Chapter 2 #2
Roe sighed next to me. “We only buy weed from him.”
“And selling it, too,” Bram added, sounding fully pissed off now. “Did my daughter buy from you?”
Wyatt let out a curse.
“I never sold to Lottie,” Roe said.
“But you’ve gotten her high,” Bram shot back. It was clear he was trying to pick a fight, and I was just about to step in when Reid spoke.
“Don’t take your shit out on him,” he snapped. “You need to be pissed at someone, you do it with me. We all know I can take it.”
Was he talking about the abuse he’d endured from his biological father?
It went quiet for a moment. Bobby paused for only a few seconds before he continued working. I lost count of how many stitches he had done so far on my side.
“You knew who she was,” Bram said, his voice a little calmer.
“Yeah,” Reid replied.
“Why didn’t you come to me and tell me what was happening to her?” Bram asked.
“We only found out a week ago and I tried to get her to tell you herself. She refused,” Reid said. I didn’t have to hear his tone to know he was annoyed.
“Of course she wouldn’t tell me,” Bram snapped. “I’m the president of the Haven’s Rebels. You know our history. You know what people say about us. She probably assumed I was as much of a piece of shit as her mother.”
“I think you proved that you weren’t when she took a crowbar to your bike,” Wyatt said.
It went quiet again.
“That’s what she meant when she said she wanted to see if I’d hit her,” Bram said. “When she said that, I thought…”
Bobby cleared his throat when Bram didn’t say more. “What the hell was used to cut up this poor girl? I’ve done about thirty stitches on her side alone and I haven’t even gotten to her arm yet.”
I tried to hold them back, but the memories resurfaced—Clay pinning me face down on the floor by the back of my head and straddling my butt.
He had picked up a large shard of broken lamp.
I was wearing the crop top and shorts Mac had lent me.
Clay made comments about it. Saying I looked like trash from the wrong side of the bridge while cutting my side repeatedly.
I managed to turn my head so I wasn’t being smothered.
My eyes found Mother. I screamed and screamed.
She watched it all with sick delight glinting in her eyes while continuing to sip on her drink.
“There were broken pieces of glass everywhere. There was one larger piece that was covered in blood on the floor next to where I found her,” Reid told them.
“Was it just her mother who did this?” Wyatt asked.
“Do you think her mother’s boyfriend helped?” Roe questioned.
“He was there,” Reid answered. “I overheard them arguing. Mommy Dearest was mad he hit her face because it’d make her less perfect for someone named Sharon Carmichael.”
“That’s Brandon’s mother,” Roe said.
“Her mother’s boyfriend? And who are Sharon and Brandon Carmichael?” Bram questioned, trying to follow along.
It was odd just lying there listening to them talk about me and all the things I’d worked so hard to keep secret.
Part of me felt like I should be freaking out.
Another, stronger part was too fucking broken to care.
The cat was out of the bag. I supposed them knowing all the fucked-up details didn’t matter.
“Her mother’s boyfriend—I think his name is Clay—has also hurt Lottie in the past,” Roe answered.
“Last week, he tried to—” Wyatt started to say, but abruptly stopped.
“He tried to rape her last weekend,” Reid bluntly finished for him. “She called Mac for help after getting away from him.”
Wyatt added, “I drove her to where Lottie asked her to meet up. When we got there, Lottie’s dress was ripped and she didn’t have any shoes. He roughed her up pretty bad then, too.”
“What?” Bram sounded taken aback. “What do you mean she was almost raped?”
Bobby cleared his throat. “You probably could have delivered that information a bit more delicately.”
“There isn’t any point in sugarcoating it. She’s already laid out on this table, beat to hell,” Reid snapped.
“Still, it’s not easy for a father to hear that,” Bobby said.
Roe’s hand tightened a little around mine. “Nothing about any of this is easy.”
“You need to know what she has been going through, Bram. You need to learn it all so you can get your head wrapped around it quickly, because her mother isn’t going to wait,” Reid said.
“I understand how serious this is, Reid,” Bram assured him.
“No, you don’t,” Reid argued. “When I was getting her out of that house, I overheard Clay saying it would be easier if they just killed her.”
The room went quiet again for a few heartbeats until everyone tried asking questions at once.
Reid got them all to quiet down and he went into detail over what we’d both overheard. “The housekeeper didn’t even look shocked when he said it, either.”
“I still don’t know who these Carmichael people are,” Bram said, beyond frustrated.
“Sharon is Brandon’s mother and Brandon is…” Roe sounded as if he was trying to find the right thing to say.
“A piece of shit?” Reid offered at the same time Wyatt said, “An asshole?”
“Yes to both of those,” Roe agreed, and I could hear a little bit of smile in his voice. It disappeared as he continued speaking. “I don’t want to say that he’s Lottie’s boyfriend.”
“He never deserved that title,” Wyatt said.
“Lottie’s mother and Brandon’s parents want Lottie and Brandon to get married,” Roe explained.
“According to Lottie, it’s mutually beneficial for their families.
Lottie has been against it from the start, but has felt like she’s had no choice in the matter.
Brandon, on the other hand, has had a thing for Lottie for a while and has been taking full advantage of the arrangement. ”
“From what you overheard, Reid, it sounds like Lottie’s mother really wants this arranged marriage to happen. Something big must be on the line,” Wyatt deduced.
Twenty million dollars. I almost said it out loud. I wasn’t completely sure it was true or just a lie Sharon had used to pressure me to be obedient and give in to her son’s needs.
I didn’t want to think about it.
I just wanted to disappear.
Pulling my hand from Roe’s, I covered my ears.
“Lottie?” I could still hear Roe say. So I pressed harder. It was childish, but I couldn’t take it anymore.
A big hand covered one of mine before I heard Bram’s muffled voice. “I think we should take a break from this discussion.”
No one argued.
I felt Bram lean closer. “It’s going to be all right. Just rest.” Despite being muffled, I knew he was trying to be reassuring and offer comfort. His thumb rubbed back and forth on the back of my hand as he continued to tell me that I was safe and everything was going to be okay.
When he said, “I won’t let them hurt you again,” I eased up on the pressure I was putting on my ears.
He said it with such confidence that it made me want to believe him, even if it was just for a little while.
I was so exhausted and hurt. Why else would I ignore the many times I had been let down before?
The more I listened to his deep voice and promises, the more I relaxed. As I felt myself drifting, I told myself that when I woke up, I would not be disappointed.