“Did he try that shit with others?” I asked when she didn’t answer.
“No… yes… I don’t know exactly. He just asked me to bring them to his office. That was all I did. I told myself that he would be with me once he got them out of his system, so I did what he’d asked but then he asked about Lucy, and I got angry because he promised.” I stared at her, appalled by her words.
“Josie, please tell me you had nothing to do with luring those girls to him.” She looked away guiltily, and I knew she did. How could she do that to another woman?
“You let your mate rape them?” I asked, disgusted by her.
“He may not have. I didn’t stick around to see but he wiped their memories. He wanted to do the same with Lucy.”
“How many? And how could you, Josie?” I asked, standing up and walking along the branch, needing to put some distance between us.
“Don’t judge me, Melana. You can’t talk. Look at what you are doing to your mate.”
“That’s fucking different, and you know it. I have no choice here,” I spat at her.
“Whatever. You knew Ace had a mate, knew you had one!” she growled.
“I didn’t believe him, though. He was fucking drunk, and it was years ago on his birthday. He mentioned it once and never again. It wasn’t until she came back that I realized he meant it. It’s not like they both shouted she was their mate from the fucking rooftops.”
“Yeah, but what about your mate? At least I didn’t reject mine. Ace always said nothing more would ever come between you. He told you he was waiting for his mate. He made that damn clear when you first got involved with each other but you still rejected your mate?”
“Don’t try to turn this back on me. What you did was worse. You lured his fucking victims to him and let him rape them. But hey, no harm done, right? Because he erased their memories,” I spat at her, disgusted she was my sister, disgusted I had thrown everything away for her only to find out she was just like her despicable mate.
“He said he couldn’t help it, that the urges were too strong, and once he got them out of his system, he would stop and come back to me.”
“You are not defending him right now. What is wrong with you? Are you really that stupid, Josie? He used you, used you to get to them.”
“You think I don’t know that now?” she yelled, and we both froze, gazing out the branches to see if anyone heard her. Ace and Jacob were further up the river, now thankfully out of hearing range with the wind blowing in our direction.
“I threatened to tell. I told him no more and…” She looked away without finishing.
“That’s why he sold you out, isn’t it? You told him to stop, and he stole the shipment.” I groaned; it all makes so much fucking sense.
“I didn’t think he would do that. I didn’t think he would cross me like that. He said once he had Lucy, he would give it back, and we could be together. We were going to run away and leave everything behind.”
“So, you sold out your best friend?”
“What? No! I tried to help. I was going back for her, but I knew no one would believe me, so I took the pictures, but I was going to intervene. I wanted to help her but—”
“But what?”
“You have no idea how hard it is to go against your mate, Melana. When I saw her with him, it enraged me. I felt betrayed because he didn’t want me. He wanted my friend. It’s always Lucy everyone wants, always her side they choose even my mate chose her over me,” she said, tears streaking down her face.
“So, you were going to walk away because you were jealous of her? Jealous your bastard mate wanted to rape her?” I snarled at her.
“It’s not my fault, and she fought back. She got away, so no harm done. I can’t help how the bond makes me feel. I know what he did was wrong, but it was like she was the one that betrayed me for making him want her over me.”
“I can’t believe you. Mom would have been disgusted with you. We were nearly free, Josie. I was nearly free, and then you had to fuck things up by trusting that leech and handing shit over to him. This is exactly why I told you to stay off Jamie’s radar. You just had to get involved,” I told her.
“I wanted to help, Mel. Do you know how hard it is knowing I am completely dependent on you? How hard it is knowing you were caught up with him because you promised mom to watch over me?” she said.
“And that was my choice. You should never have gotten involved. Now we are both trapped.”
Josie hung her head and rubbed her eyes.
“I’m starting to think we should have walked away,” I whispered to her.
“What about your mate?”