Page 63 of Grave Kisses
“Kendra, baby. Is that you?” Marcus asks.
“Yeah. It’s me,” I sniff.
“Where were you? Last I knew, they were looking for the necklace Alan gave you. It’s a tracker,” Bellamy says, sniffling.
“Uh, the basement,” I say. “Archer said Alan kept it off the floor plans of the house.”
“Archer. Was he down there too?” Marcus asks.
“Yeah. He’s been here since right after the fire when Jeff got control of the house,” I say. “Jeff is tied up, so come over here.”
“We are already in the truck,” he tells me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m okay. Slightly more traumatized, but I’m okay,” I say. “And guys…”
“Yeah, baby?” Bellamy asks.
“Be nice to Archer,” I say.
“But he…”
“No buts. Be nice,” I say. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Okay, baby. We trust your judgment,” Marcus says softly. “We love you so much. We will be there soon, okay?”
“Okay,” I sigh.
I move to sit on the cot, and Archer comes over to sit with me. I am so fucking tired, but I am trying my best to stay awake.
“Just lie down and sleep, Kendra. They can wake you when they get here,” Chrissy says.
“No,” I mumble. “I’m okay.”
“Archer, will you take her upstairs?” Chrissy says. “The guest room on the first floor has a box of her old clothes. I found it when we were looking around. I’m sure she will be more comfortable in an actual bed.”
“No,” I groan.
“Come on, stubborn,” Archer says, scooping me into his arms.
“You should rest too,” I say.
“I will later,” he says.
“I’ll come help,” Decan says. He sounds sincere, but I guarantee it’s to make sure I am okay. They don’t trust him yet.
By the time Archer gets me to the room, I am mostly asleep. “Ah. Here are some pajama pants,” Decan says. They get the pants on me, and I try to tell them to stop babying me, but I can hardly form words. Chrissy ends up coming in and sits on one side of me while Archer is on my other side. He is still tense and in a protective stance, placing himself between me and thedoor, almost shielding me. Chrissy gently strokes my hair, and it forces me into a deep sleep.
I am slowly waking up to the voices surrounding me. “She may trust you, but I don’t,” Marcus growls. “One fucking hair out of place, and I will fucking kill you. Understand?”
“I do,” Archer says gently. “I don’t deserve her forgiveness… but she won’t hear it. She’s as stubborn as Dad.”
“That’s the damn truth,” Martin chuckles. “Look, son. I’ve known you your entire life. I know your dad said some pretty harsh things to you, but I don’t think he ever fully believed that you killed her. Hell, I didn’t either. You struggled and you were a little shit, but raping and murdering your sister? It was hard to comprehend… But then Kendra came along.”
“I don’t get why she is forgiving me… Even with seeing what Jeff did to me down there,” Archer says quietly. “I just want to shake her and tell her she needs to stop being so forgiving, but knowing she is healing from that is a relief. I fucking hate myself for what I did. I can’t blame the drugs, because I was still the one hurting her. She was so sweet and innocent… She just wanted someone to care about her…”
“She is the kindest person I know,” Marcus says with a sigh. “None of us deserves her… But somehow, she finds it in her heart to care, despite how awful the world has been to her.”
“Well, all I will say,” Julie says. “She isn’t reckless. If she forgave you, you earned it.”
