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I turn to Lik, waiting for him to explain. Clearly, she wasn’t aware of their little plan.
Billie is the opposite of her older sister, physically. Where Emma puts a lot of effort into her appearance, Billie is simpler. Her brown hair is usually in a high ponytail and her clothes are plain, walking around in jeans and tank tops most of the time. She has an innocent look about her, given by her huge, brown, doe eyes. She’s anything but. Billie is a semi-professional boxer who is used to kicking ass, and she is the last person I would have ever thought I’d need to help.
“Lik, what did my dad tell you? I’m fine.”
“Bil’s—” Lik’s soft voice tries to be reassuring.
“I’m fine!” Her trembling hands rest on my windowsill, and my head falls against the headrest. This evening is taking much longer than I thought it would.
“We’re just trying to help,” Lik responds. His thumb is going back and forth on my inner wrist, rubbing against my tattoo of a hand-drawn heart. It’s a child’s drawing. Rose’s, to be precise.
“I don’t need anyone’s help.”
Her attitude reminds me of another girl who never asks for help. Who would rather get in risky situations than call for support.
“What’s wrong with you girls and being too proud to get the help you need?” I snap.
They both stay silent for a few seconds.
“Damn, Sam,” Billie chuckles. “Rose White has been back for how long? And look at you, losing your patience and all.”
I close my eyes for a few seconds to calm down. I fucking hate hearing her name on other people’s lips. I fucking hateher.
“Speaking of her, I want the bitch out of my town. There’s something you can help with.”
I remember exactly when Rose and Billie started hating each other. It was at some party on the North Shore a few years ago. Billie called her Bianco’s princess. Rose lost her shit and humiliated Billie in front of a few people. Too many for Billie to forget.
“Stay away from Rose,” I order calmly. “Let me handle her.”
“Does he know she’s back?”
I know she’s not talking about Bianco, but I don’t bite. My fingers tap on the steering wheel, already knowing she’s not going to get an answer from me. Caught in a tricky situation? Silence is your best friend.
I don’t even say bye. I roll up my window, earning myself a shocked ‘hey’ out of Billie, and drive away.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Lik mumbles.
“Warm up your wrists.” I give him a look and watch his face fall. “Have you counted your mistakes tonight? Cause I have, and you’re getting tied up, my love. Try to figure out how long the canning will last and see how nice you find that.”
And finally, the only thing that fills the car after that issilence.
18
RACHEL
Stay– girl in red
“Rach, you’ll have to say something at some point.” Rose runs a hand through her hair, tangling her fingers with the knots that have formed in it.
I sit on the kitchen bar of the Murray’s pool house, my feet dangling, my hands on either side of me, and my gaze lost behind Rose.
She didn’t know where to bring me, so she brought me here. She carried me to her old room and bed, but I didn’t stay. I paced, texted Conor to tell him I was out late, locked myself in the bathroom, and now I’m perched here. But I still haven’t said anything. I haven’t let her touch me for more than one second and now that I’m sitting in front of her, with her body between my legs, she keeps grabbing me and looking for injuries.
“Baby, please…” she begs.
I haven’t been able to process what happened. I haven’t run through what the men said, what they wanted Rose to do, the things they did. All I can think of is the ringing in my head and the feeling of the floor trembling next to me—the splinters in my hair, thefear.
Rose grabs my chin softly and turns my head to one side, then to the other. She’s given me water already, but my throat feels sore, and my lips chapped from the rag they gagged me with. She runs a finger on the scratch I can feel from the corner of my lips to my ear. The guy called Lik hurt me with one of his rings when he wrapped the gag around my head. I was kicking and screaming; I was fighting back. Maybe I shouldn’t have.
