“Dad’s daughter tried to kill me,” I said, my voice hoarse.
The truth liberated me. The more I said it aloud, the lighter I felt. I was coming to terms with my father’s actions. Not to say I’d forgive him, because right now, I couldn’t imagine doing that.
George looked at mom and Lincoln. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“Your father had a daughter with Elle Valentine,” Logan said.
George paused, seemingly just noticing Logan. “What’s your role in all this?”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
George’s brows furrowed. He looked just like dad when he did that. My stomach coiled.
“Jesus,” Ed breathed. “Fuck.”
My older brothers shared a look. It was something Lincoln and I could do, and they could do, but the four of us really couldn’t do together.
“Go down to the station and find out what’s happening,” Mom said after a long time.
She’d stopped crying, though she didn’t look any less disturbed. Ed and George walked up to me, both saying goodbye to me and shooting warning looks to Logan. He didn’t even flinch. The minute they left, Lincoln exhaled loudly.
“Wow.” He glanced up at me. “She was really alive?”
I nodded slowly. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I didn’t want to talk about it or recall the way things played out, but for my brother, I would. For his peace, I’d give up my own. Mom and Lincoln left shortly after, promising they’d be back soon. Mom said she needed a shower. Lincoln agreed that she needed a break from things. I felt awful and when she hugged me goodbye, I held her as tight as my weak arms would allow and apologized into her perfectly brushed back hair. She wiped her tears as she left the room and thanked Logan before closing the door behind her.
“You can take a break too if you want.” I glanced at Logan, who was now sitting in the chair beside my bed.
“I’m fine.”
“Do you have a game?”
“No.”
I watched him. “You do, don’t you?”
“I’m not going, so what does it matter?”
“You can—”
“Amelia. Stop talking. I’m not moving from this chair unless I need to pee and even then I may just call the nurse and have her bring the pan.” He stared at me. “I’m not leaving your side.”
“Okay,” I whispered. Who was I to argue with him? I didn’t want him to leave my side anyway.
“You should probably get some rest.”
“I can’t.” My voice was a broken whisper. “Every time I close my eyes, I’m back in that coffin.”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes glazed over as he caressed my hand. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered.” I shook my head. I’d thought about that a lot.
Hailey had planned this meticulously. I wasn’t sure where she was now, but I was grateful for the police officers guarding my door because at least I knew I was safe in here, with Logan. She would’ve found a way to hurt me anyway though.
“She could have killed you.”
I stayed quiet. A part of me felt like she had. Maybe I would feel better once she was caught. Maybe I would feel like I could close my eyes once I knew she was no longer around the corner from me. As I lay there, I thought about all of it—from my first day here to today. She’d probably purposely planted that flyer of the coffee shop right in my apartment door, knowing that I’d take the bait and go seek it out. I thought of her mother and wondered if she was complicit in all of this? Had her jealousy led to her daughter’s obsession? Had she known? I shivered again. I wanted to graduate and get my degree from Ellis, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stick around long enough.
Chapter 49
It had been two months since I was buried in the ground and left for dead. Two months since Hailey and Deacon’s arrest. One month since their conviction. Two months since dad and Ella Valentine were also arrested and both let go without so much as a slap on the wrist. Maybe Ella hadn’t been guilty after all. Who knew? I saw her once after the whole thing. She broke down in tears when she saw me and apologized for her daughter. She seemed like she meant it, but honestly, I didn’t care. It seemed like not much moved me these days. I didn’t cry. I barely ate. I barely participated in anything at all. Some days I hung around Logan and my apartment. I’d moved out of mine and taken all of my things to his. Some days, I hung out at The Lab, wandering the haunted halls, almost wishing something would jump out and scare me. Some days, I just sat in a dark room to test my bravery and see if I could handle it. The Eight thought I was crazy, though they didn’t say it and I knew they wouldn’t blame me if I was. I wasn’t. I was just trying to find myself again. Sometimes on the road to finding oneself, one must do crazy things.
Adam and Will, the guys who found me, came around often to check on me. I found it hard to believe that The Swords were as sinister as The Eight made them out to be, but then I remembered the coffins. Logan didn’t like when they came around without him being there. Logan didn’t like it when anyone tried to hang out with me without him being there. He was more paranoid than I was. He dragged me to all of his games and I was okay with that. Sometimes I took Max. Other times I took Celia and Max. Sometimes Nora went with me. I was never alone unless I was in my room in The Lab or our apartment when he was in practice. I didn’t like to be alone anymore. My brother was still recovering. He was getting stronger though and stayed at The Lab whenever he was in town.
Some days, like today, I sat outside in the little garden between the walls of The Lab, staring at the ivy, wondering when it would take over everything around it. I glanced at the door when it opened and watched as Logan walked out and over to me. He sat down in the chair beside me. On days like today, when my depression felt suffocating, I wish he’d just let me go, but like the ivy, he stayed. He grabbed my hand in his and kissed it, staying quiet as he sat there.
“You don’t have to stay,” I said, my voice hoarse. As much as I wanted to push him away, to keep him free of this darkness, I wanted him to stay. I needed to give him the option though. It felt selfish not to.
“Stay where?” he asked after a long moment.
“With me.” I met his gaze, his green eyes rivaled the ivy behind him.
“Where would I go?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Somewhere happy.”
“Somewhere happy.” The side of his mouth pulled up. “You are my happy.”
“I can’t . . . I can’t just expect you to put up with this,” I whispered. “You can find another girl. One with less . . . baggage.”
“Oh, Mae.” He sighed heavily. “When I’m not with you, you’re all I think about, to the point that I just want to leave whatever I’m doing to come right back to you. I wouldn’t go find someone else. There is no one else.”
“But I’m sad.” I blinked. My eyes filled with tears again. “All the time. All the time I’m just . . . sad.”
“Yet you’re still my happy.”
I shook my head. The tears began trickling down my cheeks.