Page 119 of Devil's Bargain

She walks away to Ben’s room without another word and slams the door shut behind her, making me jump.

“Well, you’re not going home!” Steph says, rubbing her face.

I look away from Ben’s bedroom door. “What do you mean?”

“This guy knows where to find you!”

“Who is it?” Dallas asks.

Ben laughs bitterly. “That’s the million-dollar question. She won’t tell us.”

“I can’t, okay!” My voice breaks at the end. “Everything is fucked up, and I can’t talk about it.”

“But why?” Steph asks, looking confused. “What’s so bad that you can’t talk about it?”

I plead with my eyes. “Please, Steph. Just leave it.”

“Okay.” She holds her hands up placatingly. “Don’t leave.”

“I have to.” It makes me shudder to think what they’d do if I didn’t return home. I’m already in enough trouble as it is for disobeying Scott.

Matt shakes his head. “You’re not going anywhere!”

Josh crosses his arms and widens his stance. “Yeah. I’m with Matt on this one. You’re staying with us until you’re ready to fucking talk!”

I look between them. “You can’t force me to stay!”

Ben scoffs. “We can, and we will. Look at your face, April!”

I bring a hand up to my bruised cheek. “I wanted it.”

A muscle ticks in his cheek. “Sure, but it should be with someone you want to fuck. Not someone who blackmails you!”

“I need another beer,” Dallas says tiredly. “Who wants one?”

I hold my hand up. If I can’t leave, I might as well get drunk.

“Yeah, I’ll have one,” Matt says, giving me a sidelong glance. “When did you find out about these”—he gestures as if lost for words—“fantasies? Fetishes? You didn’t ask me to hit you when we fucked.”

I blush. He says it with such disgust. “Only recently.”

“But how?” he asks. “Help me understand. He hit you, and you thought,Wow I like this. Is that what you’re saying?”

My lip trembles. I wish I could be strong right now, but I can’t hide my shame. “Yes.”

“What?” He scrunches his face up in anger. “He hit you without you asking him to do it?!”

“And I begged him to do it again.”

“You begged him to hit you again?” Laughter bubbles out of him.

“You don’t have to understand it,” Dallas says to Matt.

“Trust me, I don’t! I thought I knew crazy, but this is next level!”

“Can you guys stop fighting!” Steph shouts, glaring at Matt. “Let’s focus on what’s important right now. How are we going to stop the blackmail?”

“We can’t!” Ben chips in. “We don’t know whoheis. She won’t tell us.”

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