Page 78 of Silent Desires

“Do you have other injuries?” he asks, gently tilting her face toward him. Mina makes a motion, signaling that she wants to type.

“Here,” Ben says, passing her the phone.

Shetakes it, her eyes flicking to the screen before her face fills with panic and fear, and she bolts upright, urgency radiating from her. She types quickly, our phone pinging with the message.

Mina:I have to go home.

I glance at her, as do the others, all unsure of what to say. We wanted a chance to talk about this, to tell her she could stay here.

She presses on, typing again, and this time clutching the phone to her chest after pressing send.

Mina:Can you take me home please?

“Mina,” I say tentatively, sitting forward to be closer to her. Her worried eyes meet mine and I can feel the urgency in her. “You know, if it’s not safe to go home, you can stay here, with us? Even just for tonight.”

She stares at me for a moment and I see a wave of emotion roll through her, surprise, hope, worry and fear. Finally, her eyes drop and she shakes her head.

“Okay, but I want you to think about it. If you need somewhere safe to stay, you’re always welcome here.” She nods, standing and moving to the door.

Atlas follows her, but worry keeps me glued to my seat. My chest tightens as I watch them leave. The silence in the room is heavy, filled with unspoken pain. As the rest of my brothers rise to accompany them out, I follow, needing to glimpse her one last time.

Dom moves in front of her as she reaches for the door. He tilts her chin up as he asks, “promise me you’ll be okay tonight? That you can go home and just sleep until morning?”

She nods, her response hesitant but sincere. He stares at her for a moment, clearly seeking for the truth before he nods back.

Atlas takes his place as he looks down at her. “You text me anytime, day or night, you hear me? I will always be there for you. You just have to ask for help.”

His words are quiet but firm, and when he squeezes her hand, something in her seems to ease. She gives him a smile before waving goodbye to the rest of us.

The door closes with a thump and the six of us stand there staring at it until slowly, one at a time, we turn away and head for our rooms, nobody wanting to talk about what happened and what we were potentially sending her home to.

Chapter forty-nine

The next morning is a little better than the previous one. I don’t see my mother at all, my arm feels slightly better than yesterday, and I think my fever has eased up. Whatever Ben gave me and did to my arm must be helping.

Sleep, however, was rough—I tossed and turned, hot one minute and cold the next. But it seems like the fever has finally broken.

As I approach our usual morning meetup spot, I notice an SUV idling on the curb. I stop walking, rubbing my arms as a shiver rolls over me. Who is that? And why are they here? Not wanting to stop beside it, I decide to keep walking and decide I can text the twins when I’m around the corner. Suddenly, the back door opens, startling me, and a familiar face jumps out, smiling at me.

“Good morning, Princess!” Ben’s voice makes my heart leap. Without thinking, I run the short distance to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He picks me up effortlessly and pulls me into the vehicle with him. He kisses my forehead, and I glance around to see Atlas driving, Jasper in the passenger seat, and Dom and Max in the back with us. I wave at them all, smiling broadly. Seeing them calms me in a way nothing else does.

I had thought they were upset with me for lying and making Atlas take me home yesterday, but they seem okay today. Atlas even turns to give me a small smile and squeezes my hand tightly before focusing on driving.

“I want to check your arm and clean it for you,” Ben tells me. Oh my god, knowing he’s taking time out of his morning to take care of me makes my heart warm and I feel a goofy grin cover my face. He must know I can’t clean it properly at home. The state of it yesterday must have made that painfully obvious. He probably thinks I’m a clueless kid who doesn’t know how to take care of herself.

I start unbuttoning my shirt, and Ben’s eyes widen. “Wait—” he yells.

“Max, pass me that shirt you grabbed,” he says quickly.

“Oops. I must have forgotten it,” Max says, sounding entirely unapologetic. He winks at me, and I giggle. Dom narrows his eyes at me, making me slap my hand over my mouth, which only makes Max laugh.Did I actually just giggle?And I wonder, yet again, if my voice is truly gone after all.

Max’s laughter sets me off again, muffled behind my hand, and soon Ben is laughing too. I glance at Dom, waiting for him to either reprimand us or crack a smile but he just glares at us, it’s not malicious, though, I think he’s amused.

Grinning, I pull out my phone and type,Daddy’s mad,showing it to Ben and Max, who are seated on either side of me. Their laughter grows even louder as Dom’s eyes narrow further, clearly wondering what I wrote.

He holds out his hand, palm up, and I reluctantly place my phone in it. He reads the screen, then looks at me sharply.

“Hmm,” is all he says, making my cheeks heat and my insides warm for some reason.

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