I sigh.
I should tell them the error of my ways. Make it a learning experience. But the wound is still raw.
I’m humiliated by the few seconds of hope Luca awakened.
And frightened over how susceptible my family made me.
I have to work harder to forget them. I can no longer simply file their memories away in the back of my mind.
I need to eradicate every thought.
There were never any brothers who kept the sleazy teenage boys at bay. The tight-knit family didn’t exist. There was no generous, nurturing mother.
It was all a punishing dream.
“We can talk about it in the morning,” I murmur. “I’m too tired now.”
“Tobias mentioned the man being nice to you.” Abigail speaks softly. “Is that true?”
“Tomorrow, Abi.”
“But what if he can help us?” Chloe asks. “If he was nice maybe he can—”
“He can’t help us.” I add steel to my tone. “Nobody can. The sooner you realize that, the easier each day will become.”
The room falls silent.
I hate crushing their hopes. But it’s a necessary evil. I’m being cruel to be kind.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I just don’t want any of you to become optimistic. It’s better to expect the worst. One day we’ll get out of here, but it won’t be because some dark prince came to rescue us. We’ll be freed because we were smart and strategic. We don’t rely on others. Least of all men who are associated with Luther.”
They remain quiet, none of them accepting my apology because they’re still holding out for a hero.
I lay there in the bitter void for hours, long after Lilly falls asleep snuggled against me and Nina lets out a soft purr of slumber.
Like I anticipated, it’s well after midnight when the sound of a vehicle approaches outside.
Two car doors slam and moments later the thunderous footsteps of men ricochet off the walls. Lilly startles awake beside me. Chloe springs upward.
“Relax,” I whisper. “They just got home. You can go back to sleep.”
I wince through the placation because I’m not entirely certain everything is going to be okay.
Luther and his goons have been gone all day. He’s had enough time to stew on my behavior. To scheme.
Those pounding footsteps could be a sign of his renewed aggression toward me. The forewarning to a brutal punishment.
The bright glow of the hall light flicks on, seeping into our room from the gap around the door.
There’s murmured conversation, then Tobias’s sweet voice saying, “But Baba, I want to go back to sleep.”
“He woke Tobias,” Lilly whispers. “Why would he do that?”
A rumble of chatter builds in the hall. A dark, aggressive reaction to the little boy’s protest, which encourages my heart to beat faster.
I throw back the covers, crawl to the end of the mattress, then tiptoe my way to the door.
“What are you doing?” Nina peers down from the top bunk. “Get back in bed. If you’re caught snooping…”
She doesn’t finish her sentence. She doesn’t need to. I already know the consequences and I don’t quit my approach. I don’t stop until my ear is placed to the doorframe and the now softened conversation becomes clear.
“We need to work together, son.” It’s Luther, his lowered tone filled with discipline. “This is important.”
“Okay, Baba,” Tobias replies. “But I’m tired.”
The booming footsteps return. Approaching.
“Get back in bed,” Abigail hisses.
I could.
I should.
But the thunder is too close. If Luther opens the bedroom door, I’ll be caught scampering away.
I’d prefer to have him find me standing here—strong and sure—than see my weakness for a second time today.
Then the door is flung open and my heart squeezes.
I stiffen, facing the devil head on, his face partially shadowed, the light from the hall beaming down behind him.
He doesn’t show surprise over my snooping. He doesn’t express annoyance or delight either—just a stony mask of determination while Tobias stands like an exhausted angel by his side.
“You’re coming with me.” Luther lunges forward and grabs my wrist. “Chloe, you need to join us, too.”
He doesn’t wait for her to comply. He drags me into the hall, making me stumble as I cling tight to my refusal to show fear.
Gasps and whispers erupt from my bedroom as I’m taken from my sisters. I’m tugged toward the front of the house and into the living room with Tobias dragging his feet behind us.
Questions clog my throat. The need for answers is brutal. But I won’t voice my weakness. I have to stay strong this time.
Chris stands at the far edge of one of the cream leather sofas, his expression tight, while one of the silent armed guards disappears through the doorway across the other side of the room, apparently satisfied Luther can handle the situation on his own.
It’s safe to assume this is the start of my punishment, and the situation is made all the worse when Chloe inches into the room, her long dark hair loose around her shoulders, her skin pale.
Those sad eyes make me fragile. The tremble in her hands and lower lip are another battle I have to win in an effort to remain strong.
But the surprising thing is, both my tormentors aren’t in their usual mocking, sadistic mood. Usually, I’m disciplined out of delight.
Tonight is different.
Luther and Chris appear frustrated, their hard eyes and tight features exuding anger.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise in foreboding. My fingers and toes tingle with anticipation of the unknown. This show of animosity can’t be due to my outburst today. It can’t. I’ve never seen these men so venomous toward me.
“Sit,” Luther barks.
I comply, sinking into the cream leather, my hands in my lap, my fingers playing with the sheer material of my nightgown. Chloe takes her place on my left, her breathing shallow and ragged.
Luther moves to stand before us and indicates for Tobias to sit on the other side of Chloe. “You need to do something for me.”
I hold my breath, unsure if he’s talking to us as a collective or the boy on his own.
Having Tobias here must be another punishing strategy.
I knew this day would come—the moment when the child I helped raise would be used as a weapon against me. I’d known and still I hadn’t been able to distance myself from caring for him.
“You made a mistake today,” Luther growls at me. “A big one.”
My pulse pounds everywhere. In my throat. My ears. My wrists. No place more painful than my chest.
“I’m sorry.” The apology fumbles from my numb lips. “I lost myself. I promise I’ll never do it again.”
I promise to never, ever let hope blind me.
“I can make this right.” I meet his gaze. “You know I can.”
“Yes, I do.” He inclines his head. “And you can start now.”
I wait for him to lower his zipper and demand a vile act. Instead, he surprises me by reaching into his suit jacket to pull out two white tubes.
He hands one to Tobias and the other to me, the warm plastic smooth against my fingers.