Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“I’m going to make this right,” I vow. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“No,” she demands, throwing her hands upon my chest and shoving me back. “You’ll do no such thing. We’ve spoken to the police. Let them handle this. I know you’re hurting and angry, but please, I can’t have you getting involved.”
My blood runs cold. “What do you mean ‘we?’”
“What?”
“You said ‘we’ve spoken to the police.’ Who’s we?”
Mom’s eyes widen just a fraction before they soften with regret. “I’m so sorry, honey. I spoke with Skylah about this last week and we went to the police together.”
Betrayal hits me hard. “She knew about this?” I demand, stepping back from my mother, not trusting myself one fucking bit. My fingers curl around the open cupboard door and I slam it shut, desperately needing a release for this anger building within.
Unable to stand still, I grab my jacket off the counter and head for the door.
“Wait,” my mother calls out. “Don’t go. There’s so much more you need to know.”
I spin around, staring at her as though she’s some kind of stranger. “How could there be more?” I demand. “The guy raped you when you were eighteen, you didn’t do anything about it and then he hurt Skylah. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
She nods, letting out a sigh. “It does, Slade.” Her tears begin to spill over as she makes her way toward me. “I’m so sorry that you’ve had to find out in this way. I’ve always wished there was some way that we could get by without me ever having to share this with you.”
“What?” I question, feeling my impatience growing by the second. I want nothing more than to get down the fucking street and demand answers out of Skylah.
“When I was twenty-three, I’d met your father and had your brother. Life was better and I could finally see a happy future. So, I decided it was time to come clean. I told your father about what Lucas had done to me and together, we went to the police to file a report.”
I shake my head, not understanding why this is important now. Clearly, nothing came from her report because he’s still roaming the fucking streets hurting innocent women.
Mom sighs and her bottom lip wobbles as she meets my eyes. “He came back, Slade, as punishment for talking. He hurt me again and vowed that he’d do it over and over until I finally get the picture and keep my mouth shut. Since then, I’ve never said a word, not until now.”
“What are you saying?” I demand.
“That the second he finds out about this, that we went to the police, he’s coming back here. I don’t know if he’s coming for me or Sky, maybe even both of us, but you need to be ready because that girl is going to need you.”
My eyes drop, hating that she’s going through this. “And what about you?”
“I already have someone holding me up. You don’t need to worry about me.”
I meet her eyes, realizing this is over but as I look at her, there’s still something she’s holding back, something she’s hiding…something bigger than everything she’s already told me, but what the hell could be bigger than what she’s already told me?
“Like a Band-Aid, mom. Just tell me, I can handle it.”
She breaks. Her brows pull down and I see her struggling to hold it all together. “Two weeks later…” she says over a lump in her throat, killing me at seeing like this. “After Lucien had come back, I wasn’t feeling well. He’d got me pregnant, Slade.”
I stare at her, absolutely blank.
Empty.
Hurt.
“What are you saying?” I whisper, terrified of her response.
She swallows and I wait with bated breath. “I’ve never done a DNA test, honey, but your eyes, your jaw…”
She leaves the words hanging between us but I don’t need to hear anymore. “Does she know?”
Her eyes drop in shame and I see the answer before she says anything further.
“DOES SKYLAH KNOW?”
“I’m sorry,” mom cries, nodding. “She did the math and worked it out. She knows…she knows everything.”
She knows everything and yet she never uttered a single word.
I turn and walk out the door as the betrayal threatens to break me.
How could she?
Chapter 12
My body is thrown against the wall after being torn from my bed. My hand mimics the movement of flicking out the blade only there’s no knife.
Where’s my fucking knife?
Fear cripples me as darkness bears down on me.
I let my guard down.
I’m too terrified to look away but the cool breeze hitting my skin tells me that whoever this fucker is just slipped through my bedroom window, a window I should have locked before bed.
How could I have been so damn careless?
Barely a beat has passed before his voice rings out, low and lethal, a tone he’s never used quite this harshly on me. “You knew.”