“When I get my hands on you, those six years with James will feel like heaven.”
I don’t walk out of the formal dining room, I run, down the hallway and through the foyer, needing to get out of this hell. I yank both front doors open and rush outside, only to run into a hard body. A yelp escapes my lips in surprise.
“Whoa.” Hands grip my upper arms, and my legs buckle, but he wraps his arms around me, making me whimper. “What the fuck happened, Elli?” I hear Sin’s voice, and I bury my face into his shirt. The familiar scent envelops me, and I begin to cry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
SIN
SHE CLINGS TO me, and I look up over the top of her head to see Linc standing in the hallway just outside the formal dining room. He smirks at me, and my teeth grind. My arms automatically hold her tighter.
“Linc?”
“I’m coming,” he calls out to her mother, but his eyes are on Elli before disappearing.
The double meaning isn’t lost on me. “Hey?” I pull her away from me, and tears run down her face. I rub them away with my thumbs while cupping her cheek. “What happened?” I demand.
Her big eyes meet mine, and I watch fresh tears spill over her bottom lashes. A trail of black runs down her cheeks, smearing her makeup. “I can’t stay here. Not right now.” She sniffs.
I nod, grabbing her hand and walking her down the steps and over to my car. I open the passenger door, and she falls into it, fixing her dress that had ridden up.
Getting in, I start the car and pull out of the driveway and through the open gate. I feel something on my back. Wetness? Reaching around, I run my hand over my shirt. Looking at my hand, I see it’s bloody. “The fuck?” I look over at her and see her sitting ramrod straight, her hands in her lap and they’re covered in blood. “Elli? What in the fuck?” I bark. “Why are you bleeding?” Did he hurt her?
Her head drops to her lap, and she uncurls her shaking fist.
“Christ,” I hiss when I see a small piece of black glass embedded into her palm.
With her free hand, she yanks it out, and blood starts running down onto her bare legs. The hem of her white dress soaking it up.
I slam on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road, and reach around to the back seat. I grab my duffel bag and unzip it to find a T-shirt of mine. I rip a piece off the sleeve and grab the duct tape. I take her hand, ball up the now ripped sleeve and hold it over the wound on her palm and then rip the end of the tape off with my teeth before wrapping it around four times, taping it with pressure to stop the bleeding. I then throw everything into the back seat again.
Gently grabbing her face, I pull it to look at me. Her eyes have never looked so hollow. They are the prettiest color of blue I’ve ever seen but right now they look dull—lifeless. “What happened?” I ask, worried for her sanity. I’ve seen her break down before, but she looks like she’s about to lose it.
Swallowing, she whispers, “She married him.”
It wasn’t a question. “Elli—”
“She’s doing it … again,” she chokes out. “Why him?”
My chest constricts at her words. I knew Lincoln’s threat was one I should take seriously. But I didn’t realize until now that he had hurt her before. “What did he do to you, Elli?”
She swallows nervously but doesn’t answer me.
“He’s raped you.” I take a guess. He and James were close. I can only assume that if James used her, he let others as well.
Her bottom lip trembles, and she whispers, “I didn’t say no.”
My teeth clench, and I wish I had killed him when I got rid of James. “How old were you?” I can’t fix the situation unless I know what has happened. And I promise, I’ll fix every problem she’s ever had.
ELLINGTON
EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD
I’M LICKING MYlips when Kira comes to stand next to me. She watches herself in my bathroom mirror while she runs her hands through her curled hair.
“Did you ever answer Michael back?”
“No,” I say, popping the top of my lipstick and start applying it.