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I picture the pit. Reece Whipers’s bloody, bruised face. The girl’s dead body after he stabbed her. And then I think about the app, about the deranged and fucked-up things the members could do through it.
Buying people. Selling people. Raping people. Murdering people.
Anger burns deep in my belly like a swallowed coal, and before I can stop myself, I whirl around, my hands fisted and my teeth bared. The wind batters at my face with the keenness of a thousand hunting knives, but I barely feel the pain.
Fischer actually staggers back a step at whatever expression he sees on my face.
“El—”
“Don’t,” I snap, attempting to breathe around the invisible spike in my heart. “Just don’t, Fischer.”
His brows furrow, and a look of hurt paves its way across his features. But then that expression changes and distorts, giving way to rage. He whirls on Dominic, who still stands by my side, and takes a threatening step closer.
“What the fuck did you do to my sister? Did you hurt her?” he seethes, jabbing a finger into Dom’s chest.
Dom’s emerald eyes lower to look at the offending appendage, and his upper lip curls in anger. “Remove your finger from my chest, or I’ll remove it for you.”
Behind Fischer, I notice his head of security, Robert, standing by his car, watching this entire scene unfold. The older man reaches for the gun holstered to his side, and I know I have to end this before things can escalate. Fischer’s just lucky that Dom and I were running late this morning and the other guys are away on, ahem, business. There’s no one around to witness the scene we’re making.
I place one hand on Dom’s chest, pushing him back a few steps, while keeping my gaze on Fischer.
“What are you doing here, Fisch?”
He angrily rakes his fingers through his light brown hair, the exact shade as my own. “You didn’t answer any of my messages. You never picked up my calls.” My brother, who’s normally eminently composed, looks disheveled and mussed. His eyes are wide with some unnamed emotion. I think it might be grief, but I don’t give a shit enough to ask why. “Fuck. Ellie, I thought something happened to you.”
“Well, you can see with your own eyes that I’m fine.” I keep my tone firm and steely, not allowing him to see the hurt inside me. The hurt that’s like a sliver of metal has lodged itself under my ribs and is digging into my heart. “You can leave now.”
Fischer places his hands on my upper arms, his eyes ensnaring my own. Dom immediately moves to push Fischer away from me, but I hold up a single hand, stopping him.
“Fischer, let go of me.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Is it him? Is he hurting you?”
“Fuck you, man,” Dom snarls.
Fischer ignores him. “If he is, you can tell me, and I’ll?—”
“You’ll do what, Fischer?” I bark out a humorless laugh. “Throw him into the pit to fight to the death against the senator? Tattle to The Divine One?” With every word I say, Fischer’s face pales until he’s practically as white as parchment.
His voice is a rasp of air when he speaks next. “How the fuck do you know about that?”
The backs of my eyes prickle.
He didn’t deny it.
God, a part of me thought he would have an explanation or insist he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t know which is worse—having him blatantly lie to me or having him confirm my greatest fear.
“It doesn’t matter how I know about it.” I throw my hands up in the air, dislodging his grip in the process, and scream, “Fuck, Fischer! How could you!? What the hell is wrong with you? You’re a sick piece of shit, you know that?”
He licks his suddenly white lips. “It’s not what you think.”
“Not what I think?” There’s a strange noise between my ears—sort of like the high whistle of a train. It blocks out all other sounds. “Not what I fucking think?!” I shove at his chest, and he doesn’t lift a finger to stop me. “I would ask if you knew what that cult truly does, but you’re a goddamn member of their little murder club! You probably have the app on your phone too, don’t you?” I scoff out a laugh. “Of course, you do. Everyone at that little party has the app on their phone.”
“Keep your fucking voice down!” Fischer hisses, lines deepening the corners of his mouth.
“Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” Dom’s eyes glimmer with a murderous rage. “The only reason you’re still alive is because she wants you to be. But the second that changes…” He allows his words to taper off ominously.
But Fischer doesn’t even seem to hear him.
