Lose him too?
Now panic has fully set in. This doesn’t make any sense. If Darius is out of jail, he should be here. Unless he got caught up, but eventually he would make his way here.
“What can we possibly do?” The pads of Axel’s fingers press firmly into my skin. “Sunday isn’t safe in this town. They want her at all angles. Darius knew the risks when he stayed behind for her.”
Stayed behind for me?
I knock Axel’s hand away from me. “WHO IS DARIUS’S DAD?” This time, I scream.
Grayson comes to a stop, he’s at the door, his attention zeroes in on my face, my lips, my nose, before settling on my eyes. “I promised him I wouldn’t tell you. Not until he had the chance to.”
“Well, I didn’t make that promise.” Axel jumps on top of me, onto the bed. He pushes me back on the mattress, his hands landing on each side of my head.
I expect pain to follow, but he is careful in his movements, knowing exactly where he can and can’t press down.
His lips hover above mine, his bright eyes swirling hypnotically. “Darius’s dad? Are you sure, Little Lamb? Isn’t it better to not know?”
My hands come up between us and with all the might I can muster, I push Axel off of me. I can feel my stitches pulling, but I pay it no mind as I roll him off the bed.
He falls to the linoleum ground with a loud grunt, and then…laughter.
Grayson remains silent, choosing to watch how this plays out instead.
“I see. I guess you might be ready. Darius’s dad?” Axel grunts as he makes his way back to his feet. His lips curl cruelly as he stares down at me. “Sterling. Maxwell. Thorne.”
My heart pounds up my throat, nearly chokes me. “His dad…his dad…his dad,” I stutter.
Grayson breaks free of whatever was holding him in place and rushes to my side, his arms wrap around me, comforting me. His chin finds the top of my head as he gathers me carefully into him.
Darius’s dad…
“He’s one of the founding families. One of the men in charge of the disgusting happenings of this town,” Axel confirms. “So no, Darius isn’t safe. But now that he’s in his sperm donor’s clutches? There’s nothing we can do.”
Grayson remains silent, but squeezes me tighter to him. And it is in this instance that I realize Grayson isn’t here to comfort me.
Heneeds the support.
Another one of his brothers is in peril. And just like before…
It is my fault.
7
September 1st
After a few more minutes of silence, Grayson finally pulls away from me. “It’s time we tell you. Tell you as much as we possibly can. At this point ignorance will only get you in trouble.”
Axel inclines his head, his messy hair falling forward. “Finally, we agree on something.”
My mind races. When Grayson first revealed to me the loops I didn’t believe him, but then he reminded me of all the happenstances and the near deaths. And I remember the déjà vu. The feeling in my gut, the tugs in directions I didn’t necessarily want to go.
When I left to chase after Julia, it was almost as if I were having an out-of-body experience, as if I weren’t making those choices at all, but they were made for me.
Looking back…there are a lot of instances that feel that same way.
The memorial.
The party at Maxwell’s.
