Page 47

“Please.” Baylor. She needs me. The only person on her side in this God-awful room.

In the world.

Earlier, she confided in me. Told me in a hushed, broken voice that no one would come to save her. There will be no search parties, either.

Her drunk dad, who beats her up for sport, would never even file a missing person’s report. Her mother, who almost died the last time her dad bashed her face into a wall, took off over a decade ago and never returned. She doesn’t have uncles or aunts. Her grandparents are long dead.

Camden had informed her that he’d texted her friends, letting them know that she’d run from her abusive dad. That, for her sake, they shouldn’t go looking for her.

She sure as fuck doesn’t have a boyfriend.

I have to be strong for her.

I have to suffer through this pain in my chest. For her.

Fuck, it’s a punch to the gut to look at her.

While I was hot for James, it’s obvious Baylor isn’t getting off on this. Her wide eyes are frantic. Snot runs down her nose. She doesn’t try to wipe it. Doesn’t seem to care as sheer terror and panic grip her.

It’s okay, I mouth to her as she trembles next to the exam table.It’ll be all right.

“Get up here.” Nothing is remotely all right when Camden hauls her off the floor bridal style and deposits her on the table. The paper scrunches beneath her. She’s screaming and kicking, poor thing. “Don’t fuck this up,” he whispers as he wipes the snot off her discreetly. “Or I’ll have a man rape and slaughter your mother.”

“What?” She and I both gasp. “How did you?—”

“We have people everywhere.” He lets out a low, repulsive chuckle. Raises his disgusting blue eyes to me in warning. Snaps them back to her. “Keep this up, Baylor, and I’ll send them to finish what your father couldn’t.”

That manages to silence her, which is somehow worse. She sobs quietly, trembling from head to toe as Camden places her feet on the metal stirrups.

“That’s my boy.” My skin crawls at the sound of Topher’s whisper. “That’s how it’s done. Fucking own the bitch.”

How have I missed this side of him?

Why in the world did I try to rekindle what I had with this psychopath?

“You know, Sage is out. She’ll be back late.” I played with the lapel of his gray jacket one night at my doorstep.

That night, I was tipsy, and so was he. He actually talked to me during that dinner. Said that he and I weren’t that different since both our moms were dead.

“Okay.” His fingers curled around mine. Didn’t pry my hand off him like he always did. “Then?”

I took a moment to study his face. Search for the secrets he’d been keeping from me. Or maybe he didn’t have any secrets, and he was just dull. Either way, I had to find out.

There was something there before. How did we lose it?

“You could come up if you want.”

He closed the blinds over his pale blue eyes before I could figure him out. Disappeared behind his shield.

Disappointment. Another one.

Months ago, his darkness had sparked a million lights within me. I was desperate to feel that again. Needed him to quit this obsession with my virginity. We could be explosive together. In a good way. In the best way.

“We talked about this.” His brow furrowed. He stepped back into the hall. “Your virginity.”

“Yes, yes.” No sparks. No excitement. No falling feeling.

I needed him gone. For life.