if anyone left you a message about anythin' else?"

"I doubt they would have." The soft interior of the sweats feel like heaven against my skin as I tug them on beneath the towel. "I just need it clear so I can message Deo." I pause, T-shirt in my fist. "Tell him I'm okay."

And then hope that we are, too.

35

RAE

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