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Kane glowered at me. “You have no fucking idea what you did to me. I’ve spent the last several years hating you, then you stroll back into my life, pretending that nothing ever happened between us.” Kane’s chest heaved, and he released me.
I watched him pace, agony twisting his expression as he started to calm down a little. Chewing on his last words, I debated what to say without throwing him into another violent tailspin.
He finally turned to me again.
“Kane, does anyone else know what happened to you?”
“My parents know a little about my past. No one else, though. I’ve had to hide it to protect my future.” Kane never took his eyes off me. “You have to leave Whitmore. I have too much at stake. I can’t risk people learning the truth, and I don’t trust that you won’t fuck me over again.” Kane grabbed my shoulders and glared down at me. “Leave. Go home to Tennessee.”
“No.” Spittle flew from my mouth all over his face, my compassion for what he’d lived through flying out the damned window. “I have never backed down from a threat, and I sure as hell won’t now. Get the fuck out of my house.”
“This isn’t over, little girl.” He released and shoved me.
I stumbled backward but caught myself before I hit the floor again.
Kane stormed out the front door, slamming it so hard the windows rattled. I locked it behind him and set the alarm. Sinking to the floor, I rubbed my chest where my heart hurled itself against my ribs. Fear, adrenaline, and shock coursed through me while I tried to process what the fuck had just happened. Kane’s expression was filled with hatred. But after what he’d lived through, I would hate someone, too. How had we ended up at Whitmore together? He was terrified that I would share our past and ruin him, but I wouldn’t ever do that. Kane didn’t realize he was missing some important information.
My stomach churned as I recalled what he’d said, how he’d been raped and tortured. How was he still in one piece? I sucked in a big breath, trying to steady myself. My heart ached for what Kane had shared. I wish he’d let me make things right, but I doubted he would.
I wiped my tears, then remembered what Mom had given me when I moved here.
Still shaking, I scrambled off the floor and ran down the hall to my bedroom. Mom had given me a box for when I was ready to look at the contents. All she’d said was that it contained things from my past. Refusing to look at it, I hid it so it wouldn’t be in my line of sight every day.
I opened the drawer, my attention landing on the metal lockbox. Mom hadn’t told me what was inside, but the look on her face had said it all. It wasn’t anything good.
My phone chirped with an incoming text. The box would have to wait. I closed the drawer before I headed to the living room. I picked the cell up off the couch, then stared at the screen.
I require your presence tonight. Same place. You have twenty minutes. Don’t be late, or you’ll be punished.
I gawked at the message. Getting laid and having some kinky fun was what I needed after that bullshit with Kane. In record time, I slipped on my tennis shoes, grabbed my purse, and ran to my car.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Brie
The dimly lit room appeared empty when I arrived at the society. Once again, I’d been escorted down the hall by a person wearing a cloak with a hood.
“I see you dressed for the occasion,” a disguised voice said from the corner.
I jumped, not realizing he was already there. “If I had changed my yoga shorts into something warmer, I wouldn’t have been on time. You told me not to be late.” Even though I appeared calm, I had no idea what to expect, and I was still reeling from Kane’s visit.
A tall figure dressed in black and wearing a mask walked toward me. “Kneel.”
My heart skipped a beat as I did as he said. I glanced up at him, waiting.
“We’re going to play a game. For every lie you tell me, you have to remove a piece of your clothing.”
“What if I don’t tell you any lies?”
“Everyone lies, Brie Langston. Especially you. Shall we begin?”
I nodded, not clear where this was going. As long as I had my brains fucked out again, I didn’t care.
“Where are you from?” He circled me, his black dress shoes scuffing against the wood floors.
“Tennessee.”
“Why are you in Oregon?” he asked.
