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I sit with Thea for a few more minutes before I get up to leave. Before I do, I put my number in her phone and tell her she can call me anytime if she wants to talk.
I feel marginally better when I leave her room, like I may have done something good for Thea. I really hope she gives the psychologist a try. Keeping all of her feelings bottled up isn’t healthy, especially for a girl her age. I’m not sure how much she’s revealed to JW and Eden about her feelings, but she’s apparently still having a rough time.
I make a mental note to mention it to JW before we leave, in case he’s not aware.
When I step out into the hallway, I find Aziah leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
“Hey,” I say in a quiet voice.
“Hey.”
I gesture with my head to Thea’s bedroom. “You think she’ll be okay?”
I don’t need to ask how much he heard of our conversation. I have no doubt he’s been outside the door the entire time.
“It’ll take time, but I’m sure she’ll be fine. Her life has changed a lot since JW took her from their parents. She’s still learning there are good people in the world.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What happened to them? Their parents.”
His eyes flash, and the pure hatred I see almost has me staggering back a step. Only the knowledge that Aziah would never hurt me strengthens my spine.
“They’re gone,” he growls menacingly.
“Gone?”
“Dead.” His tone is flat.
I lower my voice. “Did JW kill them?”
It takes him a moment, but he nods once.
My voice is hard when I say, “Good.”
I don’t feel an ounce of remorse for the bastards who hurt JW and Thea. They’re in hell, right where they belong. I just hope their time there is filled with pain and suffering.
CHAPTER TWELVE
EMO
I HOLD THE DOOR OPEN for Rella, then hand it off to Trouble so I can walk in behind her. She stops just inside, her eyes nervously darting around the mostly empty room. I can practically feel the tremors coming off her. She did okay the other day when we walked around town, but this is different. It’s an enclosed public space.
We chose to come to The Hill now because it’s one of the least busy times. There are only a few people seated at the bar and tables. Rella hasn’t been here since she came to town, and I know she’ll enjoy it. We hung out here a lot as kids. It was one of our favorite spots because Mae and Dale were always here.
Apparently, someone told Mae we would be coming today, because she’s currently behind the bar with a happy grin on her face. She normally doesn’t do bar work anymore because her health isn’t the best these days. Instead, on the couple of days a week she does come in, she spends her time in the office doing paperwork. It took her a while to get used to it, and she put up a big fight in the beginning, but she’s come to realize it’s for the best.
We should have known she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Rella back in The Hill.
She drapes the rag she was using to wipe the bar down over her shoulder and walks over to us.
“Rella,” she gushes, coming to a stop a few feet away. “It’s so good to see you again, honey. How are you?”
Rella pulls her eyes away from the rest of the room, her shoulders relaxing at the near-empty space, and smiles at Mae.
“Wow, Mae,” Rella exclaims. “It’s like nothing’s changed in here. Everything looks exactly the same.”
Sadness flashes in her eyes. “I wanted to keep it just the way it was to help keep Dale’s memory alive.”
Rella’s hands twitch, like she wants to step forward and hug Mae, but she holds her place.
