Bully King - J.A. Huss Page 0,85

lets go of my hand and then shrugs. “Exactly what it looks like.”

“Is this why you sleep in the boathouse? Does the Judge—”

But I can’t finish. Because when I think about it, of course this is what the Judge does to him. The man is huge. Easily the tallest person I’ve ever met. And broad too. That’s where Ax gets his build from, but his father is a whole other level of muscular. The Judge looks like he used to wrestle for the WWE. Or maybe he was some kind of mercenary in another life. He is that scary.

I’ve never had to appear before the Judge myself. I’m one of those good girls, after all. But I’ve heard the rumors. He doesn’t give anyone three strikes. He throws the book at them the very first time.

Even Ax didn’t escape his wrath in that department. He didn’t go to jail, but I know about his stints in rehab. And once I heard he spent half a year in a psych ward. That was way before I knew him.

Ax sighs again, because my silence is long. And now I don’t know what to say to him. He simply lifts the milk jug back up to his mouth and drinks. Then he wipes his lips with the back of his hand, caps the milk, and puts it back in the fridge.

When he turns back around he’s smiling. “Don’t tell Coop I did that. He fucking hates it.”

Then he walks away. Like he’s just going to leave.

I jog to catch up with him and grab his arm before he can get out of the great room. “Hold on. You’re not leaving.”

He grins at me again. “I’m pretty tired, Cades. I’m gonna crash. You mind if I take your room? I’ve been sleeping in there for two weeks and you’re pretty preoccupied with Cooper these days.” He shrugs, then smiles again. “I can smell your hair on the pillow. I kinda dig that.”

I’m shaking my head at him.

“That’s a no?” He laughs. “You’re telling me no?”

“You don’t get to walk out without telling me what all these scars are.”

He cocks his head at me. “Come on. You know what they are.”

“That bastard did this to you?”

“Actually, no. It was my mother. She’s fucking certifiable.”

“Wait. You have a mother?”

“Cadee, everyone has a mother.”

“Yeah, but—”

“You thought she was dead? No. I didn’t get that lucky. My father keeps her locked up in a wing of our house. Every now and then, if we’re having a big party, he’ll drug her up and put her in a wheelchair and let her come sit downstairs for a while. But she’s been out of it for so long now, so many drugs, I doubt she could sober up even if she wanted to.” He pauses. Finds my eyes. Stares down into them. “And I don’t think she wants to.”

“How did I not know this?”

“That I have a mom? Or that she uses me for carving practice?”

“Both.”

He shrugs. “You never asked, Cades. Everyone else knows.” He turns again. Like this conversation is normal and it’s over now.

I grab his arm again. “Wait. Ax.”

He doesn’t turn around. Just kind of side-eyes me over his shoulder. “What?”

“The burns on your tattoo. Those aren’t old.”

“No,” he agrees. “They’re not.” He pauses for a few moments. “Anything else?”

I know he wants to leave. But I’m not going to let him. Because he and I are… more than this. I don’t really have a word for it, we’re just… more than this.

“Yes,” I say, coming around in front of him. Then I wrap my arms around his middle and hug him.

“Cadee.”

He tries to push me off, but I don’t let go of him. I just shake my head and say, “No. I’m not letting you walk away without this hug. I don’t even care if you hug me back. I just want to hug you forever and never let you go.”

He takes a deep breath and I can hear his heart. He’s a lot taller than me so my ear is right over the top of it. It thumps fast and erratic inside his chest. And then he wraps his arms around my shoulders and hugs me back. “I don’t need the hug, Cades. But if you do—”

“Shut up, Ax.”

We stay like that even after it gets weird. And I do not care.

“If Cooper saw this, he’d get jealous.”

This makes me pull back a little. But I don’t let go of him. Just in case he

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