Page 92 of Gambler's Fallacy

I know, deep down, that it’s more than that.

But I don’t know what it is.

Caleb kisses me, and I lean into it, wanting the comfort.

The door opens. I startle and bite down on Caleb’s lip by accident. He hisses and pulls back.

“I’m sorry!” I say immediately. “Please, I’m sorry!”

“No, I’m not…” Caleb turns toward the door. “Vortex. Did you bring it?”

Vortex looks harried as he steps inside and closes the door behind him. “Yeah. I have all of the supplies for it.” He crosses the room, and my heart races as I try to figure out what “it” is. I don’t think I really want to know, though, so I stay silent. “Does he know?” he asks, like he’s echoing my thoughts.

I shake my head.

Something brushes against my feet. I yelp and pull my feet up, and I hear an answering hiss in return.

Nacho. It was only Nacho.

Tears well up in my eyes. I try to reach for Nacho, but he backs away from me warily.

I stare down at him, my breath catching as I realize I scared him. I want to hold him, but I don’t dare risk upsetting him any more than I already have.

Caleb scoops Nacho up and places him in my lap, though, then he sits down beside me as Nacho tentatively starts to knead my thigh.

I swallow hard, my touch awkward as I pet his fur.

“I will fucking kill her,” I hear Vortex mutter, and it makes me flinch. He must realize I heard because he quickly adds, “Sorry, Seven. I’m not mad at you. Okay?”

I nod, but it’s hard to believe. All of this is my fault. If it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be dealing with any of this.

“We’re going to make sure that no one can take you out of here,” Vortex says, his voice more even. “Remember what we talked about? The tracker?”

My breath comes out shakily. “Y-yeah,” I mumble.

“We’re going to put it in you tonight, okay?” he says, reaching out and brushing hair out of my face. I flinch, and I don’t miss the pain in his expression. I force myself to lean into it even though all I can remember is that woman’s touch in my hair.

“Okay.” It’s all I can get out, and I stare down at Nacho. He’s started to purr, though even that feels subdued.

“Do you want me to make it an order?” Caleb asks. “I will, if that helps. Once the tracker is inside you, Vortex, Havoc, and I will always be able to find you. I can pretty it up, but it means if you wanted to run away from us, we’d still track you down.” He laughs darkly. “But it means nobody can ever steal you from us ever again, not without us raining hell down on them.”

I’m never, ever going to be truly free, and it’s a thought that tears me into pieces because I’m not sure if it’s comforting or terrifying. I don’t want to survive on my own again, giving blowjobs and offering my ass to anyone who can pay or put more distance between me and New Bristol.

Again.

“What if I want to leave?” I choke out.

Vortex exchanges a look with Caleb, and his voice is gentle as he tells me, “It’s going to be a long time before we can let that happen, Seven. I know it’s hard for you, but none of us want to see you going back to that situation. Until we can be sure you’re safe, we need to keep you close.”

Caleb kisses the top of my head. “If you think you’re safe, and you want to leave—you’ll have ample opportunity to stab me, pet.”

I startle, my eyes going wide as I stare at him. “I would never,” I protest.

The only person I’d ever hurt would be myself. I don’t say that aloud, though.

“I think you’ll feel better when you know we can find you no matter what,” Vortex says.

“Put it somewhere he could easily remove it himself, if it comes down to it.” Caleb runs his hand down to my calf. “Maybe here. Few people would notice it there, too.” After a beat, he adds, “Look what you did to me, Seven. I would have insisted on somewhere between the shoulder blades with anyone else.”

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