Page 9 of Owned

CLAIRE

A knock startles me as I lay on the couch, mindlessly watching TV, or mostly flipping through the channels for the twentieth time.

“Claire, open the fucking door before I break it down,” Rowan growls.

Rolling my eyes, I get up, open the door and head back to the couch.

“Well, hello to you, too,” he greets. “I stopped and got your favorite.” He holds a bag with the restaurant logo of our uncle’s place, who now owns the restaurant he used to work at when he would give us free food. He worked his way up from a dishwasher all the way up to becoming a restaurant owner.

Smiling, I snatch the bag. I know a cheeseburger and a lot of fries are in that bag. “Thank you.”

“Well, I know how to get you to eat.”

“Don’t tell Hayden the secret,” I joke.

“How is it between you two? I know he is here a lot.”

“He’s fucking annoying, that’s how it’s going.”

I sit on the couch and start eating while Rowan sits on the other end. “How’s it been going with you?”

I shrug, not wanting to answer.

“Claire…” he scolds in a low voice.

“He told you, didn’t he?”

“He didn’t go into the nitty-gritty of it. But I’m sure I can fill in the blanks, even though I know he’s trying to spare me. But I’m your brother. I should know what happened.”

Tears spring to my eyes. The details I spewed to Hayden, I never what to say those things again because every time it gets brought up, it breaks off a piece of my soul. I’m not sure I have much left to save.

“I can’t tell you what happened,” my voice cracks. “Because if I do, I know for a fact, it will throw you into a tailspin, and I don’t want that on my conscience as well.”

“I won’t,” he replies.

“Rowan. You are my brother, and I know you very well. And I have never held what you do against you.”

He grows quiet because he knows I’m right, even though I know the overwhelming urge to know what happened is overtaking him.

“Just know, my experience wasn’t a pleasant one. Those men were disgusting, vile men,” I make a face. “And they deserved to die the way they did. Hell, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to slice the one guy’s throat.”

Rowan flinches and begins to hit himself in the head because of the rage he feels…he can’t control it. Reaching over, I steady his hands with my own. “Stop.”

“I should have been the one to save you. That should have never happened to you.” This time, his voice begins to crack.

“No one could stop what happened. And as big and bulky as Hayden is, he couldn’t stop it. So I know damn well you wouldn’t have been able to. No offense.”

“None taken. I’m well aware Hayden is a badass.”

“Aren’t you missing his fight?”

“Yeah. He knows, though. I told him I’d be late.”

I finish the last bite of my food as we sit in silence.

“Do you care if I sit with you for a while?”

“I don’t mind.”

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