Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Down the hall, the bathroom door opens, and Nix strolls out in a pair of my sweatpants that I left out for him. I still can’t believe it. He’s actually here. I never believed he was dead, but there were times I wondered if we would ever breathe the same air again, since he was so determined to stay away.
He walks on silent feet, like a ghost, and I notice how slowly he approaches Leni, rounding her end of the sofa like he’s afraid of getting too close. Sure, now that I’m around, watching him, he wants to be all protective and gentle. Where was that when he decided to tie her up and use her? “We’ll take care of the bodies. Don’t worry,” he insists. “We’ll go back in the morning, first thing.”
She’s not convinced, wrapping her arms around herself once she’s drained her mug. “It is really weird, having you here like this,” she admits. I’m glad she said it, so I didn’t have to.
“Yeah, you’re usually busting in and doing whatever you want when you show up around here, right?” I ask, and I’m glad when he flinches. He deserves a hell of a lot worse than that.
“It’s weird being here,” he admits. “I didn’t expect this, whatever happened. If I wasn’t watching you earlier…”
Leni shivers, and he winces at the sight. “But some things matter more than staying away. I couldn’t sacrifice you to keep myself safe.”
“Okay, okay.” I’ve had enough of this. “Let’s not throw a parade for you or anything, you know? What the hell is with you letting me think you were dead all this time?”
“You didn’t believe I was.”
“That doesn’t matter—you get my point. Why did you stay away all this time? And how…”
He waits with a smirk twisting his lips until I finally have to look away. “Come on, brother,” he invites. “What were you going to say?”
Asshole. “How did your face end up the way it is?”
He runs a hand over the scar tissue, covering almost half of a face that used to be as familiar to me as my own. With a soft sigh, he lets himself drop into an armchair across from us. “I’m not proud of what I did, but in the moment, it felt like the right thing to do. Really, it was Bradley’s idea—and I know he can’t defend himself now, but it’s the truth. If it was all me, I would tell you. And it’s not like I didn’t go along with him,” he adds with a bitter laugh.
“What are you talking about?” Leni whispers, though I think I know. It’s the only thing that makes sense, the only reason he would have for letting me think he was dead.
And he knows that, too. His eyes meet mine before he confesses, speaking slowly, like every word takes effort. “We set the fire in the house. Bradley and me.”
Leni flinches, and I take her hand while he keeps going. “I never gave him any specifics of the shit he made us do, but he knew I hated Dad. And that day, I’d had enough. I was ready to explode. There was all this shit inside me, all this rage, and I wanted to make him hurt. I thought burning down the house that meant so much to him, burning up all his things, he might finally feel a little pain. And… I don’t know.” He can’t look at Leni anymore, can’t watch her crumble in pain. He looks away before muttering, “It got out of hand. I don’t know what the hell we were thinking, but it all got out of hand.”
“Did you know they were home?” she whispers. The pain in her voice—I wish somebody would hit me and get it over with, because I could stand that. I can’t stand the sound of her pain.
“I didn’t know your mom was there. I swear. I wouldn’t have done it if I knew she was there. She wasn’t home when I got there with Bradley, and we went down to the basement for a little while hanging out—that must’ve been when she got home. It was so stupid. We were drinking; I wasn’t thinking straight. I am so sorry, really. She didn’t deserve that.”
Leni releases a shuddering breath and looks at the floor, breathing slowly like she’s fighting to control herself.
And he knows it, and I see the pain it brings him, but maybe he deserves it.
“Finally, it was all too much, and we started to run for the back door. I thought we would have more time. I really did, but it spread fast. Bradley pushed me in front of him—he was screaming at me to get out. And I did. I made it out maybe a handful of seconds before the explosion. But he was still inside.”