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I held my breath so the whimper of pain wouldn’t come out.
“It’s not so bad in here, sis,” Eric whispered. “Come sit by me.”
I crawled toward him as silent tears flooded my cheeks. In the dark, I felt his foot.We’re okay. We’re okay.
He scooted over, and I settled next to him. Eric put his arm around my shoulders, which shook as I tried not to make a sound.
“Don’t cry. We’re together. That makes it better.”
It had made it better.But we weren’t okay. She left us in there for two days. I’d been seven and Eric was nine. We’d soiled our pants, been starving, and thirsty, and terrified.
I’d hated the dark and any kind of confinement ever since.
But that wasn’t the last time we were locked in that closet. Not even close.
I hugged myself, the fringes of the memory threatening to take me under.I need out. Out. Out.
My breath came in short spurts. I tried to catch it. The more I tried to take in a deep inhale of air, the harder my heart pounded. Spots blurred my vision.
Air. I need air.
Let. Me. Out.
No one was coming. I was stuck.
Help. Me.
Please.
Don’t.
Leave.
Me.
My legs gave way. Pain radiated from my head. And then there was blissful nothingness.
Chapter Seven
Lincoln
“I don’t likeyou being seen at the police station.”
My father pulled me aside, completely ignoring Teague and barely acknowledging Daniel.
You don’t like anything except screwing with people.
How could he pretend as if his own son weren’t mere feet away? Teague was the son he should be most proud of. He was a hero. A good man. And our father treated him like filth.
I lifted my chin at my brother, whose face was hard. Reluctantly, he left, but there was a promise in his eyes that wewoulddiscuss this later. Not if I could put it off.
And he had to understand.
If Samuel Hollingsworth had been the only one who could help Pepper, Teague wouldn’t have hesitated to ask.
He would’ve been smart enough to know that our father didn’t help anyone but himself.
“Can you get Lexie out?” I asked, trying to contain my temper and pretend to have some semblance of respect.
