I lift her chin to close her mouth.
“I don’t know much about this Phillip guy, so I don’t know what he’s capable of. Until then, I don’t want you or Elijah out of my sight.”
“Trouble—”
I cut off her protest. “I’ve got a couple extra bedrooms. You and Elijah can stay in one.”
A wisp of hair gets caught on her lip when she shakes her head.
“That’s not it.” She brushes her fingers over her cheek, dislodging the hair from her lip. Her look turns pensive. “Why are you helping us? We’re not your problem. There’s no need for you to get involved.”
That’s where she’s wrong. This is my problem, because I’m making it so. I still don’t know what this thing is between Remi and I. All I know is the thought of something happening to her or Elijah makes me want to ram my fucking head through the wall.
“Because people like Phillip don’t deserve to walk freely. And no woman should be so damn scared she shakes so badly her teeth chatter.”
Her eyes fall away, and she trails an invisible line on my shirt with her finger. It sends a shot of hunger to my stomach. I grab her hand and flatten it against my chest before the feeling has a chance to reach my dick. Now’s not the time for me to get hard-on, especially with her on my lap where she’ll feel it.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about Phillip. I need to know what kind of man he is. He’s your friend’s father, right?”
Her head jerks up once. “Yes. I met Lynn when I was eight. Her and her parents moved in across from us. My dad loved my brother and me, but he worked a lot, so I’d spend most of my time at Lynn’s house. He was always so nice to me. He’d take us for ice cream and watch us play in the pool in the backyard when her mom was at work. He’d lather us with lotion and sit right at the edge to keep a careful watch on us to make sure we were okay.” She stops abruptly, and squeezes her eyes shut. A tear leaks down her cheek and it lacerates my insides. “H-he’d let us drive his t-truck. We’d pull down this dirt road on the outside of town and he’d ask which one wanted to drive f-first, then help us crawl into his lap. He’d hold us there and let us inch forward on the road. After a while, we would switch places. We were so excited and thought we were such big girls.”
Her eyes open and land on me. Hate, pain, and disgust mingle in their depths. It’s a combination that matches my own emotions. Her hands fist my shirt, her fingers digging into my flesh, and I relish in her anger, wanting more of it.
“He didn’t do those things because he cared. He did them because he got off on it. His morbid imagination and repulsive fantasies.”
Her lip curls and her jaw hardens. I lean forward and tuck my arm tighter around her.
“He’ll pay, Remi,” I promise her on a low growl. “I swear he’ll pay and get everything he deserves for ever laying a hand on you.”
TROUBLE
THE PAST
SOMETHING’S DIFFERENT. Different has the potential to be good. It means that what’s going to happen has the possibility to not be as bad as what I normally go through. Different should lift my spirits. It should give me hope of something better.
It doesn’t.
Change isn’t always good. It isn’t always better. Different means you don’t know what’s coming. The unknown is scary and has the potential to be worse. Which it normally is. I hated different.
Instead of leading me to the usual table Mr. Leland likes to use, he walks me across the room. His grip on my wrist is tight, and dread fills my stomach.
I keep my eyes forward and try my best to ignore the cries, screams, and grunts going on around me. My body already hurts, and I haven’t even been touched yet. The pain actually started earlier today, because I knew what the night would entail.
It’s Hell Night. The name fits perfectly because that’s exactly what me and all the other kids in Sweet Haven go through. Unimaginable. Hell.
I spot Judge lying on a bed with Mrs. Moore sitting on his lap. Both are naked. His head is turned away and his eyes look dead. JW’s bent over on his hands and knees on the same mattress with Trey, his brother, behind him. His forehead is resting on his arm, and I notice the glistening on his skin from his silent tears.
Mr. Leland stops, and I jerk my head up. The dread in my stomach has changed to a lead ball the size of the huge oak tree in my back yard.
“Why are we here?” I ask, fear making my voice squeak.
He yanks me closer to him and gets in my face. “We’re doing something different tonight.”
I frown and look over to Emo. His jaw is tight, his eyes as black as midnight, and he appears to be shaking. I move my eyes to Rella, who’s lying on a table quietly crying. Mr. Masters is standing beside her, petting her hair. I want to yank his hands off her.
“I want to see brother and sister,” Mr. Leland announces.
“What?” I shout and try to pull my arm away. My eyes shoot to Mr. Leland. “I ain’t having sex with my sister! That’s crazy!”