Page 99 of Behind the Shadows

“What the fuck?” I came out swinging, trying to see who the hell was dragging me out of my car, but a black hood was shoved over my head before I could see their faces.

“Nighty-night, motherfucker,” one of them said.

A sharp pain shot through my skull, then the edges of my vision turned to black before I slipped into oblivion.

42

HOLLAND

“What are your intentions with Kip?” Ella asked without even a smile.

My forehead creased. “You don’t waste any time, do you?” I settled into the chair opposite the couch, sinking into the soft leather.

Ella gave me a pointed look. “He’s family. Even though you met Death and me when we dropped by unexpectedly on you and Kip, it doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

“That’s fair. It was a very compromising situation, for sure.”

Ella arched a brow at me. “Is that a threat?”

I held up my hand to stop her. “Not at all. We exchanged information. You know I’ve killed someone as well. I shared that in order to try to connect with you, and for you to trust me. If I went to the cops, you could turn on me, too. I have no intention of doing that. Kip trusts me, but I know it will take time for you and Death to trust me as well. I understand how all of this works.” I rubbed my sweaty palm on my jeans, hoping this conversation would take a turn for the better.

“I’m very protective of my family. Kip, Dope, Death … we live a life that no one would ever want. When we found out aboutyou, well, it was a bit of a surprise.” Ella shifted in her chair, her green eyes pinning me with an intense stare. I knew she wasn’t someone to fuck with, but I also knew if we could become friends, I would have a friend for life.

“When you guys showed up that night, we were just starting to figure things out. We met when we were kids and reconnected recently.”

“How?”

I bit the inside of my cheek and wondered how much, if anything, Kip had shared with his friends. I didn’t want to overstep, but I had a feeling this was my one chance with Ella, and I couldn’t fuck it up.

“His mother.”

Ella scrunched up her nose as if the word alone had a horrible smell. She was right.

“That woman is a monster.”

“I would agree with that. She and another man sold me and my sister. We lived in captivity for months. I was able to escape, but Ally never saw the outside world again. They overdosed her.”

Ella’s expression hardened, compassion edged with fury. “They should’ve burned for what they did,” she said, voice low. “I’m sorry, Holland.”

“When one of the men I escaped from came after me recently, Kip was there to help me out of a bad situation. That’s how we reconnected. Hell, I had no idea who he was. I saw his face for only a minute before I was taken, and everything was a blur.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you and your sister. I can’t imagine how horrible that was.”

I tucked my hair behind my ear, memories playing on repeat.

“I’m not sure how I’m sitting in front of you, actually. But I am.”

“What’s the name of the man who came after you?”

“Draco. But he’s gone now. He won’t be bothering me ever again.” I stared at her, hoping she would understand what I meant without me having to come right out and say it.

Images of Draco with snakes in his stomach flashed through my mind, and I closed my eyes briefly. It wasn’t the dead body that grossed me out, it was the movement and being able to see things slither beneath his skin.

“Good. I assume Kip helped with that?”

“Kind of. More the cleanup.” I didn’t volunteer anything else, and to my surprise she didn’t ask more. I’m sure she would talk to Kip later.

“What else should I know about you?” Ella asked. The corner of her mouth twitched, and I suspected she might know more about me than I did her.