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I barely even have to force my smile. “I am, yeah. Are you hungry? Cal is making waffles.”
“I already ate, but thanks.”
“How’s your family? Is everything okay?”
Haven’s happy expression falls for a split second. “Um, yeah. It took a lot longer to deal with than I expected, but it was nice to catch up with them. We can talk about that later, though. Tell me about you.”
I do my best to hide my frown. It’s not like Haven to keep things to herself. She’s allowed to, of course, but we don’t often keep secrets. Although… well, I suppose I’m keeping some from her, too.
“Um.” I bite my bottom lip. “Maybe… let’s take a walk.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Just give me a second.” I head upstairs to grab a hat since it’s so cold out.
Wes follows me, standing in my doorway and crossing his arms.
“Seriously? You’re not gonna let me talk to her alone?”
“We just need to make sure you’re on the same page as us,” he says quietly.
Right.Obviously, I can never tell Haven the truth about certain things—what happened to Professor Kammes, the fact that Wes shot a serial killer who was holding me hostage, etc.
“I’m not planning on telling her about the…” I wave my hand. “Crime stuff.”
“Are you going to tell her about Kammes raping you?”
Oh.
“I suppose I can’t, can I?”
Wes shakes his head. “If it gets around, it could cast suspicion on us. I know you trust Haven, but this needs to stay under wraps.”
“Right. I’ll just… I’ll leave him out of it.”
“And what are you going to tell her about us?”
“Whatever the fuck I want to.” My tone holds a challenge—a reminder that if he doesn’t want me to tell Haven how they’ve treated me, then they shouldn’t have treated me that way.
“Fair enough,” he mutters, stepping out of the way. But as I walk past, he places a hand on my stomach and pulls me against him. His body is warm and firm, and his breath caresses my skin as he leans down and whispers, “Don’t go toofar.”
“We won’t.” Turning in his arms, I press my lips to his. I think it surprises him, because he lets out a deep, startled sound before pressing a hand to my lower back and deepening the kiss.
“My soul,” he whispers when I pull away.
My stomach tightens at the way Wes says it—like it’s actually true—but I push the feeling away. It doesn’t matter if he means it.
It never will.
. . .
“I… I don’t know what to say, Thelia. Wow.” Haven runs a hand through her hair, and the morning sunlight catches the purple highlights. “That’s one hell of a plan.”
We’re sitting at a picnic bench in a park nearby. I told Haven everything I could without incriminating myself or the guys. As far as she knows, there was nothing abusive about my relationship with Professor Kammes, and it’s a mystery why he’s dead.
She’s as shocked as I am that Wes is his stepson, though—although she thankfully heard it from another source.
I don’t like keeping so much from her. It’s not like it’s much different than before, though. I was already hiding the fact that Kammes was raping me, but she knew everything about the guys.
