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“She said something to me. Something that haunted me for years afterwards, but it only made sense recently.”
“What did she say?” Jakub asks when I’m unable to form any words.
“She said:please, let her live. Even back then she was trying to forewarn me of what was to come.”
“Fuck,” Konrad mutters before knocking back a mouthful of bourbon.
“You didn’t try to help her?” I ask. It isn’t an accusation, merely a question I need answering.
Leon shakes his head. “She died seconds after saying that to me, Christy. Honestly, I don’t even know how she managed to speak. I had to make a choice, pull her from the fire, or you. I chose you.”
I blink away the sting of tears. “Thank you,” I say eventually.
“For what?” he asks, guilt shading his eyes.
“For telling me the truth.” Picking up my glass of wine with shaking hands, I take a sip, needing the kick of alcohol to steady my already fraying nerves. “Who’s next?”
“Me. I’ll go,” Konrad says instantly.
“Okay tell me five things about you,” I say, forcing all thoughts of my mother out of my head.
“I hate classical music. Fuck Bach, give me Led Zeppelin any day.”
“Fucking heathen,” Leon mutters, rolling his eyes.
“I play the guitar.”
“Electric or acoustic?” I ask, taken aback.
“Both.”
“Wow.”
“Is that so hard to believe?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I shake my head, smiling a little. “Sorry, go on.”
“I like the smell of freshly cooked bread. It reminds me of my past, though I don’t have any recollection as to why. I have a fear of heights, and finally, there hasn’t been a minute that’s gone by when I haven’t thought about taking you upstairs…” he says, glancing at the secret door hidden in the row of bookshelves across the other side of the library. “I want to strap you to that bed and make you come over and over again.”
My skin heats at the gravel in his voice as he removes his mask. “And what don’t Leon and Jakub know about you?” I ask, pressing my thighs together to ease the sudden throb between my legs.
“Just Jakub. Leon’s aware.”
“What the fuck?” Jakub exclaims, looking between the two men.
“I killed Nala’s mum. It was me,” he says quickly, as though ripping off a bandaid in an attempt to temper the pain.
Jakub’s eyes widen. “You?”
“Malik had strangled Nala’s mum. He’d sent me to clean up his mess, but instead of getting rid of her body I brought her back. He caught us.”
“Us?” Jakub asks, looking between his brothers.
“Leon was with me. He took the fall for it. Malik punished Leon whilst I was forced to kill Nala’s mum then give her CPR over and over again. It was only when I could no longer bring her back that Malik stopped whipping Leon.Ikilled Nala’s mum.” He shakes his head, scraping a hand over his face.
“You tried to save her,” I say gently. “Your intentions were good.Malikkilled Nala’s mum and then he turned your empathy and compassion against you both, just like he always did. You had no choice.”
“How did you…?” Konrad asks, then his voice trails off as understanding dawns.
