Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars #4) - A.L. Jackson Page 0,97
doin’, Rhys?”
“Nothing.”
“That girl—”
I flew into her face.
I loved Mel. Respected the hell out of her. Appreciated every-fucking-thing she’d done for me.
But she needed to know this was different.
“That girl is special. I know. I fucking know. But please, stay out of it.”
“Rhys.”
“Please.”
I didn’t confess that I’d been with Maggie last night.
Figured Mel knew me well enough to see through any bullshit I’d feed her anyway.
What I wanted to confess was that I cherished Maggie.
That I would take care of her.
Protect her.
That I’d give anything to be able to keep her when I knew that was an impossibility.
Instead, I simply asked Mel for space. “Just drop it. Not tonight.”
“Rhys,” she protested.
“Serious.”
Warily, she backed away, seeing that I was close to my end. My nerves frazzled.
I finished cleaning up and then climbed the stairs.
Both anxious and drained.
Needing to get to the girl.
I was turning the knob to my bedroom door, the hushed sounds behind closed doors echoing like omens, not one of us immune to it, when I felt that dark cloud descend.
Royce was there.
His black eyes flares in the shadows that crawled the hallway walls.
Stilling, I shifted to look back at him.
The tat on his throat bobbed when he swallowed. “Need you to do me a favor.”
My chin lifted in question. “What’s that?”
“See if you can find out what’s going on with her. Know you two are friends, and whatever it is, she doesn’t trust me with it.”
Guilt blazed. Thing was, the protectiveness and care I felt for this girl doused it to ash. More powerful than anything. “If she won’t tell you somethin’, I hardly think she’ll confide in me.”
He roughed a hand through his hair. “Just try, Rhys. For me. For her. Know she’s lying, and I can’t stand aside and pretend like this isn’t happening.”
“Yeah. Sure. Of course. Anything.” This time it was my turn to lie. “Not hopeful, though.”
“All I’m asking is for you to listen out for anything that might be amiss. If she says something or you hear anything.”
“Of course, man.” I turned the knob to my door. “Try to get some rest, yeah?”
He scoffed out a laugh. “Doubtful.”
“I’ll check on her.”
Fuck, I was really laying it on. Doubling down on the lies. Acting like I was nothin’ but good intentions.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate all you’ve done,” he said.
“No problem.”
Without saying anything else, I slipped into my room and shut the door behind me. I dropped my head and tried to get my wits. To pull it together.
I felt like a total piece of shit for touching his sister. Maybe more so for being desperate to do it again. For lying to him.
For feeling this need to hold somethin’ beautiful when I didn’t have the right.
But the call she had on me was a powerful one, that was for damn sure.
The way I was already movin’ through that bathroom and nudging open her door that was cracked an inch.
An open invitation.
The girl sat on her bed looking at the door. Waiting for me.
Feeling me, too.
I stopped in the doorway. “Hey there, Sweet Thing.”
Her mouth trembled, and a tear streaked her cheek, and I saw that folded duck she clutched in her fist. I rushed for her, swooped her into my arms, and took her to my room. I carried her to the chair in the far corner, and I shifted around and eased onto the chair with her cradled on my lap.
She hung on tight.
I held on tighter. “Scared the piss outta me today, Sweet Thing.”
She almost smiled, her laugh a whimper. “Got the piss scared out of me, too.”
My hand rubbed along her hip, trying to soothe her, soothe myself.
“What really happened out there?”
She flinched.
“Don’t pretend with me, Maggie. Know you’re in somethin’, and I can’t sit aside and act like this isn’t happenin’. Someone attacked you.”
Horror scraped my throat when I forced it out.
She exhaled and sagged in my hold, and her fingers started playing across the fabric of my shirt that covered my chest. “My father was responsible for hurting a lot of people.”
My murmur was slight. “Yeah.”
Old agony curled up from her spirit. Unmistakable hurt but there was this quiet ferocity at the center. Like this girl had found her strength in the middle of it. “He kept women and men prisoners, Rhys. Tricked them into slavery. Used them for their bodies like they were possessions.”
I think Maggie was just needin’ to say it aloud since all of that was well known. Splashed all over the airwaves.