12. Reid
12
Reid
M y eyes scanned the numbers on the screen, but my mind wasn’t processing any of it. My thoughts were up a flight of stairs, down a hall, and through the wood door. Focused on a fair skinned, dark-haired beauty who was flipping our lives upside down.
We’d known her two nights. Barely spoken two words to each other. And now she was all I could think about.
What was she doing in there? What had happened to her? What was she thinking? How were we going to put her together again? Would she let us?
“Reid?” Connor’s voice cut through my thoughts. I set down my phone to look at my brothers. He was seated at the kitchen table next to me; beside his plate, he’d laid out a game of solitaire. I didn’t understand how he could play it over and over, but I’d stopped arguing it years ago.
“Hmm?” I scooped another forkful of eggs into my mouth, pretending that I was listening.
“Violet?” Maverick gave me a pointed look as he chugged his protein drink. My lip curled in disgust. How did he survive on that? It tasted like chalk.
“I told you, she can stay until she’s ready to go.” Standing from the six person table, I walked past the kitchen island to place my dishes in the sink. I leaned against the counter to stare back at Connor, still seated. The cards in front of him were dark from years of use.
The midday sun was shining bright through the patio doors behind him. Since we worked late, this was our usual time to wake. We often didn’t get home till four or five in the morning.
“She’s ours.” Maverick glared from his position on the other side of the island. The kitchen was modern, with gray cabinets and black marble countertops. We’d bought the place soon after I’d taken control of my inheritance.
Behind Maverick were the stairs with a wrought-iron railing that led to five bedrooms and baths. On this level, to the right of the kitchen, there was a foyer, front living room, and my office. To the left of the kitchen, in the back of the house, a vast living room was located. Big enough for a sectional, a pool table and bar.
Retractable doors opened to a patio and private backyard. We’d installed a pool and hot tub, but work kept us from using it.
The entire house was done in shades of gray and black. We’d let some designer Mav was fucking decorate it. Not as fancy as others, but more than any of us ever had.
“I know you want to believe that. But she’s not for us.”
I thought of Violet’s wounded green eyes. Imagined all she’d been through. She deserved more than this. More than this fucked up heart we all shared. More than the monsters we’d become.
None of us were whole. We only had enough pieces to keep each other together. None to spare. She shouldn’t settle for that.
“I believe it because it’s the truth.” His thick fingers curled into the marble. He needed to get his ass to the gym and burn off this energy. Because if he tried to take me on, I’d have to lay him out again.
The tension inside me had been growing since I’d walked into that room and seen Violet. Since I’d realized we hadn’t exterminated our infestation. Eros was my safe haven. I’d kill to keep it that way.
“She needs us.” Connor sounded as resolved as Maverick.
I hated being the one who tore them down. But that was my role. Keeping them grounded. Keeping them from flying off the handle. Keeping them safe.
“For now. Just be prepared. She’s going to leave, eventually.” My gut tightened as the words fell from my lips.
That’s what needed to happen.
I saw it in my brothers’ eyes. She had a power over them already. The power to destroy us.
A figure appeared to Mav’s left at the bottom of the stairs. Violet’s black hair was tied up at the top of her head. Pieces fell down, framing her face, making her pale skin seem even fainter.
“Sorry.” Her fingers twisted into the hem of an oversized sweatshirt. My sweatshirt. The one Ivette had given her.
My gut loosened as I noticed how it swallowed her up. How good she looked in it. Her bare legs peaked out from underneath as she took a tiny step towards us. “I didn’t know if I was supposed to stay in my room.”
“You’re not a prisoner, little bloom.” Connor smiled at her and she gave a weak one back.
Maverick closed the distance between them. His hand was raised as if he was going to pull her closer, but he dropped it a second later. “This is your house as much as ours.”
“Thanks.” Her lip twitched again, but still no smile.
“Are you hungry?” I gestured to the plate of eggs and bacon we’d made for her, hopeful she’d come down.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Lifting one foot, she rubbed it along the other as she continued to twist her fingers in her shirt.
“We have eggs and toast.” Maverick’s hand hovered over her back, guiding her to the table without making contact.
She moved either because she didn’t want him to touch her or because she was curious. She blinked down at the plate of food. Her big green eyes staring like she’d never seen it before.
Connor’s gaze shifted to me. We exchanged looks of concern. Then he was talking to Violet again. Softly, as if he was afraid to spook her. “We could make you something else. Yogurt? Fruit?”
Her throat bobbed as her eyes connected with his. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you want some coffee?” Maverick moved towards me, reaching for the coffeepot. “Cream? Sugar?”
“Stop!” Violet’s hands flew to her head. She ran her fingers along her temples. “Please, just stop with all the questions.”
As I looked at her face contorted in pain. At the panic in her eyes, it clicked. She was used to taking orders. She’d forgotten how to make decisions.
I remembered the feeling well. The paralyzing fear when you had to make even the simplest of choices. In juvie, you were told when to eat, sleep, piss. And before then, there was my mother. One tiny move outside her plan and she’d fly into a rage.
I’d spent most of my life following someone’s orders because it was easier. Smarter to keep the peace.
Then I’d been freed. I’d had to decide what to wear. Where to live. What to do. It had been overwhelming. My balm for the panic was control. I planned every detail of my day. Knew exactly what to expect.
Violet hadn’t had time to figure out her solution. And she wouldn’t with my oaf brothers bothering her.
“Get out.” I ordered. They knew better than to question me. They left without a word. But their gazes lingered on her, reminding me we had another problem to solve.
Violet’s chest rose, an unsteady breath rattling through her. But her eyes tracked me as I grabbed the plate of food and crossed the room. I moved to the table, pulling a chair out and setting the dish down. “Sit. Eat.”
“I-I can’t.” She protested even as her body collapsed on to the wood. Her survival instincts taking over.
“It wasn’t a choice. It’s an order.”
Her mouth pulled at the corners, but she didn’t say a word. I watched her shaking hand as she picked up the fork. It clinked against her plate as she poked at her eggs. A piece no bigger than a dime clung to the metal as she brought it to her lips.
Satisfaction filled me, but it stopped dead as her sniffle echoed in the air. That tiny sound was like a gunshot in the quiet. Cracks formed in my heart as a tear tracked down her smooth cheek.
Her soft whimper followed. Her nostrils flared with the movement. Her eyes pleaded with me to stop this.
She was acting like I was going to murder her. Not like we were trying to feed her. Get her healthy again.
My chest constricted as I grasped her wrist. She flinched, and the eggs fell to the plate with a plop. I should let her go, but I couldn’t.
Everything in me screamed to draw her close. To keep her safe. To heal her.
I removed the fork from her grasp, setting it on the table. She stared down at it like it held the key to her freedom. But I knew she was just afraid to meet my gaze.
I kept my hands gentle as I grasped her chin, tilting her face to mine. Her tears wet my palm, and I hated myself a little.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, pretty girl.” My thumb stroked along her cheek. Her skin was unbelievably soft. “I’m trying to take care of you.”
She blinked, and I lost that green gaze for a moment. It was the longest moment of my life. “Why?”
I felt what Maverick and Connor did. This undeniable pull to her. To her brokenness.
But I pushed it aside. We could heal her. Protect her. But we couldn’t keep her.
“Because you’re ours to take care. For now.” I took a deep breath, hoping she’d feel the truth of my words. “Trust me when I say I understand. What I’ve gone through isn’t the same. But the need for control, I understand that. It lives in me.” My heart gave a tug. My free hand tapped my chest, trying to soothe it. “I don’t feel safe unless I know the people around me are taken care of. I can’t relax until you’re not in danger of dying from malnutrition. So please eat something for me.”
I saw the shift in her eyes. A piece of her clicking back into place. “H—he drugged my food. I didn’t know what day it was or even everything he did to me. So I stopped eating because I was afraid h—he’d poison me.”
My fingers curled into the fabric of my shirt. I fought not to grip her chin tighter. I felt her fear like it was my own. He would pay for doing this to her.
“Okay.” I nodded; dropping my hand, I gripped hers. Violet’s sock covered feet slipped as we walked the few steps into the kitchen.
Her brow furrowed in confusion as I turned towards her. She squeaked as I grasped her hips, placing her on the island. I should’ve asked permission, but I wasn’t used to it. I gave orders. Demanded and everyone listened.
She didn’t say a word as I picked up her plate and threw the food in the trash. She watched as I grabbed the carton of eggs from the fridge. I set them and a bowl beside her.
Her gaze burned my skin as I cracked the shells, then whisked them together. I tossed butter into a pan and bread into the toaster. Within minutes, she had a fresh plate of eggs and toast. I even cut up a few strawberries.
She never stopped watching.
I placed the new dish in her lap. Her hands still shook as she stabbed a piece with her fork. Her breathing wavered as she brought it to her mouth. At the last second, I dipped my head.
Her eyes widened as I closed my lips around the fork. They stayed focused on me as I swallowed. A spark flashed behind them as my tongue came out, swiping away any crumbs.
“You’re safe, pretty girl. I promise.”
“Thank you.” There was so much meaning in those words. And I hated it. Hated that she kept thanking us for doing the bare minimum. For being decent human beings. Because we weren’t.
I didn’t tell her that. Instead, I picked up the toast and brought it to her mouth. “Open.” Her brows furrowed, but that was the only sign she’d heard me. “Let me take care of you.”
Her lips parted as she obeyed. A warmth spread through my veins as she bit the food and swallowed. With that movement, I realized I was in danger.
In danger of forgetting, she wasn’t ours.