Page 147 of Quinlan

There are eyes on us. The door’s closed, but I know better. I know of another door that leads in here. I know about the peephole in the bookshelf.

“No, I don’t think you’ll spare him. He… He doesn’t deserve it.” Resignation. That’s what I hear. And…sadness? Whatever Damien’s said to her, she believes him.

This isn’t just about what he did to Damien and his foster siblings. She realizes he’s not a bad man. Nothing about him is good, including the way he treated her.

“Show me I’m more than a fuck doll to you. That’s what I meant.” Her voice falters at the crude words. Our brave little one says them anyway. “Show me, and I won’t bite your dick off in your sleep.”

“Oh, you’d try that?” Stifling a laugh is fucking hard. It’s a miracle that I manage.

“You can count on it.”

I’m such a sucker for her lips that I kiss them. “Not like it’ll make a difference, but say you’ll stay. That no matter what you hear, you’ll stay. Because you want to.”

She can’t nod with my hand firm on her chin, so she blinks. “I’ll stay because I want to. I already do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Quinlan

When Damien gagged meuntil my body gave up on me, I was furious.

How dare he. I was on his side. I made it clear that I believed him. I love my family, but I won’t condone abuse. Won’t stand for violence. Against children, no less.

I wouldn’t take Rex’s side. DamiensawI wouldn’t.

He gagged me anyway.

And I cared for him anyway. For the man I met on the street. For my psychotic kidnapper. For the wounded kid he was.

But anger wasn’t all I felt. I was turned on. Hot everywhere. It was so demeaning, to be bound. To be silenced. The covers were stuffed in my mouth and I wanted him.

Now Liam is here. His panic bleeds all over the room. I see his pain. I imagine what Damien must’ve looked like at its worst, and that does it. I don’t have it in me to be mad at them. At all.

These men pull me in every direction. Manipulate me. Treat me like I’m their sex doll.

That doesn’t mean they’re bad people. They’re good. As insane as they are, they’re good people.

Liam’s skin is warm to the touch. In the dark of night, he’s made of shadows and a pair of stunning amber eyes.

It shouldn’t be that difficult, to get them to trust me.

First, because they should. They’ve bulldozed their way into my heart, and if someone touches them, if someone hurts them, I’ll ruin them.

Second, because they need me. They’re not just obsessed. Damien mentioned the word love. They want me here as much as they want their revenge.

“I’m an only child.” Liam’s fingertips trace the skin where I know my tattoo is. Mine are on his scar. Reverent. “My parents love me. They always have, with everything they had in them. They loved their job as well. Both are nursing assistants. That’s how they met, at work.”

He’s not used to this. Talking. Opening up.

He wasn’t planning on telling me any of it, not right away. I caught him off guard.

I’ve been caught off guard, too. I’m naked and vulnerable. The nightmare hasn’t released its grip on me yet. They never go away quickly.

We’re here, regardless. Liam, my captor, brushing his thumb over the heart I have there to honor my brother. He’s so close, the pad of his finger seems to be memorizing my skin. It’s not a random touch, I realize. He has to know.

“My mom—”

“What’s her name?” The question is out of my mouth before I have a chance to do anything about it. I’m being rude, interrupting him, but I care. Their names are as important as the story itself. “And your dad? What’s his name?”

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