Page 114 of Home to the Hollow

Wolfie flat out snorts at the pout on Doyle’s face when he realizes I will not fight with him. “Oh, sugar, you clipped his wings, but good. He was spoiling for a fight.”

“Good girl, Tilly. Make him work for it,” Teddy rumbles, his eyes dancing with mirth. “Can’t have him thinking he’s in charge.”

Doyle rises, walking past me and ruffling my hair. “Ah, Tíogair. You make life interesting. I’ll be back to continue our dance once I’ve contacted Odie.”

As he walks away, I look at the others with a frown. “Did you know?”

They shake their heads, and I wrinkle my nose. “He’s such a goddamned mystery. None of you were this hard to get close to.”

“Honestly,drugar, you’re closer to him than anyone in town outside Mayor Nelia. That jackass has lived here for years and he hasn’t batted a lash at anyone. You’re the first woman he’s paid attention to since he showed up. Hell, I don’t even know where he lives.” Teddy looks at the others and they nod in agreement.

“Does that strike you as odd?” I ask, tilting my head. “I know he’s on our side—I don’t believe he’d do anything to hurt me—but I want to get to know him better. I want… I want us all to fit together.”

Prez leans over, making Teddy growl as he shifts on his lap. He and Wolfie switched places after they got a fresh round of drinks, forcing Edgar to give in and let him sit on his lap. “Magpie, he’ll come around. He strikes me as a lone wolf and he has to learn to play on a team. Give him time. He asked you if you wanted him to call his raven—in his own way. That’s progress.”

“I didn’t think about it that way. I suppose it is better than doing whatever the hell he wants without telling us.” I ponder for a moment, then smile at my McSteamy doc. “Thank you for saying that, Prez. It helps.”

“Uh, guys?”

All four of us look up at the lumbering giant in front of us. Benjamin Louis Foster, the jovial proprietor of the Speakeasy, is wearing a Beast at the ball costume. It couldn’t be more appropriate for his hulking frame or mane of wild dreds. His chestnut colored skin is perfectly suited to the golds and royal blues of his formal waistcoat and my jaw drops as I take him in. Scrawny Benjy was decent looking at the door of the bar, butthisBenjy is straight up on fire.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” Teddy grins, holding his fist up to bump.

“I… I have a bad feeling, E. Something is going down, and soon. Sherilynn and all of her friends are MIA. They literally disappeared—one by one—and I didn’t notice because I was trying so hard to avoid her.” He shuffles his feet, looking uncomfortable. “She hasn’t taken the separation well. I hope she isn’t acting out because of?—”

“Dude, Sherilynn was a viper in high school, and she made you miserable from the moment you married her. Whatever she has cooking isn’t about you—it’s because she and the other girls follow Amy Matilda like lemmings off a cliff,” Teddy chides, shaking his head.

“She knows we didn’t separate solely because of her behavior. I didn’t tell her, but she’s not stupid, man. I’m worried they have something ugly planned—again.” His gaze cuts to me and my entire body freezes in place.

Oh, no. No. No. No.

They can’t have some elaborate bullshit planned in this place, at this event… I can’t. I don’t think I can go through this again—not a repeat of the past. I’ve been healing, but the wound is not closed and I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to relive it.

“Sugarplum, I’m gonna need you to breathe,” Wolfie whispers, leaning in to put his forehead on mine. “I can feel your pain. I wasn’t here when it happened, and I’ve only heard stories. But I know you were a kid and you’re a beautiful, accomplished woman now. They can’t hurt you like they did before.”

The golden sheen of glitter on his skin intensifies, and I can feel his warmth surrounding me. It helps, as does the tightening of Isis around my ribs. A tear slips from my eye as I whisper, “Wolfie, you don’t understand. It wasn’t just them. There was more to it—more than people know.”

“Jolene, I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, but I came to help you guys slip out before whatever happens goes down. I saw Haggerty outside. He’s waiting for your companions, but he knows to be on alert just in case something is coming from outside of the building.” Benjy shifts uncomfortably, holding his hand out.

I look at the boys, surprised when Wolfie stands and they all nod at me. “If you think we should follow him, I trust you.”

“Benjy tried to stop what happened in high school, Tilly. He’s the one who came out to find us when he overheard the girls giggling in the back. We were all too stupid, high, and full of our parents’ toxic bullshit to understand what was going on,” Teddy says quietly. “We didn’t listen and by the time we got inside, the damage was done.”

I blink, looking at the enormous man holding his hand out. “Is that true, Benjy?”

He nods, flushing red under his copper hued skin. “It is. Teddy convinced me that there was a secret room upstairs, and I saw her approach them. I heard what they offered and how it came about. I ran to tell the guys, but they were… hell. They were stupid kids; we all were. I never got to tell you how sorry we were.”

Fucking hell. That makes me madder than a cat being baptized. For years, I thought everyone in this town took part or took pleasure in my humiliation, and I was wrong. Benjy tried to prevent it and the guys might have helped if they weren’t stoned out of their gourds. I had allies; they were just fuck-ups.

“Thank you for telling me that,” I whisper, taking his hand. I’m not a small girl, but his size dwarfs me a bit and I’ve never had that happen before. At least, not up this close. Tharin is easily this size, but I’ve never been this close in proximity.

“We should get moving, guys. If Benjy’s feeling is right, whatever those bitches have planned could happen any minute.” Prez tugs Teddy up after he stands, looking around the room suspiciously.

“He’s right, Tilly. We need to get gone before it all goes to hell. Benjy has a good sense of impending doom. It’s eerie.” Edgar peers across the room, his gaze piercing as he takes in the scene.

“Okay. Let’s figure out how to get five people in outrageous costumes out the back before anyone notices,” I concede.

“I think we should part ways. Magpie, you stay with Benjy. Pretend to dance and we will all split up. Once we’re clear, he can pretend to walk you out to the garden. No one will suspect anything because we’re not along for the ride,” Prez murmurs.

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