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“Did you know?” A shiver ran over his skin, but I couldn’t stop. “Did you know nothing happened?”
“Somethinghappened to you,” Michael hissed, a tense chuckle filling the space when I couldn’t bite back. Dark eyes snapped over to me. “Don’t say nothing happened becausesomethinghappened.” When the snarl didn’t earn my obedience, his anger bubbled again. Something dark turned to face me, and this time, not even a careful gaze could pull him back. “You would have bled out in the fucking ditch if it wasn’t for me.”
“You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie to you!”
“You didn’t tell me the truth,” I snapped. “What else am I supposed to call it?”
“I protected you!” This time, when his scream bounced off the wall, I couldn’t help the way I jumped. This Michael, whatever he had turned into, wasn’t something I could ever trust. Not again. The beast tried to soften, tried to reach out for me, but I shuffled out of his grip. “Christ, Birdie. All I’ve ever done is protect you.You know that.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“No, you know me.”
The bite snapped my eyes shut. Anything to make those awful words easier to hear, to make it a little easier to breathe. The boy I met would never hurt me. He would never have lied to me. Whatever was in front of me, whatever time had changed him into, wasn’t something I wanted to know.
“Someonedid this, Birdie. Alright? I know that.” This time, when his fingers dug into my arms, there was no pulling away. My eyes snapped open, and when dark eyes looked out at me, I refused to look back. I refused to see the reflection of the boy I loved. “I know it in my gut. I know it the same way I knew that fuck was going to—”
“Don’t make this about Josh, Michael.”
“Don’t defend him,” he hissed. “Don’t defend that piece of—” When my arms crossed again, gnashing teeth ended whatever fight he had. Michael took a sharp breath in and, with whatever strength he had left, tried again. Tried to find the words that would make things right, the words that didn’t exist. “Someoneis out there,” he hissed. “I’m not crazy.”
“Who?” Michael froze, but I couldn’t stop myself anymore. “Whois out there, Michael?” I repeated. “You’ve been searching for two weeks and haven’t found anything. You’ve kept me here and made me think—”
“I didn’t make you think anything.” When his venom straightened me, Michael did his best to soften. “Jesus, Birdie. I didn’t make youdoanything.”
“Don’t touch me,” I squeaked. “Please don’t touch me.”
I felt him hesitate. This thing that wanted my blood, that wanted to sit me down and demand something else I couldn’t give, tightened its grip for a moment. But something pulled Michael’s hand back to his side. Something pulled a hiss from his lips.
“Tristan,” he pushed.
Omar tensed. “Mick.”
“Fuck off.” When Omar’s hand reached out to stop him, Michael looked ready to sink his teeth into him. “This fuck shows up to be the hero on theone nightyou drink too much?”
In the anger, in the ridicule, my voice came out so quietly. “Stop.”
“And then some fuck shows up on theone nightyou crash your car? You think that’s just some kind of coincidence? Come on, Birdie. Even you’re not that stu—”
“Stop!” When my scream bounced off the wall, everything froze. “Stop it.”
That desperation, that awful look I’d seen on him once before, had a way of rattling my bones. I didn’t want to be the one who made him feel that way. But if Michael really was hiding this from me, if he kept me here just to feed his appetite, then maybe he really was a monst—
My body shivered. Something more powerful took hold of me as I straightened my spine, as I turned my attention away from the sad boy who would forever have a piece of me, who would forever keep my heart.
I couldn’t sort this out right now.
I couldn’t deal with the idea that the one person I’d trusted had hurt me— not here.
Mom needed me. Work needed me.
As I stepped away from him, Michael’s shoulders fell. “Birdie.”
“I want to go home.” I wouldn’t be able to see the crash of Omar’s heart when I said those awful words. The silence kept my eyes glued to the floor. “Please take me home.”
Michael’s fingers bruised my arm. “You’re not going anywhere.”
