Page 64 of Pray for the Damned

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but usually people who are okay don’t sit on the floor with their heads buried in their knees.” She inserts a little humor in her words, and I can’t help but crack a smile. There’s a lightness to Leighton that I’ve been envious of since the first time we met.

One night when I was dreading going back to my cold, dark apartment, she sat down with me. She told me a little about herself and how she escaped an abusive relationship and shitty parents, and I spent the whole time wondering how she wasn’t mad at the world for dealing her those cards in the first place.

Even though I’ve accepted my circumstances and my life, I’m still mad as hell when I think about all the people that grew up with parents that loved them and haven’t had to work themselves to the bone just to keep a roof over their heads since they were sixteen. I’ve screamed into the void how unfair it is that I had to flee the only home I’d ever known so some rich asshole wouldn’t sell me into trafficking when I was underage and have spent every day since looking over my shoulder.

But I keep it all to myself.

Sharing that someone is looking for me just puts more than just myself in danger, and that’s not something I’m willing to do.

“I’m assuming you met Kade?” Wyatt asks as he crouches in front of us. “It’s pretty uncanny how alike they look, isn’t it?”

“They are twins,” Leighton points out.

He chuckles. “They are, but I’ve never met twins that arethatidentical. It trips me out every time I see them next to each other.”

“You knew there were two of them?” I ask quietly.

Wyatt nods. “Yeah. Kade snuck in here a few times pretending to be his brother, but despite his best efforts, there is one part of them that isn’t identical. The fingerprint scanner flagged the discrepancy, and after talking to Emmett, Elias and I decided to give Kade a membership.”

I think maybe I should be angry that no one thought it pertinent that I know the man that showed interest in me from the first night I worked here had an identical twin that I was likely to run into, but I’m not. It’s not their fault Kade tricked me. It’s not even really Emmett’s fault. But he should have told me, especially seeing as he seemed to know his brother was interested in me.

Leighton reaches out and places her hand on my knee. “I can’t imagine this is an easy piece of information to swallow, but as someone that has found her people after years of feeling alone, I can tell you that your first instinct will be to run. It was mine, and that instinct almost got me killed.”

Wyatt winces at the memory and reaches for his wife, as if he needs physical contact to remind himself that she’s safe now.

“It was really scary allowing myself to be vulnerable. Having your heart broken by one person is a terrifying thought, but the possibility of two? Jesus, just thinking about it has anxiety growing in my chest.” She shakes her head. “But being scared isn’t a good reason to run away. Give the scary thing a chance, because those are the things that are usually the things that can make us the happiest.”

I drag my bottom lip between my teeth and consider her words. I’ve spent my whole life staying as far away from thescary thing as I can manage, am I actually considering diving headfirst into it?

Hell, I don’t even know what Emmett and Kade are proposing. Maybe the two of them just wanted to fuck with me.

Neither of them indicated that they wanted any more than that. Well, Emmett did, but now that he knows his brother has fucked me, that may change.

“Come on, Angel. If you’re missing for too long, Elias’s head might explode.” Wyatt holds out a hand to help her up, and she takes it without hesitation.

“Just think about what I said. I know better than most how terrifying the prospect of a relationship like this can be, but I can without a doubt tell you I wish I could tell the me of the past how good it can be.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, and she gives me a bright smile as Wyatt leads her back toward the bar.

Wait a second, she was talking as if Emmett and Kade would both want me…together. But that’s ridiculous. I’m certain there’s something in the Bible that forbids polyamory, but I’ve never picked the book up, so I don’t know for sure.

There’s no way they’re entertaining the idea of sharing me. Right?

I guess there’s only one way to find out, but not tonight.

Tonight, I need some time to process everything that’s happened, and then maybe I’ll be ready to speak to them.

Maybe.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

EMMETT

I’m going out of my fucking mind.

Waverly ignored us for the rest of her shift and then disappeared before I could offer to drive her home. I’m actually not entirely sure how she got out of the club without Kade or me seeing her, but she slipped out, and the only reason we know is because both of our tracking apps notified us she was on the move.

It turns out Kade and I have a lot more in common than I thought we did. Perhaps the twin similarities go past just our appearances.

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