Page 72 of Dangerous Deviance
“Don’t replace one system with the other,” she paused, studying me as she did so, as if to make sure that I was actually listening to what she was saying. “The Adlers may not have killed your sister, but they’ve done plenty,” she whispered. “If the situation called for it, they wouldn’t have thought twice about taking her life, and yours.” She stood and gave a curt nod. “You need to think for yourself. Andonlyfor yourself.”
Wil and Derek emerged from the room, and Dr. Mercia’s concerned expression transformed into a warm-hearted one. She held out a hand again, and this time, I shook it without questioning her.
“It was nice to meet you, Ellie. Tell Wil to get in touch with me if I can help you in any way.”
Wil put an arm around me, and calmness settled on my chest. Once she and Derek left the penthouse, Wil turned to me and nodded at the handcuffs.
“You want to try unlocking those?” he asked.
I waited for a moment, thinking about what Dr. Mercia had said. I had to think for myself. I had always assumed Ididmake decisions for myself. But had I let Dr. Bates control me all along? Had Wil controlled me too?
Had my situation with my sister, being her parent for the last of our teenage years, had that controlled my decisions as well?
I didn’t know if it was the best idea to let me go uncuffed again. Not yet.
“Let’s wait,” I said. As much as I hated it, I needed to believe it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to hurt him unless I meant to do it myself. “For now,” I said. Wil put an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in tight, and I let go of those worries, trying to concentrate on accepting the truth.
Dr. Bates had lied to me.
But Wil? He had always been there.
But then I thought of Dr. Mercia’s words.
None of his truths meant that I could trust him.
CHAPTER 18
Wil
My driver rode in the front, while Ellie and I rode in the backseat of the SUV together. It was easier that way; I could stay with Ellie and keep an eye on her. Driving put a person in a vulnerable position, and as much as I hated it, I couldn’t trust Ellie yet. Not completely.
“The others will be there too?” she asked.
I nodded. “Wil and Axe are bringing them.”
“And why are we taking them to a brothel?”
The Dahlia District wasn’texactlya brothel. It was technically an entertainment club for billionaires, who happened to buy sex. But the owner, Iris, had an arrangement with our family. We protected her club from law enforcementifshe paid the price. But since we had separate deals worked out with her husband, we gave her a reasonable fee with the understanding that there may be a future day where we would need her help. Like today.
“They aren’t going to work there, are they?” Ellie asked.
I shook my head. “The club has a few extra rooms in the back. They can stay there. That way, they’re away from our family, but still protected.”
Ellie lifted a brow, but I didn’t offer any explanation. Iris would explain it herself.
After parking, my driver got out of the car and lit a cigarette. In the stillness of the backseat, I turned to Ellie, then looked down at her bruised wrists, still tight in the cuffs.
“Remember what we talked about?” I asked.
“Think about my decisions. Don’t listen to the voice.”
“Listen toyourself,” I said. “Not Bates.” She nodded. “If you actually want to kill me, then by all means,” I smiled, “Do it. I’ll fight back, but…” I shrugged, and a tiny smile flitted across her lips. “But don’t do it because a man from your past told you to.”
Her eyebrows twitched, criticizing my words. “You hate that, don’t you?”
Hated that a man from her past controlled her moves now? Of course I hated it. I hated that a man had violated her, ruined her trust, exposed her to the worst tortures imaginable. That I couldn’t protect her, or for fuck’s sake, do those screwed up things to her myself.
Because at least then, if it had been me, I could take responsibility, and see how it changed her life.
