46. Kiera
KIERA
Taking advantage of the brief respite from arguing, Leo cleared her throat. “Look, clearly we all have some catching up to do. But there’s no way we’re getting all of the answers tonight. Everyone go to bed, and we can revisit this in the morning.”
The standoff between Spencer, Dom, and I wasn’t so easily swayed. The air around us crackled with the anxious electricity of our discoveries.
Spencer was the first to peel away from the fight, not having an interest in allowing Dom to walk away from her. Instead, she made her way to the stairs and stopped on the second step, holding her hand out to me.
My eyes flicked between Dom and Leo before I turned my back on them and joined Spencer. Looking into her dark brown eyes, I could read every ounce of conflict inside her. There was the obvious rage that came from her heaving shoulders and tight jaw.
But in her eyes was a sorrow, a deep betrayal and hurt that she wouldn’t want to talk about. Not tonight, and maybe not ever.
Once I’d made my way for the stairs, Dom dismissed herself and headed down a dark hallway toward her office. Her steps were faster than usual, a panic after being caught.
She had a lot of lies to answer for.
And I wasn’t going to let her off the hook.
As Spencer and I headed upstairs, I heard Leo’s heavy feet behind us. Peeking at her over my shoulder, I took in her stoicism. Her broad shoulders were rolled back, her chin tilted high. But her own anger was buried in the stern gaze and tight movements.
I was certain that Leo was holding back, keeping it together for all of our sakes. Someone had to keep their eye on peace.
But I hated that she had to put her own frustration aside for us.
None of this was going to go away. And I wasn’t sure Dom could fix it.
My two captors dropped me at my door, all of us needing a little space for the night.
As they left me, Leo pulled me into a tight hug and kissed the top of my head. “Goodnight, Princess. My door is open if you decide you want company.”
She made her way to her own bedroom, ready to take solace in her minimalist space for the night.
But Spencer wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me close. Putting her hands on my jaw, she kissed me softly on the lips. I could feel her body release, some of the tension she’d been carrying falling away.
Softly, Spencer pulled away. “Goodnight, Bunny.”
“Goodnight.” I managed before slipping into my room and closing the door.
Leaning against the wood, I listened as her steps drifted down the hallway. I sucked a deep breath into my lungs, forcing the air into my body.
There was a lot to grapple with now. More had been revealed to me than I’d expected. Despite Dom’s hatred of me, I thought she’d have a couple small lies to confess to. An entire decade of plotting and manipulating wasn’t even on my mind.
I hadn’t even considered how much time was lost to the pits of my mind, how much I’d erased. For a moment, I closed my eyes and tried to call the memories forward.
There was only an empty, dark cavern. A flicker of a face like a shadow on the wall.
But now I knew the truth — the things my mind wanted to forget.
What really scared me was how much of my memory, my childhood was in Dom’s hands.
I’d gotten the answers I’d been hunting for, running down every hallway to stir the lost fragments from the locked filing cabinet in my brain.
It had only raised more questions. And I wasn’t so sure Dom would be an open book.
More than anything, I still wasn’t sure if the truth had been worth it.