Page 68 of The Venom We Bleed

I'm the daughter of a criminal. Abandoned by my mother. Betrayed by my friends and ex. Now, I'm a murderer.

After a tense moment, Nolan speaks. "No," he says, drawing my attention back to him. "We're not going to let that happen."

Nolan's irises look like cinnamon in the light of the bare bulb that throws dull illumination across the floor of the apartment from my cracked bathroom door. A part of me wonders if they assumed my attacker wasn’t acting alone, but if he hadn’t been, then wouldn't someone have already come for his body?

I know if I go out there on the balcony right now, I'll look over the edge and find him still there—splayed out on the ground like a broken doll no one wants to play with anymore.

We’re not going to let that happen.Nolan’s words circle in my head, dizzying me with their insinuation.

"Why?" I ask, lifting my head and staring him down with a frown. "Why would you help me?"

Once again, there's that annoying exchange of looks between them and that secret, silent language of theirs. My upper lip curls away from my teeth. I hate being left out of the loop. It makes me want to stab something. Again.

Nolan sighs and looks back at me. "Don't worry about the whys of things," he says. "You need the help. We'll provide. Just accept it."

Just accept it? No. I move to stand, but the blanket around my knees gapes open, reminding me that I'm still mostly naked.For a moment, I contemplate sitting back down, but then decide to hell with it.

"You hate me,” I remind them as if they’ve forgotten. “This whole town does. There’s no way in hell you’re helping me now out of the goodness of your heart. How do I know you weren’t a part of this?”

I keep my gaze trained on Nolan, but it’s Gio who moves towards me, jolting me out of the stare-down between his leader and I. Gio doesn't stop until he’s shoved his way between Nolan and me.

Dimly, I think of how shitty a night it's been for my downstairs neighbors. No doubt they're getting about as much sleep as I am with all of the noise. It's almost lucky that I live in a shithole apartment complex. People in this neighborhood know to mind their own business. Even if they're annoyed or cranky, they keep to themselves and they don't ask any questions.

With his hands clenched into fists at his sides, Gio looms over me and growls, "We are not responsible for a man breaking into your apartment with the intention of raping you.”

Rape.I’m proud of the way I don’t flinch at the word. I never truly knew how powerful words could be until this moment. The word grows in size in my head, filling it until there’s no spare inch not covered in a layer of what it means.

Someone broke into my apartment, pinned me down, threatened me, and…

I cut myself off at the reminder of how he’d held himself in front of me, stroking his cock as he’d prepared to put it inside me. I should’ve cut it off with the knife instead of stabbing him in the back with it.

My eyes rise back to Gio’s. “How do I know that?” I prompt him. “It’s not like we’re friends. If anything, the three of you are part of the reason shit at school has been so difficult.”

His brows shoot up to his hairline and his already hard jaw firms even further. “If you think we’re like that asshole, then you don’t know us very well.”

“My point exactly.” I nod at him. “I don’t know you. So, why the hell should I trust you?”

Honey brown eyes narrow on my face. “Because we?—”

“Gio.” Nolan barks his friend’s name, cutting him off and making me even more curious to know what he’d been about to reveal. Gio whips away from me and stalks back across the room until he’s in front of the mangled door that he apparently kicked in when I didn’t answer during my attack. I stare at his back for a moment before scanning the entryway.

The lock is a broken mess and the framework is completely splintered. The door itself is propped against the gaping hole to give the illusion of some privacy. He kicked it in and now it's useless, but I can't find it in myself to be frustrated. Even though it means I'll probably have to find a new place to stay until it gets repaired, I have to admit that at least he came when he heard trouble.

No one else would have.

No one else did.

The back of my head throbs and I sink back onto the futon, cupping my skull with a groan. “Fuck.” Now I have to think about staying somewhere else.

Motels might seem cheap as shit, but no matter how inexpensive a place is, the cost inevitably builds up over time and there’s no telling how long it’ll take for my apartment to be livable. The Ritchies don’t strike me as particularly caring towards their residents. I’d found dead bugs painted over the walls when I moved in. What’s worse is that I can’t afford any other place now that most of the money I had is sunk into the advance rent I paid weeks before. If I can't stay here, I doubt the Ritchies will refund me. Scratch that. There is absolutelyno doubt that they’ll happily kick me out for damaging their property and keep my rent payments as compensation. I'd considered myself lucky I even managed to get this place after the bullshit of my father's embezzlement and the fact that I had no previous rental or job history.

I’m so caught up in the loss and figuring out my immediate future, that I’ve almost forgotten about the three men taking up residence inside the destroyed apartment. That is, until the sound of male voices brings me back to the present. I raise my head and frown at Nolan and Lex as the two have moved closer together, their heads bowed as they speak in low tones. The crease of Lex's brow and the hard set of Nolan's mouth tells me they're arguing.

"She's welcome wherever I am," Lex snaps.

I straighten up. "What?"

Both Nolan and Lex glance over at me. "You can come stay with me," Lex says before gesturing to the door Gio's blocking. "At least until your door is fixed."

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