“Thank you,” Elyse says, looking me straight in the eyes. I almost laugh. She is thanking me. I’m the one who should be doing all the thanking. To be able to have Sophie in my life is more than I could have ever wished for. More than I deserve for sure.
“You really don’t have to thank me.” Elyse wouldn't be thanking me if she knew what I had done to her sister two weeks ago but I don’t say that out loud. I want to never think about that day again or how close I was to losing her forever.
36
Sophie
Dinner is served, but the last thing I want to do is eat. I feel like there is a bowling ball inside my stomach rolling around. The men drink, and nearly all the women have water, or juice. Xander leans back in his chair casually, smiling and talking, and Damon does the same. I watch my sister as if she is going to disappear at any moment. My mind is reeling. All I can think about how she’s supposed to be dead but she isn’t. She’s right here in front of me, smiling and talking.
I can’t believe this is real, Elyse, my baby sister. I thought I had lost her forever and now she is here, with me. Alive and happy…happier than I’ve ever seen her before. I listen to every single word that passes her lips. She explains how she met Hero in college and how our parents tried to get her to come back home. How they had her kidnapped by Hero’s father.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after what they’ve done to me, but I am. I’m surprised because even though my parents were abusive to all of us, it seemed like Elyse had always been their favorite. She would get away with things when the rest of us would get punished. I never resented her for it though. In fact it was entirely the opposite. I was glad they weren’t so hard on my baby sister.
“Hey…” Roman leans into me, his lips grazing my ear as if he knows that I need him to save me from my own mind. His sensual voice caresses me from my thoughts. I twist in my chair to face him.
“Yeah?” I rasp, keeping my voice low. Elyse keeps glancing at me as I do her, and I have so many questions I want to ask her. I never expected to see her again...and now I feel like meeting Roman and being saved was even more of gift, because he brought me back to my sister.
“Are you okay? If this is too much for you I can have us go upstairs. We don’t have to stay here.” Roman’s assertiveness to make sure I’m happy and calm is so endearing. He cares about me so much and it shows in every single thing he does.
“It’s okay...I’m okay…” I smile, but he looks at me as if he doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t push the issues though. Truthfully, I am okay, never been better actually. I listen to everyone talk, laughter, and happiness fill the room until it’s almost suffocating.
“I know someone is skimming off the top…” Ivan’s voice carries into my ears and I feel Roman’s hand tighten in mine. What is he talking about? Skimming off the top? “Roman was given pills that were laced with some fucked up shit. The pills were ours, so they’re taking drugs and reselling them laced with something, turning a profit. It’s really something we need to worry about since Roman lost his damn mind and attacked Sophie.”
The room falls silent at Ivan’s words...and the first person I look too is Roman. He’s seething, the rage damn near boiling over inside him.
“What the fuck Ivan?” Roman releases my hand and pushes away from the table.
Ivan squeezes his eyes shut realizing what he just said, “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t…”
Roman shakes his head and slams his fists down onto the table, earning a look from each person at the table. It’s clear everybody at the table is used to this kind of behavior, but my sisters flinching form in front of us startled me, as did it her boyfriend.
“Calm the fuck down,” Hero growls, a vein in his forehead pops, and I know there is way too much testosterone being contained in this one room.
“Or what? You going to kick my ass? I eat bigger fucking assholes for breakfast then you,” Roman sneers, and I place my hand against his forearm trying to calm him, but it’s no good. He shrugs it off as if I’m nothing but an annoying little fly.
“Before or after you take your laced pills?” Hero digs his claws into a wound that hasn’t even healed yet, and I’m afraid that Roman is about to lose his head if I don’t reign him in soon. Before I can react, Roman is lurching across the table, his fist connecting with Hero’s face. But Hero was expecting it, shoving from his chair, and sends a right hook into the side of Roman’s face in return. Both of them take the hit like it’s nothing before they straighten back out, leaving the table between them.
Elyse is standing a few feet away from Hero cradling her belly and only then do I realize the small baby bump she’s been hiding. I want to rush over to her and ask her about it but the situation we are in right this second would not be a good time to do so.
“What the fuck?” Damon curses under his breath as he moves away from the table, Keria in his arms. He looks upset. I feel bad for ruining his party, and even worse for having a fight break out in someone else’s home.
“Roman.” Ivan’s deep voice fills the air as he shoves from his chair. He starts walking over to us as if his presence will make everything better. I’m standing as well now, attempting to hold Roman back, but there’s no point. He is stronger than me, and like a bull seconds away from charging. I don’t blame him for getting mad. I just don’t want him to get hurt…or hurt anyone else in the process.
“Stop…” I whisper.
Hero shakes his head, a sinister grin on his lips. “I know where Elyse came from...which means I know where Sophie came from, and I can tell you now they didn’t escape one abusive shit storm just to be placed in another.”
“Hero,” Elyse gasps in shock, but Hero shakes his head, gazing down at her as if to say shut up. He’s pouring salt into a bloody wound and I’m not going to have it.
“He didn’t mean to hurt me. It was an accident,” I growl, feeling overly protective of Roman. Hero doesn’t even look at me, he keeps his eyes on Roman, who’s more than seething with rage right now.
“That’s what they all say...I would know. I killed both, my step father, and biological father for hurting people I love.” I shake my head, feeling the tears sting my eyes. So much death, mayhem, chaos. I feel Hero’s eyes on mine, and when I gaze into them I see sympathy, and compassion swirling together.
He understands what Elyse and I have gone through, but so does Roman. Roman sees my fears, my sadness, my anger, he knows what it was like for me, and what happened was nothing more than an accident.
“Look at her one more fucking time and I’ll gouge your eyes out of your fucking head.” Roman’s voice is dark, and I don’t doubt one bit that he will follow through with his threat.
Hero laughs, “Right, because you’re such a big bad man now. Why don’t you step around the table and put your hands on someone your own size?”
And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Roman is rounding the table in a second flat, Ivan hot on his heels, pulling Roman backwards stopping him dead in his tracks. Roman just shrugs from his brother’s hold, landing a closed fist against his cheek.