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Before I can stop myself, my mouth opens. “Something was off last night. He was different. I think that when it comes to him and me and Eli, none of us can exist without the other. It’s like there’s a hole between us when Eli isn’t here, and it feels—empty.” Neither says a word, so I continue. “I don’t think he wants me if Eli isn’t here.”
“I’m sure that’s not true…” Sass adds, ever the optimist. She rests her hand on top of mine. “He loves you, Lilith. Yes, both of you, but you’ve all built a bond and relationship with each other.”
“Well, he’s pushing me away. I feel it.” I catch Perse’s eyes, desperate to change the subject. “Is it possible for me to buy an RV for The Dolls, and probably me.”
Perse smiles, but the corners of her mouth remain tight. “Sure. Leave it to me. I think I already have one that would be suitable.” Pushing herself up from her chair, she picks up her phone from the table. “I’ve got to head back. King gets anxious if he can’t see me for longer than thirty minutes. With Kennedy still out there somewhere, I think it’s making him tenser. I’ll see you guys later?”
“Sure,” I say, watching as she makes her way out the front door. I keep my eyes locked on the stained wood, waiting for the words to filter from my brain to my mouth. I’ve always felt a connection to Saskia, and that probably has something to do with our trauma bond—the same way I do with the other Dolls—but I’d like to think it’s deeper than that. I can trust her as an equal, not as someone who only likes me because she feels as though she has to. The ties that The Dolls feel toward me will eventually sever one day, and what will be left after that happens? I won’t know. Unpredictability makes me uncomfortable, especially when it comes to friendships, since I’ve never really had any, except for Bear and Saskia.
“You know he’s pushing you away because he doesn’t want to hurt you, right?”
I laugh, my head tilting back. “That’s way too cliché for Kyrin and you know it.” My laughter dies out as I stare off into the distance. I can’t seem to focus on anything for longer than two seconds. Two Days. Unless it’s the one thing that’s keeping me together right now. And that’s seeing Eli in two days, or at least, getting more information.
“True.” Sass sighs, resting back in her chair. “Want to get drunk tonight? Maybe distract you from Eli.”
I curl my lips beneath my teeth and bite down into the soft cushions in my mouth. “Yeah. Can The Dolls come? Maybe we can see what they’ve got in the tent.”
Saskia clicks her fingers. “This is a great idea. I’ll get my fire sticks out.”
“Sounds dangerous.” I smirk behind my glass of milk. “I’m in.”
Years ago
My phone rang in my pocket. I looked up at both Bishop and Nate with a raised brow. “Unknown number.”
Bishop flicked his wrist at me, moving through my house and toward the front door. “Answer it. We’re the ones who send the unknown texts and phone calls, not the other way around.”
“What, like a firefly?” I held his stare. “We can glow for them, but they can’t glow for us?”
“Exactly.” He nudged his head. “We lead the way, and they follow. Like a firefly.”
I waited until he closed the door behind him and Nate’s departure before sliding my phone unlocked and bringing it to my ear. “What?”
“Is this a Rebellis?” The voice on the other end of the phone wasn’t recognizable. I was certain I didn’t know him.
“Why?” I started looking around my house. Only a few people knew this number, but I guessed if you wanted it hard enough, it would be easy to find.
“I need a favor,” he simply said, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
“Now why would I do that? Don’t you want to warm me up a bit first? Maybe slap some lube on it?”
The line went quiet. I rolled my eyes. “Who is this and what do you want?” We were in the deep end fucking with the new girl at school; I didn’t have time for this.
“I’m going to send you some photos. If you don’t want this getting out, you’re going to want to listen to me and you’re going to want to listen very carefully.” My phone beeped, and I brought it down, clicking the link he sent. They were photos of my brother Brantley and another little girl when he was a kid. Bad photos.
I gritted my teeth. “Who the fuck is this?”
“I need a favor, and it’s to be between you and me.”
I chuckled, walking up the stairs and back into my room. “I don’t take orders from anyone, and if you know who I am, then you know that I also don’t keep secrets from my brothers.”
