Page 7 of Traitor

"Relax, sweetheart." His fingers trailed down my arm, possessive. "You know you like it."

I glanced at Lucas, my best friend, the one who had brought me here. He didn't stop it. He didn't even look uncomfortable.

He just laughed, knocking back his beer.

The room filled with grins, chuckles, approving nods.

Because in their eyes, this was normal.

And if I pushed him away, if I rejected him, I'd lose everything.

So I sat there, letting him hold me, letting his fingers dig into my hip, letting his lips brush against my fucking hair as he whispered,"That's my good girl."

I wanted to scream.

But I swallowed it down.

Because this was my home, right?

Right?

Five years ago

I made a mistake.

A stupid, desperate mistake.

I should have kept my mouth shut, kept pretending that I was fine, that Jinx's hands on me didn't make my skin feel dirty, wrong, poisoned.

But I trusted Lucas.

And Lucas didn't care.

We were in the garage behind the clubhouse, the air thick with the scent of oil and gasoline, the concrete slick with last night's rain. Lucas was sitting on a crate, rolling a cigarette, completely relaxed, while my entire world was closing in around me.

"You have to tell him to stop," I forced out. My voice was too soft, too small, but I felt raw inside. "Lucas, please."

His fingers didn't even slow as he sealed the paper with his tongue. "Tell who to stop what?"

I swallowed, my nails digging into my palms. "Jinx."

That made him pause. He flicked his gaze up to me, annoyance flickering behind his eyes. "The fuck are you talking about, Ely?"

I stepped closer. "I don't want him, Lucas. I never did. He — he won't leave me alone, and no one's saying anything—"

"Ely." His voice was sharp, cutting. "You know how this works."

I stilled. My stomach dropped.

"What?" I whispered.

Lucas exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Jinx has his mind made up about you. Everyone sees it. And if you're smart, you'll stop fighting it."

I staggered back. "Are you serious?"

He scoffed. "Do you know what Jinx is like when he doesn't get what he wants?"

My hands shook. "So that's it? I just — just let it happen?"

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