Page 116 of Did They Break You

“Means I look after you here.”

I ignore the warmth in my chest with those words. “And what about you?” I whisper as Storm resumes flipping through movies. I jerk my head toward the kitchen at our backs. “Who were you texting?”

He shrugs. “My brother.”

That surprises me, and I guess he sees the look on my face because he leans over and pulls his phone from his back pocket, offering it to me as he settles back down in his seat. “Wanna check?”

I glance at his phone and see the screen light up. Mountains in the fall as his background image, which makes me smile.

I consider his offer, my heart racing.

What could be in there?

But then I decide against it. He could be bluffing, but maybe I don’t want to know. “No, thanks,” I say, and he nods, leaning over and putting his phone down on the coffee table, face up.

I settle in against him and he shifts on the couch so his knee is opened up against the back of it, then he drags me into his lap with no effort at all. I relax against his arm propped up on the side of the couch, and he wraps both around me, his hands on my belly, over my hoodie. He kisses the top of my head.

I see Storm glance at us, but his expression is unreadable.

“Put on something scary,” Cortland says, and I tense, going rigid in his lap. He notices, looking down at me over my shoulder, his brows pulled together. “I thought you liked scary movies,” he says, his eyes searching mine.

I lean over, swipe up my drink as Cortland holds me tight. Then I tip back the rest of it, relishing in the way it burns in my empty stomach. When I can’t hide behind the cup anymore, I drop it to my lap, fingers flexing around it. “I used to,” I say, but ominous music starts to play just as Storm turns off the lamp on the end table, casting us all in darkness.

My eyelids feel heavy, even as I stare at the screen, Storm setting down the remote.

A cabin comes into view, a man standing outside of it with a pitchfork in his hand, facing the cabin.

“You used to?” Cort presses, leaning in close to me, brushing my hair from my neck, his breath skating over my skin as he looms behind me. “What happened?”

I can’t look away from the screen, my heart racing in my chest, the drink going to my head. The man, dressed in all black,steps closer to the boarded-up cabin. A bird caws ominously in the distance.

At our side, Storm huffs a dark laugh. “Wehappened,” he says quietly.

I tear my eyes from the TV, turn to meet his gaze in the dark.

My chest is heaving, my ribcage too tight as I stare at him.

The music grows louder. Deeper.

Something is about to happen.

Cortland’s hand comes gently to my collarbone as he pulls me back into his chest. My stomach flips with his touch. “Is that right?” he asks me quietly, his mouth to my ear.

I hold Storm’s gaze as I answer him, the music building.

And building.

And building.

“Yes,” I whisper in the dark as Cortland shifts further on the couch, so we’re facing Storm, the empty cup falling from my lap to the floor, but no one seems to care. Cort slips his hand under my hoodie, his calloused fingers over my bare skin.

Storm bites his lip, his gaze raking over my body, still covered.

“You like him looking at you?” Cortland whispers in my ear.

On screen, a gunshot rings out, making me flinch.

Cortland laughs, and the music stops.

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