Page 62 of Splitting Secrets
The soft knock on my door is the only warning before Ava cracks the door and cautiously peeks her head through.
“Can we come in?” Her eyes fall to the splintered pile at my feet, then quickly flick back up to me.
I nod and fall onto the crooked mattress as the three of them file in. I don’t miss the way they hug the wall to keep a safe distance.
“Hey, killer,” Beatrix drawls, her voice deceptively calm.
“So that was...” Jonah begins, quickly abandoning the rest of his sentence when I slide my eyes over to meet his.
“That was wrong,” Ava finishes for him. “On so many levels.”
“Yeah, it was,” I agree with a petulant pout.So, don’t try to convince me otherwise.
Ava blows out a breath. “We need to figure out how we’re going to respond.”
That has my ears perking up. “What do you mean, we?”
“We’re doing this together,” Ava reminds slowly.
“An ambush against you is an ambush against all four of us,” Beatrix agrees.
“If you want to pack up and leave, we’re right behind you.” Jonah hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “I mean, maybe wesneak a little bowl of whatever they had in the kitchen, and then we’re out.”
I giggle into my chest, too embarrassed by my outburst to look any of them directly in their eyes.
“Was that really your parents?” Beatrix prods.
My shoulders lift in a shrug. “It sure as hell looked like them.”
“Raze never mentioned anything alluding to them being here?” Ava questions disbelievingly.
That has my blood boiling all over again. I lift my eyes to meet Ava’s, letting her know exactly what I’m going to do to that sniveling asshole when I see him, but she cuts me off by sucking in a breath.
“Your eyes. They’re...they’rered?” It comes out as a question, like she’s doubting what she’s seeing.
She’s appraising me like I’m a monster ready to reach out and take a chunk of her flesh. Beatrix and Jonah have equally horrified reactions, and my stomach sinking to my toes. I wish I could rip these goddamn things out and never deal with this again.
“It’s a Landry thing. I think,” I explain dismissively.
Jonah’s brows hit his hairline, and I notice that he’s leaning away from me a little further now, his arm crossed over his torso. “Red eyes?”
“Yeah . . . ”
His jaw hardens. “No, like...Youririsesare red.” He enunciates the words, as if I’m not fully understanding what he’s saying.
My expression flattens. “Yes.”
“You’re a freaky little thing, you know that?” he teases, though his tone is a little too serious to be convincing.
I huff out a laugh and realize he’s managed to break through my intense anger twice in the span of five minutes. “What ifthose peoplearemy parents? Wouldn’t it be a mistake to run away without demanding an explanation?”
“A worse mistake than letting their own kid believe they’ve been dead for nearly a decade?” Beatrix questions sarcastically. “Absolutely not.”
“They may have a reasonable answer,” Ava tries to say, but Beatrix holds her finger up and starts tutting.
“That’s weird, toxic behavior on everyone’s behalf. I don’t trust any of these people to tell us the truth after that little stunt.” Her eyes slide over to me, brows raised apologetically. “Sorry, Sonny. I know they’re your parents but like...be for real right now.”
“Thanks.”
