Page 122 of Patching Over

He vehemently answers, “No.”

“I should’ve trusted my gut,” I admit.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“When Moira told me about the opportunity, and we initially met the recruiters, I had a bad feeling about them. It all seemed a bit too good to be true, plus, the so-called rules about what we were permitted to wear and what we weren’t was really weird and outlandish. Our shorts had to be a certain length, we had to have wide-banded tank tops, that sort of thing. Any summer camp I ever went to when I was younger? The dress code was pretty much lax, with the mindset that anything goes as long as you had clothes on, you know what I mean? Yet we were to wear modest clothing, during the summer, in freaking Virginia!”

He chuckles at my vehemence then quickly sobers. “I guess that’s how they find women to help further their cause,” he growls out, his teeth clenched. “Fucking bastards.”

“I have to agree with you. They’re misogynistic assholes for sure. The girls who weren’t ‘pure’ were used for experimentation, and also as their playthings.”

“What kind of experiments?” Now his voice sounds dark, almost deadly, and I shiver at the thought of it ever being directed at me.

I shudder when I think about some of the things I overheard and unfortunately saw. “They would pump them full of drugs, or beat them until they had open wounds then pour things into the wounds to see how much pain the person could handle. Some ofthe girls died, Jingles,” I whisper, my throat clogged with unshed tears.

“You were beaten, too, Belle,” he states.

“Initially, it was because I didn’t know how to cook very well, but some of the older women who were there took pity on me and helped teach me,” I reply. “But the last one? I don’t know what set Alvin off, to be honest. Dinner was demolished by everyone, and afterward, when I came back through after the meal had been consumed, started clearing the room and cleaning up the dishes, he grabbed me and dragged me to his room. A lot of it is kind of blurry from there, though, especially after he hit me in the jaw, because I had to try really hard not to vomit.”

I can’t believe I’m sitting in a room, on a bed with my long-time crush, and talking about puking! It’s just that he’s a lot easier to talk to than I expected, I guess.

“We’ll find out what was going on, you just let me, or your brother know if you need someone to talk to so you can get rid of anything he said to you. No sense hanging on to his bullshit because it definitely wasn’t truth he was speaking,” Jingles says.

Deciding to be brave, I look up at him, his beautiful eyes staring steadily at me, and admit, “I had the biggest crush on you when I was a teenager.”

He shocks me when he replies, “I’ve got the biggest crush on you now, as an adult.”

“Really?” I ask in awe.

“Yeah, really, Belle. I’m pretty sure I’m not good enough for you, but with what happened to you and Moira, I’ve come to realize life is too short not to let people know how I feel.”

I think about what he’s just said and quickly understand that he truly believes he’s not good enough for me. “Jingles, I think you’re perfect for me,” I reply. “As far as I’m concerned, life is what we make it, nothing more and nothing less. I’m willing tosee where things go. My only concern is that I live in Cleveland, and you live here.”

As soon as I say that I wonder if maybe a change of scenery might not be a bad idea. In fact, I’m kind of afraid to go home. What if more of those assholes are still in the area, lurking around, and I wind up back in their clutches?

“We’ll work that out, Belle. Worst case scenario, I ask Brick to see if I can transfer if your heart’s set on living in Cleveland near your brother.”

I’m about to answer him when the door flies open, and my brother walks in. Scrambling off the bed, I launch myself into his arms. “Tony!” I exclaim, tears falling down my face. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” I mumble, sobbing against his chest as he holds me close.

“There was never a doubt in my mind, Baby Belle, that we wouldn’t find you,” he replies. “Let me take a look at you,” he demands, pushing me back slightly while his gaze roams over me.

“From what I was able to see, Brother, there’s just a small bruise on her jaw,” Jingles states, standing and coming toward where me and Tony are standing.

“I… I have some scars on my back from the old beatings,” I confess. I see both men’s’ faces darken in anger at my words and quickly rush to calm them down. “The important thing is that whatever Angel did, it healed me, y’all.”

“That’s beside the point, Belle. That motherfucker should’ve never laid a hand on you oranywoman,” Tony growls out. “Tell me y’all found them.”

“They’ve been secured until we can have church,” Jingles replies.

A look passes between the two men, and I briefly wonder if there’s a school or something that men go to in order to learn this unspoken language, because after a few seconds, Jinglesnods and Tony slings his arm across my shoulders pulling me close.

“I want to see Moira,” I announce when neither of them says anything. “I’m sure y’all have biker stuff to do, so I can sit with her.”

“Then let’s go do that,” Jingles says, finally giving my brother one of those weird man-hug and back-slap things they tend to do whenever they see one another. “We’ll go down to the common room so come find us when you’re done, okay?”

I nod as we leave my appointed room, eager to see my best friend.

CHAPTER

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