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I killed him.
I laid there, the alley falling around me again. Heat drew in my core as I stabbed and he thrusted.
Screaming forced the memory to fall away, my arms wrapped around my body tightly. The screams were mine. There was no stopping it.
“Audry, it’s okay.” Carson attempted to soothe me, her voice far away from me as I flailed.
A ruckus sounded behind the door, loud footsteps and inaudible shouting. The world moved around me as if I wasn’t in it—as if it didn’t care about me. I fell to the floor, my hands shaking.
A tingling sensation ran in waves along my body, a shiver twisting down my spine, and my fingers went numb.This is my reality.The fractured pieces of my night replayed out of order in my mind. There was no escaping it. I wouldneverescape it. The small sense of comfort I had, of the security Carson lent me, was gone.
The door burst open.
Adrenaline shot through me once more as I tightened my fist.Could I fight?
Kai stood in the doorway, his eyes wild as Carson attempted to push him back. “She’s okay, give her space,” she demanded.
“Fuck that, let me help,” he shouted.
No matter how fast they were talking, their words echoed in slow motion. They moved in a blur, each battling each other for territory. Why wouldn’t everyone leave me alone? Why didn’t he leave me in the alley to die?
The thought froze me solid, shocking me to the core.
Did I want to die?
“Get out of here right now, or so help me Kai, I will have Logan and Liam throw you out andkeepyou out.” Carson placed her hands on her hips.
She was at least a foot shorter than Kai, her arms not nearly as defined, and her smaller stature not intimidating in the slightest. But, somehow, for some reason, Kai backed off.
The bathroom door shut and the warmth of the shower steam filled the room once again. Carson took a seat at my side and breathed audibly. Slowly in, and slowly out, not saying a word. I matched her rhythm, the repetitive action calming the alert nerves.
She drew her arms around me, the hug awkward between two strangers. But as she gripped me tighter, there was a sense of comradery developing, ever so small.
“Let me help you, Audry,” she whispered in my ear. A single tear fell down my cheek as I nodded.
Carson pulled away, helping me to my feet. Her hands hesitated at the edge of my shirt.
I nodded again, letting her know it would be okay.
She lifted my shirt over my head, a haze falling over me. My body was tired, so tired I found myself leaning against the sink as she undressed me. Each muscle screamed in exhaustion. She helped me shimmy out of my skirt, folding each clothing item into an organized pile on the toilet seat.
I shivered in the cold air before she helped me into the warm water.
The steam entered my lungs, soothing my tired body. The shower smelled of lavender, the scent waving off the small disk Carson laid onto the floor. I watched as the water turned red, pooling at my feet. My sins washed away in that water, theevidence of what I had done—and the evidence of what was done to me.
She slid the shower door shut. “I’ll be right here if you need me,” she whispered gently.
Chapter 8
Kai
“She is asleep,” Carson announced, ducking out of the side bedroom. She shut the door quietly before taking the seat next to Logan.
He leaned against the wall, head tilted back, and a beer in his lap. For siblings, he and Carson didn’t look similar. From their looks to their demeanor—they weren’t polar opposites, but at first glance, there was no telling they were related.
Logan stood, broad-shouldered, towering over six feet tall. His sharply defined jaw clenched shut, while his brows cast a shadow over his intense and unforgiving stare. Logan had a way of sucking all the air out of the room with his commanding presence, claiming every inch of space.
On the other hand, Carson was petite, with well-defined curves. Her eyes were wider and expressive, conveying her emotions with ease. Freckles splattered along her tanned skin, sparkling under the light as she wiggled her nose back and forth. Her gaze cast downward to the food, fixated.
