“Are you mad I killed them?”
“No. Strangely, proud. The whole family is a little shocked. I think your cousins might be afraid of you now. We all went to the warehouse.”
My mind drifted back to the warehouse and how I'd left their bodies there. I'd butchered them for hours. Each cut or fillet I'd made with Jamie’s switchblade, I'd gotten a moment of relief from my own pain and felt the slight taste of satisfaction as I'd watched them suffer. Just like I'd suffered. But it had been all short lived and I'd known it had been time to end things when they'd started to beg for death. With Jamie’s gun, I'd put a bullet in each of their heads, leaving them behind in that warehouse still tied up in chairs and their blood staining the concrete floor.
I burrowed myself closer to Stefan. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be.
CHAPTER 8
Present day.
In the two days I’d been home, I hadn’t left my room. If it hadn't been a necessity to pee, I would have never gotten out of bed. No one bothered me, apart from the few times someone tried to call my room via the corded landline on my nightstand. I didn’t answer, they didn’t push more than that, and I was grateful. I needed time to work through my shit.
With my head buried under my pillows, I tried to will myself back to sleep. I had no plans of rejoining civilization today, but as I was about to drift off to La-La Land, someone banged on my door.
“Fuck off!” It was rude, I know, but I was almost asleep.
The loud banging was my first clue who was at my door. Stefan had never knocked—the man was too entitled—and Brody did a little tapping noise on the door before poking his head inside. My second clue was the boisterous hyena laugh coming from the other side of the door. Louie.
“Rise and shine, beautiful! It’s time to get up!” he cheerfully yelled as he barged in. I ignored him by burying my face further into the mattress. “You’ve been cooped up in here for days. It’s time to stop sulking and get that sexy ass out of bed.”
I mentally rolled my eyes.
“You can come get lunch with us.”
Us?
My curtains were thrown open at the same time my covers were ripped off my body. I was in nothing but black boy shorts which had ridden all the way up my ass and a very loose white tank I'd found in my closet. The arm holes were so gaping, the sides of my breasts and ribs were visible, and the thin material did nothing to hide my nipples. I was lying on my stomach, so my boobs weren’t on display, but Louie and I was assuming Jamie were both getting a nice view of the serious wedgie I was sporting.
“Damn, Maura. You have a fine ass,” Louie drawled as if enjoying the view. “Is that a tramp stamp?”
Oh, shit! I forgot!
Reaching behind me, I quickly pulled the back of my shirt down. Hands just as quickly wrapped around my legs and I was pulled toward the end of the bed. Before I knew it, Louie was straddling the back of my thighs.
“Louie!”
My hand was shoved away and the back of my shirt was pushed up. “It’s a fucking shamrock! Jameson, look at this shit!”
“I’m Irish. I was also nineteen and drunk!” I exclaimed. I swatted at him and missed. I tried bucking him off, but he barely moved. Asshole. Giving up, I folded my arms under my head and stared at Jamie. He was just standing there, watching us from the side of the bed. “Your boyfriend is being annoying,” I grumbled at him.
He shrugged. “Push him off.” The jerk was completely abandoning me.
“I can’t.”
“We both know you can.” He was right. Instead of tea parties and ballet lessons, Stefan had made sure my time was spent learning self-defense and shooting.
“If I try to push him off my boobs are going to fall out of my top. I’m not dressed to spar, Louie!”
Jamie’s eyes raked over my body, taking in my sparse clothing, as if just noticing. Strangely, I felt heated, hyper aware of the parts of me that were on display.
Um… no! Don’t go there, Maura.
Jamie and I were family. A relationship close to what I assumed a brother and sister had. Jamie was four years older than me. When we were kids, he'd treated me like an annoying kid sister he had to play with. As we'd gotten older, it had become apparent that our family was very different, and our bond had grown stronger, but it had never been more than friendship.
The way he looked at me now, though…maybe I was still half asleep, or maybe—
A strong hand came down on my right butt cheek. Slap!
I yelped.
“I don’t think your tits will offend anyone in this room,” Louie stated.
Alright, I’ve had enough of him.
I pushed up from the bed with all my strength. Catching Louie off guard, I was able to buck him off enough to pull a knee forward, gaining purchase. My back slammed hard against his chest, jolting him backward. Instinctively, his arms snaked around my stomach to save himself from falling off the bed. I quickly reached above me, my eyes locking with Jamie’s as I fisted my fingers around Louie’s soft blond locks. Jamie’s attention dropped to my chest, fixated on what was undoubtedly a nip slip. I didn’t give in to embarrassment. Instead, I pulled the knucklehead behind me down by his hair. I landed back on my stomach with Louie on top of me, smothering my body into the mattress.
“Ow! Fuck, Maura!” Louie barked, pulling his arms from underneath me. His big hands locked around my wrists, holding them still, stopping me from tugging on his hair.
“You don’t like that, baby?” I teased in a sultry voice, then giggled because I couldn’t even pretend to be serious.
Louie’s hands tightened their grip, body going still. Lips pressed against my ear as warm breath tickled along my cheek, conjuring forth a full-body shiver. “I’d like it better if you were naked,” he whispered, his body going lax, molding along the curves of my backside.
This time, it was me that went still. My mind malfunctioned, focusing solely on the feel of him. His warmth, the heaviness of his muscles, his smell. Wow, does he smell good. He wore an earthy cologne that warmed in my nose.
He fidgeted, bringing my attention to the hardness currently pressed against my butt through the thick fabric of his jeans. Instead of being flattered or appalled, I got a shockwave of sickness I was well acquainted with. It wasn’t because of Louie. It just happened every time I came into contact with a certain appendage of a man. My mind automatically flashed back to that night. The feeling only lasted for a few seconds before I was able to shove it away, pulling myself back into the moment. I wouldn’t let what they'd done affect me anymore. If I wanted to be turned on—not that Louie turned me on—I was going to enjoy it, embrace the sexual rush, and not let the sickness it sometimes conjured dampen the moment.
I was only unsettled for a handful of seconds before I was able to bring myself back, but it was long enough to draw attention. “Get off of her,” Jamie ordered firmly. Louie didn’t argue, rolling off as quickly as he could, falling on the bed next to me. I didn’t even realize I had released his hair. My hands were still held behind my head, opened wide, shaking. Shit.
Strong arms rolled me onto my back, and I found myself staring up at Louie. His brows were puckered, looking contrite. I didn’t like seeing him that way. His face was made to smile, and I felt bad knowing I had taken it away.