Page 99 of Pray for Scars
“Maverick,” I say, ignoring him. “He’s my…”
Angel.
I try to swallow, but my throat is too dry. I bring my hands to my mouth, feel my rapid pants hit my palm. I try not to think about what we did. About…him inside of me. About that belt…
My angel with pale blue eyes.
Take care of it.Maddox. His father.
Jeremiah laughs, and it startles me. We pull up in front of the warehouse. He throws the SUV inPark,turns to glare at me, cocking his head.
“It all makin’ sense now?” he asks me, his tone harsh.
I shake my head. “No,” I answer honestly, pulling my hands from my mouth. I undo my seatbelt, press myself against the passenger door. “Tell me everything,” I hiss. “Tell me everything now, Jeremiah.”
He smiles. It makes my skin crawl.
“Ria was smarter than the rest of us,” he muses, almost to himself. “Or maybe she just got lucky, getting her hands on those documents.” He grips the gearshift in his hand, one still clenched around the steering wheel, his eyes on the warehouse. “The 6 can’t have children born out of wedlock with their filthy whores.” He smirks, glances at me. “You’re only Maverick’s half-sister, don’t feel so disgusted with yourself, Sis.” His sick smile widens, and then he continues speaking. “Lazar Malikov orchestrated a grand scheme todeal with usand make himself more money in the process.”
He laughs bitterly, shaking his head. I see his knuckles blanch on the gearshift. “So his mistress had me, while Lucifer’s mom was still living. Lazar sent me off to California. And then, a few years later, when Maddox couldn’t keep his dick in his pants either with a different woman, Lazar sent you after me.”
My nails dig into my palms again, my muscles tense, legs ready to run. To rip open this door, jump out of here, and run into the forest. To die, to live, I don’t care.
“But the Forgues, they didn’t have a son, and only men can be heirs in the 6.” Jeremiah snorts, but I’m not sure if that means he disagrees with their rule, or if he just realizes how fucking stupid it sounds when he says it out loud. “They took me, and Lazar put you on the same plane, because he had plans for you.”
He turns to stare at me.
“You know what they were, Sid,” he whispers, his eyes narrowed. “I know you tried to forget. But you’ve got blood on your hands just like the rest of us.”
Reverend Wilson.
And so many more I couldn’t quite kill.
I shake my head, bite my lip to keep it from trembling.
He smiles, no warmth in it. “Oh yeah, Sid Rain, you’re just as bad as me, aren’t you?” He leans in close, across the center console. I press further against the door. “You killed the first fuck to put his hands on you, didn’t you?”
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.
He leans back in his seat and I breathe a little easier. But only a little.
“I didn’t know, during our unfortunate encounter in that shitty hotel after I hit Michael over the side of the head with a brick.”
My blood runs cold.
“But I’ve figured it all out now, with Brooklin’s help. With being thrown to the wolves. With a little pep talk from Lazar.”
He hears my sharp intake of breath, turns to look at me, staring at me for a long moment before he speaks again.
“He passed you around for a while, didn’t he, Sid?” He frowns, cocking his head as he keeps his eyes locked on mine. “You got fucked up, Sis. But you fought back.” His frown flips to a manic smile. “You fought back, and that wasn’t so great for Lazar Malikov and the 6. The foster parents that paid for a young girl didn’t expect a monster beneath those beautiful grey eyes. They didn’t expect todiein their sleep after they got inside you, did they, Sis?”
No. No. No.
I close my eyes. This isn’t real. This isn’t my life.
“You fought back, with knives and fire and whatever you could get your tiny hands on. And then you slipped through Lazar’s fingers into a decent home, and then you left. Disappeared. Became a fucking whore, evading his notice, because he doesn’t like used goods. He likes little girls. But finally, he found you. And he sent hisotherson after you, to clean up his mess. And on a night like Unsaint’s Night, well,” he laughs, “it’s easy for girls to disappear.”
My chest tightens.
