“I think that’s a mistake,” Leo replied, jogging up beside me.
“Then it’s mine to make.”
“Hamlet!” I looked over my shoulder to see Skylar running out after us, waving a T-shirt in her hand, a flood of brothers filling the doorway behind her and stepping out into the yard. She made it all the way to us, out of breath and tossed me the T-shirt. “Look after yourself.”
I could see the tears welling in her eyes.
“Look after Meyah,” I responded.
She nodded once before turning and walking away.
“Hamlet Matherson?” one of the officers called from the other side of the gate as we approached.
I took a deep breath and looked over at Romeo who was barely holding it together. I could tell he wanted to step forward, but Op and Blizzard were both right beside him, ready to drop him or knock him out and drag him away if need be.
We’d already discussed this.
I knew it wasn’t me.
I knew we could prove it wasn’t me.
It might take a little while, but I knew we could walk away from this without my brother doing time for killing the man who spent six years torturing him.
We did what we had to do to give him his freedom.
And that meant taking mine away.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“You’re under arrest for the murder of Sheriff John Visser,” the officer rattled, pulling his cuffs from his belt. “You have the right to remain…”
The rest was a blur.
I gave him too much power over me, and now…
I felt used.
I felt betrayed.
I handed him my heart, and he took my soul.
Here I was thinking maybe he was finally interested, that we were finally connecting. I was finding my strength, and he was there for me, standing with me and supporting me while I did. He’d made me feel strong like I deserved more and gave me the confidence to fight for it.
Every touch, every brush of his lips against my skin, he made me feel beautiful and sexy. He whispered things in my ear. He held my body against his as he made me feel pleasure like I’d never felt before like I never imagined feeling with anyone other than someone I loved.
And then he went and threw it back in my face.
Fucking all of it up.
Meyah once again the fool, the one who thought there was more, the one who believed he cared when all he was doing was trying to find information.
A fucking idiot, that’s what I was.
I couldn’t bear to be here any longer. The idea of looking at him again made me feel like I was going to be sick. The ache in my chest started to grow, and I could feel tears building at the back of my throat. It burned, and I squeezed my eyes shut to try and combat the pain, wishing I could just close my eyes and go to sleep, maybe never fucking waking up.
“Meyah, stop,” Mom pleaded as she sat at the edge of my bed, watching me haul my suitcase out of my wardrobe and dump it on my bed.
“I need to leave.” I hurried to my dresser, tugging it open almost violently and rummaging through the drawers, looking for nothing in particular.