Page 111 of Séance

I fight the instinctual urge to turn on my heel and leave, but I suspect that won’t stop Hicks. If he wants something, nothing will stop him until he gets it, and I very much fear he might destroy me in the process.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want to know?” I wave a hand to indicate the room. “Why go through this charade?”

“Charade? It’s a simple board game.” Hicks smiles, his expression sharp. “If you have nothing to hide, why don’t you join us?” He steps to the side to clear the way to the sitting area, maneuvering his body in a way that has him blocking the exit.

Brenda saunters up to Hicks and wraps her arms around his waist, silently staking her claim, and I have no doubt the two of them instigated this whole thing somehow. Honestly, I don’t give a shit what part she played in this evening. What matters is that Hicks isn’t stopping her.

In fact, he’s encouraging her.

Hicks stiffens, scowling down at Brenda, but I barely notice. Hurt is like an infection. Once it takes root, it spreads until it taints everything.

The guys must have told him about our conversation. Not only does he not believe me, he honestly thinks I will make a fool of myself, and he set me up to fail in front of as many witnesses as possible.

Humiliation and anger burn my cheeks, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the wealth of emotions that threaten to drown me. Not wanting to fall apart in front of him and give him the satisfaction, I grab the box I tucked in my pocket. A bitter chuckle escapes me when I shove it hard against his chest, forcing him to accept it or drop it to the floor.

“What I find funny is that while I was worried about your safety and purchased a necklace to protect you, you were busy trying to hurt and humiliate me.” I shake my head, swallowing hard to speak past the lump in my throat. “No, it’s worse thanthat. Instead of just asking me a few simple questions in private, you schemed behind my back to…what? What were you hoping to achieve?”

Too many emotions bombard me at once.

It’s too much, and everything inside me just shuts down.

“Do it, pookie.” Jameson crosses the room in a few quick strides, elbowing Hicks so hard that he stumbles aside. “Prove the dickhead wrong.”

Jameson stands before me as a sentinel, his belief in me warming my heart, but it barely scratches the surface of my hurt. Glancing around the room, I notice Jaceson standing back, watching impassively, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Despite knowing that’s his normal attitude, it feels like a rejection.

My heart takes another hit, my body chilling more and more until I feel numb.

“Hicks, maybe now isn’t the time,” Ellis says, a disapproving expression on his face.

“You want proof, don’t you?” Hicks snaps back, not once taking his gaze from me.

Ellis fiddles with his bracelet and just shrugs.

I’m not sure how I’m able to stand at this point, the world around me blurring slightly.

I’m not going to lie, but their lack of support stings like a fucking bitch.

At least Ellis has the decency to look ashamed.

Needing to know the truth, I glance at the last member of their group, someone I thought was my friend, but Gunner is already speaking.

“This is not the right time or place.” Gunner steps in front of me, blocking my view of the rest of the room.

I should be thrilled that he’s coming to my defense, but he isn’t really taking my side either, and his lack of faith destroys the last bit of my heart.

I thought they were different.

I thought they were my friends.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The need to escape is overwhelming, and I blindly turn away from the guys, doing my best not to fall apart in front of our audience. If I’ve learned anything from my father, it’s to mask my pain.

“I have nothing to prove to you or anyone.” The air in the room is thin, and it’s a struggle to find enough oxygen to breathe. The sensation of being suffocated is like a weight on my chest, and I nearly sprint toward the exit, the need to escape clawing up my insides.

Just as I reach the door, it slams shut with a resounding bang. I stumble to a halt. Voices quiet, the laughter fades, and a few people closest to the exit yelp in alarm. I stumble away, panic tightening my chest, and it’s only then that I notice the chill in the room.

Frost crackles in the air, my exhale a small puff of clouds, and true panic takes hold.

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