Page 70 of Toxic Obsession

“Open or closed?” I asked Wynter, pointing at the door.

“Cracked. That way we can hear the alarm if someone comes home. I’m pretty sure I can fit under your bed or in the closet if Adam surprises us again.”

“Vaughn knows to call if anyone shows up, too.”

Setting the paper plate and snacks down on my desk, I grabbed Bell’s high school yearbooks off my shelf, then collected several photo albums she’d put together over the years. After the shooting, I’d taken her yearbooks since she’d had nearly the entire school sign them. The books were filled with why people loved her so much, and I wanted to remember her that way, too. Wynter sat on the floor with her back against my bedframe. I joined her, then set the plate between us and dumped some chips onto it. I opened the sodas I’d brought and handed one to her. She must have been hungry because she popped a chip into her mouth. Her tongue darted over her lower lip and my dick throbbed, wishing it was between those pretty lips instead.

She halted mid-chew, her cheeks turning pink. “What? I’m starving.”

“Nothing. I’m happy to make sandwiches if you want, but Lena should be cooking soon. I can bring our dinner up here.” I hadn’t asked her if she wanted to stay and eat, but with Adam gone, there wasn’t any reason for her not to.

“We’ll see.” She motioned at the pile of books and pictures waiting to be opened. “You and Bell were obviously fraternal twins. She looks more like your dad than you.”

“She and Brody look alike too,” I confessed, opening her freshman yearbook.

“Shit.”

I glanced at her, curious why she’d said shit.

“It’s hard for you to look at Brody and not see Bell, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Some days are really hard.” I leaned against the bedframe and shared the book with her. Wynter reached out to turn a page when I asked, “What about you? Who looked like Kyler?”

She froze, her attention traveling from a picture of Bell to me. “Are you just trying to be nice? Because that’s kind of a fucked-up question to ask about the guy who killed your sister.”

I heaved a sigh. “Wynter, I’m trying to understand what it was like for you. Yeah, Kyler killed my sister, and I’m determined to find out why … but you said he was a good guy until six months before shit went south. Regardless, I understand how painful it is to see someone every day that looks like the person you lost.”

She nodded. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore since it stirs up your awful memories, too.” She looked away from me. “I’m afraid to talk about him. People might think I’m sick if I admit how much I miss him. Miss the Kyler I knew before he changed.”

Empathy had never been one of my strengths. I didn’t give a fuck about anyone other than a few friends in the society and on the football team. Spending time with Wynter and learning her story, I was growing a little more open-minded. I wanted to understand who he was to her, and maybe someday I could even forgive him.

“Tell you what. I’ll share with you about Bell first, then maybe I’ll be ready to hear about your Kyler.”

Her chin wobbled. “Okay, but not until you’re ready.”

Before I could stop myself, I pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth, but she didn’t resist or push me away. Pretending I hadn’t just done that, I focused on the yearbook.

“Bell and I ran in different crowds, but we were both popular.” I pointed to a silly image of her in drama club with her friends. “She was so full of life, always laughing at school. The second she set foot in our house, her mood plummeted. She stayed gone as much as she could, but when Adam wasn’t traveling, he insisted she be home to spend time with the family. She hated him as much as I did.”

“Why?” Wynter asked, softly.

My jaw tensed, anger simmering beneath my calm exterior.

“What is it, Quinn?”

“What I’m going to share with you, promise me it stays between us.” I pinned her with an intense stare. I wasn’t fucking around. Other than Brody and Bell, only one person knew what went down behind closed doors. I was about to make it a second.

“You have my word.” Wynter wrapped her arms around herself, bracing for what I was about to tell her.

“Adam beat my ass almost daily after my mother died. Bell saw a lot of it, and she would scream and kick Adam, trying to help me. One day when we were thirteen, Adam went after her. He’d never laid a hand on her before, and I stood there in shock as he slapped her. It was then that I swore I would get strong enough to beat him to a fucking bloody pulp. I’ll never forget the look of horror on Bell’s face.” My fist clenched. “I didn’t protect her. The son of a bitch tripped me up, and I stood there like a fucking dumbass.” I closed my eyes as memories punctured me.

“Quinn.” She placed her warm palm over my fist.

I couldn’t look at her. The guilt was twisting me into a million relentless knots, and I couldn’t lose my shit in front of her.

“That night, I grabbed a butcher knife and snuck into his room. I woke him and pressed the blade against his throat. His eyes flew open and he stared into mine. In that moment, I knew he would make me pay for that, and he did. But I told the bastard that if he ever laid a hand on Bell again, I would slowly poison him to death. He would get sicker and sicker, then die a painful death while I watched from the sidelines.”

I wondered if Wynter was scared of me now. I’d just admitted to threatening to kill my father, but she didn’t pull away.

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