Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
“Oh, Gray.”
“It hardened me. Something died in me that day. Or I thought it had, until I met you. And I realized I could love someone again.”
He was killing her.
“Don’t cry, baby. This was a long time ago.”
She wiped at her tears, knowing he didn’t like them. But she felt so terrible for that little boy.
“What happened next?”
“Social services took me. Put me in a boys’ home. It was okay. I was taken care of. But I was . . . I was angry. There was this beast inside of me that wanted free. I’d get into fights at school all the time. I just couldn’t get over her death.”
“Is that why you have that In Memory tattoo?”
“Yeah. I got that after I tracked down that rival gang and made sure that the bastards paid for what they did.” He glanced at her. “I’m really not a good man, girl.”
“I disagree,” she whispered.
“After I fulfilled my need for revenge, I was still angry. I needed something and I didn’t know what. I was on this self-destructive path. Until I met Markovich and he gave me a purpose. A home. A reason to keep going.”
So she owed Markovich a big hug.
“I’m so sorry,” she told him, untangling her hand from the blanket so she could reach over to squeeze his leg. “I’m so glad you had Mama Jean, but it’s terrible that you lost her like that.”
“Yeah, I was lucky to have her. Without her, I’m not sure I would have survived. You’re not horrified by what I did?”
“To that rival gang? No. Those bastards deserved everything they got. Wish they were alive so I could help make them pay.”
He shot her a look of surprise. Then a smile tilted the ends of his lips. “You’re so cute.”
“I could do it. I could have mad ninja skills.”
“You don’t have mad ninja skills.”
“Sadly, no.”
He reached down to take her hand in his. “That’s all right. I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know you will.” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t have the most normal childhood either.”
“When I had my guy look into you, he said that it looked like your past before you turned sixteen had been faked.”
She winced. “Shoot. Isaiah will be mad. He created that past for me.”
“My guy is good. He also mentioned something about your stepfather.”
She glanced at him sharply. “He did? What?”
“That cop mentioned him too. Jesse didn’t tell me the details, I didn’t have time for them. Will you tell me?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I just . . . let me send a text to the others. I trust you, but this isn’t all my story to tell.”
She sent a text off.
“I’m glad you have them in your life,” he told her.
“You are?” she said with surprise.
“Well, even though I’d like to have you all to myself, if something were to happen to me, I know they’d take care of you.”
“But nothing will happen to you, right?” Panic filled her. “You’re not sick, are you? You don’t look sick.”
“Baby, calm down. Shh. Deep breaths. Come on, just breathe for me or I’m going to have to pull over. That’s it. I’m fine. I’m healthy. Nothing will happen to me.”
She whacked his chest. “Then don’t say things like that. You scared me half to death.”
“I apologize.”
“All right then. So you don’t know about what happened with my stepdad?”
“No. Tell me.”
She breathed out a sigh. “I have to start from the beginning. With how I met the others. Oh, wait. Let me check my phone.” She checked all the replies to the message she’d sent to the group chat. “Okay, you’ve been voted in so I can tell you this next part.”
“Voted in?”
“To the family,” she explained. “That means our secrets are now your secrets. It’s a big privilege you’re being given. There’s also a ceremony.”
“Ceremony?”
“Yeah, it involves blood and swearing away your first born.”
“What?”
“Joking.” She managed a faint smile.
“Girl,” he grumbled. “This is not the time for joking.”
“Sorry. We actually grew up together. In a . . . well, we used to call it the camp. I think the adults called it that to make it sound fun. But it wasn’t fun. No, that’s not true. Parts of it were fun. Being with my friends, having them around. But other parts of it were truly awful. Terrifying.”
“Where did you live?” he asked.
“We were part of a cult.”
“A cult?” He glanced at her in shock.
“Yeah, The Children of the Divine.”
“Jesus, I think I heard of them.”
“Just over seven years ago, they were disbanded when I was sixteen.”
“And you were all in this cult?”
“Yes. Well, no, our parents were. And we were there by default. It was run by this guy called the Deity. Everyone worshiped that asshole. Well, all the adults. Us kids saw him for what he was.” She shuddered. “He was evil. So charming when he wanted something. But that charisma just hid the fact that he was a psychopath. Maybe. Or sociopath. I don’t know the difference. But he was a liar. He had no morals. And he was a rapist.”