Page 69 of Bleed for Me

She winced at Seven’s name, as if hearing it was nothing but a painful reminder. It probably was. She let the bastard take her virginity and then he started treating her like shit right after it. She couldn’t have actually expected anything different from him, right? Since she arrived, he’d been nothing but an asshole to her. She might have been emotional and suicidal, but that didn’t change who he was. Even if he did say nice things to bring her guard down. With him, everything was a game. The sooner she realized that, the better off she’d be.

“Could have fooled me,” I drawled.

She rolled her eyes and turned toward the door, slipping out into the hallway. My gaze darted around her room, taking in the white walls, dirty clothes hamper, and bags positioned near her closet. There was nothing interesting about it—nothing that set it apart from the other rooms in the facility. Mine wasn’t much different either. I’d thought about painting the walls, but what was the point? Eventually, I’d run out of space and paint.

Glancing over, the stuffed bear Seven had mentioned was seated in the corner of the bed with its back to the wall and itsblack, beady eyes staring me down. Reaching over, I took the bear between my hands, looking it over. Its fur was softer than expected, sinking beneath the weight of my fingertips.

It looked like an average bear. What was so special about it?

I turned it over in my hands, my gaze skimming over the material of its back, until something gave me pause. A tie was wrapped around its neck, but on the back of it was a name.

Daisy.

Rosalie had mentioned that her sister had been killed at the hand of her stepfather. Did this belong to her? It would make sense why she was so protective over it if that was the case. Placing the bear back where I’d found it, I brought myself to my feet. Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed her to go shower all by herself. Anyone could have found her between the short walk from here and there.

I made my way out into the hall and headed for the women’s bathroom. When I poked my head around a corner, there were a few girls already in here. One of them being Shaylynn. When her eyes found mine, they widened. Luckily, she was dressed. Not that it would have stopped me.

“Why are you in the girl’s bathroom?’ Shay asked, glancing behind me like my friends would be lurking around the corner, waiting for the opportunity to strike at my command.

I ignored her, drifting toward the shower stalls. A few girls were naked, their eyes blowing wide in both fear and panic as they attempted to cover themselves. Toward the back wall was Rosalie. Her hair was damp, falling over her shoulders. To her relief, she was already dressed, her head turning in my direction, like she could sense me. Her jaw tightened in annoyance, but she was smart enough not to get an attitude with me. There were only so many threats I had left before I inevitably started acting on them.

She shot me a scathing glare as she brushed past me, holding her clothes to her chest. The skirt swayed around her thighs with her quick movements, and I had to jog to catch up to her. She didn’t slow, though. Not until she was pushing through her bedroom door and dropping her clothes and bathing products off.

“Do I need to file a restraining order?” she demanded, returning to the hall.

I laughed at that. “Not so sure it works that way in a place like this.”

She shrugged. “Maybe they’ll move me to a different facility.”

I nodded thoughtfully, stepping into stride with her. “Do it then. It’s not like I want to watch you constantly.” That was the truth. I’d much rather be holed up in my room drawing or sitting out in the garden.

“Then why are you?”

“We had a deal, remember? I keep you alive and you pay me back.”

She scoffed and moved ahead of me. She jumped in the cafeteria line, but lucky for her, I wasn’t much of a breakfast person. I’d let her escape me for now. Instead, I made my way to the table where Seven sat.

“Where’s Archer?” I asked, dropping into the seat beside him.

He clenched his jaw. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

I’d known them long enough to know that they’d work this out. They could beat the shit out of each other, swear to hate one another, and push each other’s buttons. But they’d always come back together like a pair of magnets. This wasn’t the first time they’d been at one another’s throats. Though, it was the first time that a girl had weaseled her way in between them.

As long as I’d known both Archer and Seven, girls were temporary for them. For me, too. It didn’t matter that Archerwas obsessed with Rosalie. Like all obsessions, it would end eventually. She was new and different. That was the appeal. Once she gave into what he wanted, he’d get bored of her like all the girls before her.

“What the fuck?’ Seven growled with a dangerous edge to his tone.

I glanced over at him, but his eyes were focused on something across the room. His jaw was coiled tight with tension, his nostrils flaring. Following his line of sight, I shook my head in disbelief. Archer had just sat down next to Rosalie at the table she normally occupied for mealtimes.

“Seven…” I trailed off, knowing he was on the verge of combusting.

“No,” he growled. “If they want to play, we’ll play.”

NINETEEN

ROSALIE

“How have you been transitioning?” Gloria asked as we walked down the seemingly never-ending hallway.

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