Page 126 of Kyle

“Now that would seriously suck if you didn’t think that,” he murmured.

“Lucky for me you’re really good at other things, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. But you know you are.”

“I don’t think I do, maybe you should tell me.”

“Maybe tonight I’ll give you the list.”

“There’s a list?”

“A long one.”

“Jesus,” Kyle muttered. “She’s being cute and making me hard.”

I giggled as his hand went to his crotch to adjust the hard-on he was complaining about having.

“Now she thinks it’s funny.”

What could I say? It was amusing he was talking to himself. But mostly it made me feel something else—powerful, sexy, strong that little old me could arouse Kyle with nothing more than my words. That felt great.

* * *

Evie’s pale blue eyes were filled with unshed tears and her lids were rimmed with red from the ones that had been falling over the last hour. I’d told her everything. All the horrors of my past summed up in one hour and a few odd minutes.

Wasn’t that a kick in the gut? I could recite all of my trauma in sixty-plus minutes, but it had taken me years to process and move past it.

“I knew,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Not all of it, obviously. I didn’t know how you felt, but I’d known the facts,” she admitted.

Evie looked destroyed and Kyle must’ve seen it, too, because his hand holding mine squeezed.

“At first it was an accident,” she rushed out. “The paper was doing a huge story on the modeling agency that was really a front for a trafficking ring. I was researching similar incidents and I found the article about when you were rescued. Of course, your name wasn’t mentioned because you were a minor, but there was a picture. Even though the FBI agent was trying to shield you, I knew it was you.”

I stared at my friend, not knowing what to say. She’d known for years what had happened to me, but hadn’t pushed, hadn’t told me she knew, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Why—”

“Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t say anything because I knew you weren’t ready to talk about it. Any time Kalee or I brought up something that resembled being personal you shut down. I was afraid if I told you I knew, you’d stop being my friend and I didn’t want to lose you.”

Shit, she was right. I would’ve exited stage right and I would’ve done it in a way that ended our friendship forever. My eyes closed trying to block out the shame. I was a horrible friend.

“Did Kalee know?”

“God, no. I would never share your secrets. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. And, honey, I wish you would’ve told me sooner but I understand why you didn’t. I understood why you’d closed yourself off and I couldn’t blame you. The only reason why I wanted you to tell me was so I could tell you how proud I am of you.”

My eyes opened and I focused on the tears that now streamed down Evie’s pretty pale cheeks.

“What?”

“But I get to tell you now. Anaya, I always thought you were the bravest, strongest, smartest woman I know. But now that I know the rest, I know I was wrong—you’re not just strong, you are resilient. You’re not only brave but you’re tough. You’re made of something so fierce and formidable that nothing can stop you. When I tell you I am proud of you, I mean it. Everything you’ve overcome is astounding.”

I waited for more shame of being a shit friend to hit but it never did. Instead, more of the acid and poison in my belly neutralized. More of the toxic venom I’d allowed to overtake my life was gone. Just like that.