Page 61 of A Series of Rooms
Liam went momentarily slack in Ben’s grip. He only had a moment to register the tears on his face before Nathan was propelling himself off the ground, making a lunge for him. Liam was ready for it. He yanked against the restraining hands, eager to get his hands on Nathan again, but Mr. Scott swooped in behind Nathan and dragged him back.
“That’s enough!” His commanding voice stopped them, both of them breathing heavily from opposite sides of the table. “Benjamin, take him outside. Nathan, upstairs. Now. Let’s go.”
Liam didn’t have much of a choice, being the obvious weaker of the two and semi-paralyzed from the adrenaline crash. He let himself be pulled into the attached garage off the Bakers’ kitchen. Ben’s hands dropped heavily onto his shoulders when they came to a stop.
“Holy shit, dude.” To his surprise, Ben was almost smiling, looking at him with a look of bewildered—if not a little concerned—amusement. “What was that about?”
Liam was supremely not in the mood for this. He jerked backwards out of Ben’s reach, swiping at both his eyes. Sensation was slowly returning, a low throb of pain building in his wrists and his knuckles.
“Leave me alone,” he snapped, fingers digging into his scalp.
“Okay, but I don’t know if I should—”
“Just go!”
“It’s okay, Ben.” Liam’s mother appeared in the doorway of the garage. “I’ve got him.”
Ben straightened up, taking a step back. “I’ll, uh. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Liam’s hands slipped down from his hair to cover his face. Quiet footsteps drew closer across the garage floor, but he didn’t look up at his mother’s approach. Something inside of him was hurtling toward a breaking point. He could feel it in his bones, like the vibration of a glass just before the shatter.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but—oof.”
Whatever chastisement he had coming was abruptly cut off by the weight of Liam’s body collapsing against his mother. He threw his arms around her waist, buried his head in her shoulder, and the dam broke. She reciprocated without question, though he was sure she had plenty, pulling him in close.
“Liam?”
A sob tore free from his throat, and he squeezed her tighter. All the weight he’d been carrying inside him was spilling out, desperate for escape.
“Mom.” His voice cracked around the word.
“Tell me what’s going on,” she said.
The invitation split him down the middle, throwing open the gates of secrecy and pain, and letting it all rush out of him in a long, wordless wail.I’m sorry, Jonah. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.
That I can’t keep your promise.
That I didn’t break it sooner.
“Mom, I need your help.”
CHAPTER 28
Jonah
He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until the sound of footsteps on the stairs woke him. Shepard’s silhouette blocked most of the light from the upstairs hallway, but the sudden flicker of the basement bulb made Jonah wince. After so long in the dark, even the dimmest light was hard to take.
“Have a good nap, princess?”
Notably, he had come alone; no Marcus to shadow three steps behind him.
Jonah tracked his approach with wary eyes, the only part of his body capable of movement. Even as the distance closed between them, Jonah couldn’t find the will to retreat. There was nowhere to go, anyway.
“Oh, are you not talking to me? Is that what’s happening?” Shepard dropped into a slow, predatory crouch beside the mattress. “You’re lucky, you know,” he continued. “I could have left you down here to rot, but you’ve been requested fora job tonight. Big spender, friend of a friend. I thought it might be worth giving you a chance at redemption.”
Dread solidified in Jonah’s chest, like cooling magma. Anyone Shepard would risk sending him to, considering the evidence of a beating this bad still painted over his skin, clearly didn’t have Jonah’s best interest in mind.
“Nothing?” Shepard tilted his head. “No gratitude at all?”
