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I don’t know if I should or not. Everybody watches the gesture in anticipation.
So, I do the only thing I can think of.
I grab both his hand and Tristan’s, pulling them to me. I’m sure Evander thinks what the fuck, but I was honest with him. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I just can’t think about someone getting hurt because of me. Everything is too serious. I don’t want anything else to be. “It’s probably a good idea.”
Davian twists his lips to the side. “We don’t all have to go. If you’re concerned, you can start gathering supplies.”
Chase drapes his arm over Davian’s shoulder. “We need to stick together. It’s far too dangerous to separate.”
“Don’t be scared, doc. I’ll protect you. Though, we still need to make arrangements for you to protect me like you do Eliana. I’m fucking tired of being on guard all the time. I just need a strong man watching my back.” Adam chuckles with his words.
“I think I’d prefer this badass protecting me. You should’ve seen her go. She’s holding out on us. She can throw a punch.” Evander gives my hand a little shake. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a fighter before this.”
I lift and drop my shoulders. “I’ve gotten into a few fights. Mostly self-defense.”
“What did you used to do that required you to use self-defense, little badass?” Adam steps closer to me, holding his hand out.
I don’t have enough hands to give in to everyone’s desire to stay close to my side, so I release Evander and Tristan but only give Adam a playful high-five. If this attention and affection keeps up, we’re all going to have to have a talk. They don’t say it, but I can tell they’re all competing with each other.
Maybe I need to chill out.
It’s so hard. They’re all gorgeous, sweet, and way more caring than any man I’ve ever met. I don’t even really know what to do with them at this point. I’ve never been treated this nicely. They don’t even expect anything from me.
“I mean, before you lost your job.” Adam nudges me with his knuckles, pulling me from my thoughts. “Since that seems to be the thing that we all have in common. No ties.”
I realize they’re all listening intensely while I’m sitting here fantasizing about them lusting after me. I’m fucking crazy. What is wrong with me?
“So fucked up, right? They had to be watching us.” I try to change the subject without being too obvious. I feel self-conscious about where I was before the bastards kidnapped me. “I was walking...home when they attacked.” If you could call the vacant house I’d been squatting in my home. Without a job, I couldn’t afford anything. I managed to keep my gym membership for showers because the owner liked me. A favor for a favor was our agreement.
“You’re avoiding the question, Eliana. You don’t have to be shy. We’re not going to judge you.” Adam tilts his head close to mine. “Promise.”
Evander punches Adam in the arm. “Leave her alone, asshole. If she doesn’t want to tell us—”
I hold my hand up, stopping the two of them from arguing over this. “I was...unstable. Most jobs I took were under the table. I was a nanny for a bit. Worked in retail. A personal shopper for...” I let my voice trail off. “I was a lot of things. But stable? No. I’ve been on my own since I was a teen. Life sucked and then this shit happened.”
“That doesn’t explain how you’re such a badass,” Tristan teases, offering me a smile.
“I wasn’t always. A job I took last summer...persuaded me to better my skills.” I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. “You know how it goes.”
They greet me with absolute silence. I don’t know what they fill the blanks in with but it’s probably close enough. I don’t even like thinking about it. The world has been brutal to me since my parents died.
They look at me with various expressions ranging from pity to anger. This is why I didn’t want to say anything. That’s why I still don’t. Obviously, whatever happens now has changed everything. I won’t go back to the real world to be the same person that I left behind. Not with the knowledge I have. I will seek answers. I need to know more about my parents, but I don’t want to find out anything from the fuckers here.
I laughed nervously. “Please, guys. Stop. I’m okay...well, sort of. All things considered.”
“I want to make a pact here and now. Between us. Whatever happens, we’re in this together. We need to protect each other and fight for each other. We need to work together to get the fuck off this island.” Chase speaks for what feels like the first time in a while. I wonder what goes through his mind, especially because he probably senses something happened between me and Evander.
“I’m in. I don’t want to be whatever the fuck they planned for us to be.” Davian holds out his fist, waiting for Chase to bump it.
“Damn straight. We live and fight together. We protect each other. All of us come first.” Tristan does the same as Davian and bumps his fist.
Adam claps his hands together, rubbing his palms. “Hell yeah. We’re going to make them regret this shit.”
Squeezing my arm, Evander meets my gaze. “Are you in? I’m in.”
I nod my head. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’m in.” For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel powerful. I feel as if I am taking back control of my life.
Fighting to live or die trying—there is no other option.
