Page 81 of Outlaws of Tulsa

He’s not here.

Panic claws its way up my esophagus as realization sets in. I can hear raised male voices somewhere within the house. If he’s with them, will they convince him I’m the enemy?

Bile burns the back of my throat and I stumble out of the bed, rushing to the bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before I’m heaving up everything I ate last night. It’s bitter and disgusting,but the moment it’s gone, I feel better. I’m just flushing the toilet when I feel a presence behind me. I whirl around to face Koyn.

But it’s not Koyn.

“Oh, honey,” Stormy says, her eyes watering as she regards me. “What did he do to you?”

It feels as though I’m punched in the chest. I missed her. The only friend I’ve made in a long time and she’s here. I burst into tears and run over to her. We hug and both cry, neither of us able to talk. Once we’ve calmed, she pulls away to cup my clammy cheeks.

“You’re sick.” Her brows furrow together in concern. Stormy might be a badass biker babe, but most times she feels like a worried big sister.

“Yeah.” I tug from her grip. “I need to brush my teeth.”

She watches me as I scrub away the filth. “Did he rape you?” Her expression is unreadable.

I freeze at her words and spit into the sink. “Who?”

“Koyn.”

Not my father.

“No. We just cuddled.” I rinse and spit again before wiping my face on a towel.

Her blond eyebrows hike up her forehead. “Cuddled?”

“But then he was gone this morning.” My shoulders fall forward. “He’s gone now.”

“And throwing all kinds of a bitch fit downstairs.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

“It’s not your fault,” I say fiercely because it’s not. She’s my friend.

“If I could have stopped it…I mean…I should have…” She drifts off and bites on her bottom lip. “Just give me some time. I’ll find a way.”

Her cryptic words are confusing. I cross my arms over my chest, cocking my head at her. “What way? How?”

Before she can answer, a wave of sickness hits me again. I fly to the toilet but don’t puke this time. I just hug the porcelain bowl, feeling sorry for myself. Stormy squats beside me and pulls my hair back.

“Is this a virus or…” she trails off, leaving the question hanging.

Or am I pregnant?

My first thought is Dad and I almost throw up again. The moment passes when I remember the condoms. Dad and Junior always used them. The only ones who don’t are Magna and Koyn. Magna fucked me a few times this week. But I haven’t had a period in a while, which means it can’t be his, thank God.

“I, uh,” I croak out, doing the math in my head. I should have started my period a couple of weeks ago. “I think I’m pregnant with Koyn’s baby.”

“Fuck,” Stormy curses. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“This is bad, huh?” My chest aches as tears form. Why can’t anything ever be good?

“Really bad,” she mutters. “For so many reasons. Reason number one and the most important at this time is that he’s going fucking insane down there. He’s furious at himself for getting drunk and letting you use him.”

“Use him?” I shriek. “I did what I had to do to get out of that cold hell hole and into better living conditions. I was surviving not using.”

She strokes my hair and purses her lips together. I can tell she’s torn by an inner decision in her head, but I don’t know what. “I can’t get you out of here just yet,” she says in a pained voice. “The timing isn’t right.”

“They’ll kill you if you try to get me out of here,” I warn. “You know how crazy they all are. Even Filter.”

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