Page 25 of Breaker

Like he trained us, beat into us. We just accept his rule like fucking spineless followers because we’re too scared of what he’ll do to us if we don’t.

I’m tired of following his command. I’m tired of worrying that one of us will suffer if we don’t listen.

Now Cora’s the one suffering and the thought that his sick control over us is now affecting her makes me want to scream. Rage.

I lean over, and grip the windowsill, my chest tight with fury. My finger taps the wood, as I collect myself, trying my best not to slip over into the rage I felt earlier.

It does none of us any good.

“Did you hear me?” Viper asks, his boots scrapping on the rough wood floor as he stops behind me. “Delilah went searching for keys and tried to—“

“Do you fucking blame her?” I ask, standing upright. I shake my head. I’m not mad at him. Wait. Yes, I am. I’m mad at him as much as myself. As much as Strike and Reap. “We sent Cora away.”

He makes a sound in his throat, and doesn’t meet my eyes when I glance over my shoulder to look at his face. For someone so erratic and temperamental, Viper is a terrible fucking liar.

No. He’s an accomplished liar. I’m just able to see through his bullshit.

I turn to face him, but his gaze drops. I angle in closer, using my height to crowd him, trying to force him to meet my eyes. “What’s that face for?” I ask.

He shrugs, lifting one large shoulder.

“Viper,” I say, keeping my voice even.

Another shrug. “I feel like shit,” he says stepping away, eyes still downcast, as he settles into the wingback chair. Looking down at his hands, his fingers twist and stretch the fabric of his mask and some remote part of my brain worries that Delilah will walk into the room, but what does it matter anymore?

We’re keeping her prisoner. She’s not allowed to leave until we say so.

And we’re not ready to move ahead, so her leaving isn’t allowed. Delilah isn’t prepared. Fuck, I don’t think even Reaper is ready for the next step, much less the rest of us. We’ve only just accomplished the first task.

Get Delilah on our side, train her, and that just went to shit.

The second part can’t begin until we’ve gone over all the details with her. And we can’t do that until she’s learned to listen. Follow our lead. Then we can sit her down and give her step by step instructions on what we need her to do.

A gross feeling, like slick vines, knot in my stomach at the thought of what we’re going to ask her to do.

I can’t believe we were okay with this plan. But then we agreed to it before weknewher.

My eyes float to the doorway. “Where is she?” I ask.

Viper scoffs, finally meeting my eyes. “If you follow the screaming, you’ll find her in Reaper’s room.”

My brow lifts.

“He tied her to his bed so she wouldn’t try to run again.”

My shoulders slump. We just keep making things worse.

“She’s never going to forgive us,” Viper mumbles, dropping his head back and looking up at the ceiling.

I sink to the sofa next to his chair, stretching my legs out. Yeah. I think we just seriously fucked all the progress we made with her.

“We need to tell her,” Viper says, rolling and unrolling his mask. “We need to tell Delilah why we sent Cora away. It’s the only way we’re going to get her back. She’ll understand.”

I take a deep breath. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we just need to tell her the truth.

My conversation with her in the dining room slams back to me. She had been so upset that we kept things from her, trying to wait until she was ready and able to handle the scope of what her father is, but that had been a mistake. Assuming we knew what was best for her. Yet that’s what we’ve always done. Assume we know the correct way of doing everything.

I glance back at Viper to find his eyes pinned to the sofa across from us. My gaze drifts over, snagging on something tucked between the seat cushions. I lean forward, seeing it’s a slip of pink fabric.

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