Page 46 of Beautifully Reckless

“Well, honestly Lexi… this baby could be Craig’s. Or Michael’s. Or Tim’s. Or even Darnel’s.”

Lexi freezes. Her eyes are locked on mine, wide and unblinking, and the only reason I know she’s still breathing is the way her chest rises and falls.

“Are you saying…” she whispers, her voice barely there.

She can’t say the words. Can’t even bring herself to finish the sentence.

But I can. I have to. Because it happened to me, and because this ismybaby.

I said the words earlier, up on the rooftop. I can do it again.

“Theyallraped me, Lex. On my eighteenth birthday. And again over the long weekend in November.”

I drop my gaze to my belly, running my hand over the bump as fresh tears finally break free.

“It was the November weekend. That’s when my baby was made.”

When I glance up again, tears track down Lexi’s face, her cheeks flushed, and her face is twisted with a storm of emotions.

Grief.

Helplessness.

Rage.

“Abs…” she chokes on a sob, before her expression hardens, fury overtaking everything else as she whips her head towards Ringo.

“You have to kill them. Iknowit’s something you do. I’ll pay you.”

Ringo’s voice is pure steel. “Already in motion, Lex. No need for payment. But first, I’m taking Abbey somewhere safe. Somewhere they can’t touch her. Then, one by one, I’ll hunt those fuckers down and torture them until they die. Mark my fucking words.”

“Who are you killing?”

I whip around with a sharp gasp to find Marcus eavesdropping in the doorway, eyes burning with rage.

“For fuck’s sake,” Ringo snaps. “Is there no fucking privacy around here?”

9

My lids shoot open with a start as I feel someone watching me, only to find my pretty Angel hovering at the foot of the armchair I claimed as my bed for the night.

“Angel?” I whisper, watching her fingers nervously twist at her sides as she glances over her shoulder to her sleeping friends spread throughout the living room.

When she turns back, the faint light from the corner of the room is enough to show me how anxious she is. Not just from her fidgeting hands, but the tight pull of worry across her brows.

“I can’t sleep,” she whispers, before sighing and shaking her head. “Shit, sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you. It’s not your problem.”

She turns to leave, but I sit taller in the chair and grasp her wrist, giving it a gentle tug.

A gasp escapes her, but before she can react, I have her on my lap, cradled against my chest as I lean back again and get comfortable.

She remains quiet as I settle us into the recline of the chair, her big eyes peering up at me through the dark fan of her lashes. She’s clutching the hem of my t-shirt, the one I insisted she wear to bed, as if to try and cover herself up.

I don’t know if this is what she wanted, to end up here on my lap, but it’s what’s fucking happening. I hated that I couldn’t sleep beside her tonight. But as much of an arsehole as I am, I won’t be the prick who comes between her and her friends.

Especially after Marcus overheard my admission about planning to kill someone. The nosey, perceptive fucker instantly clocked that something deeper was going on, especially with how rattled Lexi was after Abbey’s confession.

Fuck. Hearing the pain in her voice as she spoke the words for the second time tonight nearly wrecked me. I’m not sure why, but it seemed more painful for her to tell Lexi.

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