Page 78 of You Will Bow

That’s why Zeke was in my room, or at the door, at least. He was leaving a note. Zeke didn’t drug me and take advantage of me then jump out my window.No. I already came to that conclusion.It was Cade. But why does Lev have the note Zeke left.

I pick up the bottle of pills again, then snatch the note and walk briskly to the door, not even bothering to hide the evidence of my ransack.

A ball lodges in my throat, my stomach twisting in knots. I have to compare the pills and I fear that when I see the ones in this bottle match the one I found on my rug, I’m going to realize, it wasn’t Cade who came in my room that night.

It was Lev.

CHAPTER31

LEV

I glanceat my phone to see twelve missed calls from Cade's father. The man may be my uncle, but he's no one I've ever been able to rely on.

After everything that happened with my family, he pretended to generously take me in. That was until they couldn't handle my mood swings. Cade was always making me feel worse, while his father only added to the grief I was feeling at the time.

Eventually, they gave up on me and sent me into foster care. From that point on, things only seemed to get worse for me. Not a single person I was placed with wanted me there, and I was bounced around from one abusive home to the next until the day I turned eighteen. My only constant was Dr. Edmonds, who always made sure I had access to my medication.

I've never needed much, but those few years of being homeless really taught me things. Maddox and Ridge have no idea how bad it was because I didn't let them see. But if it weren't for the sleepovers at Maddox’s house every weekend, there are nights I probably would have frozen to death on a park bench.

When I finally received access to part of my family's funds, I knew what I wanted to spend my money on, and it was finding a way to get better. I want to feel. I don’t want to be this person who everyone looks at as fundamentally broken, even if I may be.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out to see another call coming in from Cade's father. I press the end button, letting it go to voicemail. If he wants to know what happened to Cade so badly, he can come down here and investigate it himself. Even if I didn't know what happened to the son of a bitch, I wouldn't be helping him. Not after the way he treated me.

Pushing the intruding thoughts aside, I embrace the new emotions that have been surfacing lately as I trudge down the gravel road to the warehouse. I shove my hands in my pockets, watching as the clouds drift lazily apart, opening up the sky.

The sun makes an appearance—a bright orange ball of fire, and I feel the scorching heat wash over me. I've been numb for so long that even this small comfort feels like a gift. I know it's because of her. Riley has given me a reason to live again.

A smile creeps slowly across my face as I kick up small stones, sending them flying through the pressed blades of grass. Shuffling my feet, I take long strides toward the main doors. Today's meeting with Dr. Edmonds is going to be different. I can feel it in my bones.

Walking briskly, I go straight down the hall to the room where all our meetings are held. I push open the ajar door and step inside to find the good doc waiting patiently with his hands folded in the lap of his khaki pants. His exposed socks show a blue-and-black checkered pattern that match his blue button-up. After our last meeting, I doubt Doc will ever touch his phone in this building again. I don’t regret my outburst for a second. He’s on the clock when he’s here and I’m paying him damn good money.

“Good morning, Lev,” he says with a broad smile on his face as he pushes up his glasses.

“Morning,” I respond as I make a beeline for the sofa. I plop down on it, legs spread and arms rested out on the top of the couch. “And how do you plan to invade my brain today?”

“Well,” he begins, leaning forward and picking up his notepad on the glass table in front of him, “I was thinking we’d just talk about the present today. How are you handling your social anxieties with your peers and the pressure of your classes?”

I tug on the collar of my shirt, loosening it, then scratch the side of my head. “I’m still alive, and so are my peers, so I’d say I’m handling it quite well. Thanks for asking.”

I can feel my temperature rise as I speak. I’m hyperaware that any second, he’s going to shift this conversation and force me to talk about feelings. The thought alone gets me heated.

“I’m glad to hear that. And your roommates? I assume things are going well with them?”

“Eh,” I tilt my head from side to side, “they’re my boys, so everything is fine.” I sit forward with a grin on my face as I continue, “I mean, we are all fucking the same girl, so there’s that.”

Dr. Edmonds’s eyes widen. “Really? That’s…interesting. And how does that make you feel?”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “She’s got a smoking hot body, Doc. If you saw it, you’d wanna tap that ass, too. Tight pussy.” I jiggle my hands at my chest. “Perky tits and legs for days. Feels pretty fucking good.”

Just thinking about it has my cock twitching.

Dr. Edmonds clears his throat. “I meant, how does it make you feel knowing your friends are having sexual relations with her, too.”

“Oh. That.” I draw my fingers around my mouth, grinning. “Don’t really give a damn, to be honest. Ridge and Maddox are chasing feelings, while I’m just milking my cock in her.”

“I see.” He scribbles something in his notepad, then lifts his eyes again. “At any point in time when you’ve seen your friends with this girl, have you experienced any twinges of jealousy, pain, or anger? Anything at all?”

I drag in a deep breath, contemplating how I want to approach this. I try my best to be honest with Dr. Edmonds by telling him the truth, but I’m not so sure I want him to know what Riley really does to me. He’ll push and make me explore feelings for her that I’m not yet ready to explore. “Let’s just say, this girl is changing my whole life.”

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