Page 21 of Silent Betrayal

“Oh, Sweetheart, nothing would make me happier in this world. You are so sweet and kind and… and I want to kiss you so bad right now. Say I can, say yes.”

My lips are almost against hers when she whispers, “yes.” I close the last inch between us, pressing my lips to hers. I try to be gentle with her but finally getting to kiss her has sparks of pleasure shooting down my spine.

Now I know her real age, and she’s out of that hellhole of a house, nothing can hold me back from her. Not wanting to waste any more time, I lick her lips and she opens for me. I slide my tongue in and groan at her taste. She tastes minty and so compliant against me that it instantly makes me hard.

You might think it’s weird making out with a girl while she sits in your brother’s lap, but it’s not, it’s the opposite. She groans and I open my eyes to see Dom kissing and nibbling her neck.Fuck, that’s hot.

“Well, that’s promising,” Dr. Whitmere says, and I slowly pull back, remembering not only do we have an audience, but I had a reason for that kiss, besides the obvious.

Mina’s hand is now tangled in the hair at the side of my head. She pulls her hand down between us and stares at it with wide eyes. She managesto wiggle all of her fingers, including her ring finger, then turns to me with a huge smile and laughs. I think that’s the best sound in the entire world, and it brings a huge smile to my face. It’s my mission in life to hear that laugh every day.

“I’d say that was a successful test, hmm?” Dr. Whitmere asks us with a smirk.

I laugh. “I’d say so. I’ll sacrifice myself for the greater good any day!” He laughs and Jasper shakes his head, smiling.

“Now, I’m more interested in the fact that you spoke. I was under the impression that you were mute,” he asks her, before reclaiming his seat at her side.

“She hasn’t spoken in eleven years,” Gideon informs him. “She—” He cuts himself off, looking to Mina for permission to tell the doc what happened. I’m relieved when she nods and Gideon can continue. “Her mother poured bleach down her throat when she was ten and she hasn’t spoken since. She’s managed a few strained words since she woke up.”

“Hmm. May I?” he asks, pulling out a flashlight and motioning to her mouth. She nods. “Open up, I’m just going to take a peek.” She does as he asks and he shines the light in her mouth.

We all wait eagerly, wanting to know the prognosis. When he switches the light off and releases her jaw, he gives her a smile. “There is some scarring in there, but nothing that should stop you from talking. Does it hurt to talk?” She nods.

“It’s probably from disuse. Keep trying to talk, just a word or two at a time, and you should notice an increase in how much you can say pretty quickly. Make sure to stay well hydrated, water will help soothe your throat.”

“Thank you,” she says softly, making him smile.

“You’re very welcome, my dear.”

“Hey doc, what about her other injuries? When can she go home?” Gideon asks.

“Ah, yes, well, Mina, would you like the boys to leave the room so I can tell you in private? Some of it might be a bit sensitive.”

“Stay,” she whispers, making me smile as I move beside the doc and take her hand between mine.

“Okay. When we assessed your abdominal laceration, we found your uterus was nicked by the knife. We fixed the cut, but we won’t know if there are any repercussions until you try to have children. It’s hard to say now whether you will be able to or not.”

She nods, not showing any sign of being upset by that news, and asks, “what else?” Ben holds the straw up for her drink as the doc speaks.

“You suffered stab wounds in both shoulders. We’ve repaired the damage and they need time to heal. You might find your arms are quite weak now, which is to be expected. In a few weeks, we can determine if you need physical therapy.

“Your legs were covered in cuts, a few needed stitches, but they have all healed nicely now and eventually you shouldn’t have too much scarring. You had a nasty injury on your right arm that we’ve cleaned and removed the infection from. It’s finally healing now. You might have a small scar, just make sure to keep it clean until it completely heals over.

“As for the marks on your back, they are mostly healed now. They aren’t bothering you, are they?” I frown, not remembering anything mentioned before about marks on her back.

“No,” she whispers, shaking her head.

“Can I ask, who did those to you? They weren’t done at the same time as the other injuries. It wasn’t any of these boys, was it?”

Dom’s arms tighten around her, but she quickly shakes her head. “No… My mom,” she rasps out.

“I’m assuming you boys will make sure a police report is filled out for that, too?”

“What are you talking about? What marks on her back?” Dom asks through clenched teeth, sounding like he’s barely able to keep it together.

“Oh, I… You didn’t know?” he asks before looking at Mina. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to tell them something you didn’t want them to know.”

She uses the phone to answer him this time.“It’s fine. I would have told them, anyway.”

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