Page 46 of Psycho Boys

"Well, believe it, baby. Your fathers are next. We'll save Gunnar and my parents for the finale,” she laughs, tucking the paper away and starting the car.

The ghosts of the men who hurt Cali are gone, but in their place, new ghosts have emerged, haunting me with the echoes of our violence. I sit here and think about my father and killing him, killing all of them, and I begin to feel sick as Cali presses the pedal to the floor and speeds down the interstate. We're almost all free, yes, but at what cost? The question hangs unanswered, a chilling testament to the price of revenge. But as I look over at Cali, the smile on her face puts me at ease. I want to smile like that. I want to feel the way she does. I can't wait any longer. Even though I'm having mixed feelings, I know what needs to be done, and fuck, I'm ready to get it fucking over with.

EIGHTEEN

PERMANENT

BLEED FOR YOU: HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW

FIVE

The last snowfall of winter had blanketed the city a week ago—a final, bitter cold fuck you before the sun's warmth erased it. A week ago, Calista had avenged herself, brutally ending the life of another man who had inflicted unspeakable horrors upon her, shattering another one of the chains that had bound her. A week ago, the four of us carved our names into her exquisitely scarred skin, a mark of belonging—a brand of ours—with the promise to eventually make them part of her for life.

Now, the five of us sit in the back of Dominic's tattoo studio, preparing to make the marks permanent in ink, a testament to her strength—a declaration she'll wear with pride and never forget who she belongs to.

Though the thought, "she belongs to us," sounds so fucked up and feels so fucking wrong.

For years, she'd been a prisoner chained in an attic, traded like a commodity to the highest bidder, and belonging to no onebut her captors. After finally escaping and tasting freedom for the first time, she'd fiercely claimed her independence. She was fucking proud to say she belonged to no one, that she was free and able to live her life the way she wanted. And fuck, now we're telling her that she belongs to us. Even though she embraces it, I don't. A deep unease gnaws at me. Guilt claws at my fucking conscience.

The whir of the tattoo gun snaps me back to reality. Dom holds the machine, dipping the needles into black ink, Calista poised perfectly and ready.

"What's got your face all pissy-looking?" Ash teases, nudging my shoulder as Dom begins.

"Nothing," I mumble, tearing my gaze from Calista.

"You look like you're fucking pissed and like you're about to fucking hurl," Killian observes, scrolling through his phone, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"I just... I don't think this shit is right," I confess, catching Calista's eye.

"It's okay, Five. I want this. I want all your names on me, forever." Her smile slightly eases the turmoil in my gut.

I return her smile, winking slowly. She bites her lip; an addictive, alluring gleam sparkles in her eyes as she studies me.

Even being with her, shit, she's all I can think about, all I crave. But does she feel the same way about me? Or am I just a guilty pleasure, someone she'll discard when she's had enough?

She watches me, intently studying my face. She knows something's wrong; she can always fucking tell—it's like one of the many gifts she possesses.

"Dom, stop," she commands, gently pushing his hand away from her thigh, forcing him to pause in the middle of her third tattoo.

She rises, takes my hand, pulling me from my chair and out the back door. The cool air is a welcome shock that slaps us bothaggressively across the face. She presses me against the door, her arms encircling me, her hand cupping my cheek, her other lightly caressing my throat.

"Tell me what's bothering you, Five, and don't fucking lie," she demands, a smirk playing on her lips, yet her eyes are scary serious.

"Why do you want me, Little Mystery?" I ask, blunt and raw, my heart threatening to shatter into a million fucking pieces.

"Why do I want you? What do you mean?" Genuine confusion clouds her features as her perfect brows pinch together.

"You have Dom, Ash, and Killian. Why me?" I tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, tracing her jawline, watching her shiver from my touch.

"So fucking what if I have them? I care about you, Five. You were the first to show me kindness and respect when I finally escaped the prison I was in. I want you because you're fucking amazing, protective, and incredibly sexy." She winks as my fingers brush across her lips. "But really, I want you because I fucking love you, Five. I love you as much as I love the others."

Her lips brush against my cheek, lingering longer than I thought they would, but shit, I'm okay with it.

In fact, I'm more than fucking okay with it.

My heart races, fucking pounding like a relentless drum in my chest as her confession hangs in the air, thick with unspoken promises. I force my breath to steady as I drink in her words, allowing the sweetness of them to wash over me like the sun breaking through the stormy sky. All the guilt, all the doubt, slips away, leaving only her—my intoxicating Little Mystery.

"Do you really fucking mean that?" I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper, afraid to shatter the beautiful moment with too many questions. "For real?"

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