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I’m a small child again, locked inside a cupboard barely big enough for me to fit into. I can hear the heavy thud of footsteps getting closer. Though I’m terrified of being locked in this tiny space in the dark, it’s the thought of what will happen to me when he takes me out of here that makes my fear worse.
Fuck. I’m going to die. I’m going to lie here in the dark, and I’ll have an aneurysm, and die.
“Kirill?” It’s Dom’s voice. “Breathe, dude. It’s okay. It’s just the power going out. It’ll be back on any second.”
A strange sound comes from my throat, a weird wheezing that could also be a whine of terror.
“Focus on the light from the furnace,” Tino says. “You’re going to be fine.” He fumbles, and then a white light illuminates the room in front of us. He’s turned on his phone light for me.
I didn’t even think of that. I’m so fucking scared of the dark, I didn’t think about taking out my phone and using the flashlight on it.
To my relief, the lights flicker back on.
My lungs immediately loosen, and I suck in a deep breath. I swing my legs off the couch, planting my feet on the floor, and bury my face in my knees. I’m embarrassed that the other two saw me like that. My fear of the dark isn’t something I like anyone to know about.
Neither of them speaks. They know this isn’t something I want to talk about.
After a few minutes, when my breathing returns to normal, a hand taps my shoulder.
I look up, and Dom hands me the joint.
“We’re running out of time,” he says. “On Sunday, Mackenzie’s mom and my dad say ‘I do,’ and then I’m stuck with her. She’ll be my fucking stepsister.”
“That’s hot, though,” Tino says. “Getting it on with your little stepsister.”
Dom rolls his eyes. “You’re fucked in the head.” Then he smirks. “But yeah, it was fucking hot."
Chapter 37
Domenic
“Where are you going, Dom?”
I let out a sigh because I recognize the voice and I’m not in the mood. I turn on my heel to face her. I’ve just left the others, and I’m pretty baked. I don’t really want to have to deal with Verity right now.
“What do you want, Verity?”
“Just to see you. I never get to spend any time with you now that your new stepsister is on the scene.” She spits out the word like it’s a curse.
“You don’t have to worry about that. She won’t be here much longer.”
Her expression brightens. “Oh? Why is that? I thought the wedding was happening on Sunday.”
I grind my molars. “Yeah, it is, but there’s still time to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
She practically hops with delight. “Ooh, tell me what you’re planning.”
“I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but we’re still fucking with Mackenzie, so you don’t need to worry.”
The truth is I’d prefer to have Mackenzie over Verity any day of the week, but I don’t even want to admit that to myself out loud. This isn’t just about what my dick wants. If Lucia marries my dad, then she’ll be replacing my mom, and that’s what is really eating me up inside.
Mom’s death did a number on me. I might pretend I don’t care about much, but when she died, it gutted me.
There are so many questions I still have unanswered. What was she doing driving my car that night? Where had she been going at two in the morning? Why had she lost control of the vehicle?
Both Mom and the car had been found the next morning. It had gone over a bridge, through the barrier, and crashed into the water beneath. She must have hit her head on the steering wheel—the airbag didn’t inflate due to an electrical error—and she knocked herself unconscious. When the water rose high enough, she’d drowned, sitting right there in the driver’s seat. She hadn’t even managed to take off her seatbelt or try to open the door.
I’ll never understand how my father just seemed to get over her loss within a matter of days. He never even asked any questions about where she was going or why she was driving at that time of night. If I attempted to look into things, he came down on me hard, saying he couldn’t stand to keep dwelling in the past.
