Page 68 of Dangerous Deviance

Raising us didn’t mean Gerard was a goddamn saint, but I understood. “We stick by him,” I repeated.

Derek checked his phone, then pulled out of the parking space. “Another one,” he said. The women? My hurt palm twitched.

“That makes it six,” I said. Five alive, one dead. We’d have to start setting up cages in the woods, or even mine and Derek’s places. “What the hell are we going to do with all of them?”

“You remember Dr. Mercia?” Derek asked.

I shook my head. “Who’s that?”

“She used to work with Axe,” he said. “Maybe she can help.”

CHAPTER 17

Ellie

Through the night, I laid on my back, watching the shadows creep across the ceiling. The metal restraints dug into my wrists and ankles, so to be comfortable, I had to lay in this position, still and quiet. Most of the time, the voice was silent now, but I still heard that ringing whispering in my brain. Wil was asleep beside me, but his breathing was quick. He never settled throughout the night. He wanted me to feel safe, to know that he had my back, but at the same time, I knew the reason he was restless.

A flash of an image: bringing the cuffs down on his neck until I crushed his windpipe.

You’re mine, he would gasp with his last breath.

His face would turn red, redder still, until he fell apart and disappeared into nothingness.

My mind filled up with these visions, imagining his death over and over again.

And so, neither of us slept.

The next time I heard him stir, I turned to him. “Go to your bedroom,” I said. “You’ll sleep better there.”

You’ll feel safe, I wanted to say. And you’ll be able to relax. Without me.

“No,” he said. He put an arm around my stomach, holding me from the side, then linked his thumb inside of the cuffs.

His arms around me. Holding me. Trying to tell me we were safe.

You’re mine, Ellie, Wil had said.We’ll figure it out.

Because we had no other choice.

I will kill any fucker who touched her, he had promised.

But not if I killed him first.

***

When I finally opened my eyes, the sun was blinding. In the window, the clouds were gone, and the blue sky was alarming. How late had I slept?

Had I actually fallen asleep?

My wrists and ankles were crushed pins and needles, so I rolled them awake as best as I could. I glanced beside me, but Wil wasn’t there. I pushed myself up on the bed.

“Good morning, princess,” Wil’s voice sang out from the doorway. I raised a brow, then lifted my cuffed hands to scratch my forehead. “We’ve got a visitor,” he said. “Dr. Mercia. Ever heard of her before?”

I shook my head. “Should I have?”

“Nope.” He grinned. “Let’s get you freshened up.”

In the bathroom, Wil took a wet washcloth and wiped my face, then rubbed a bar of soap between his hands, using the lather to wash my skin. I suppose he could have had a guard come with me, or maybe even Maddie, to help me clean up. But knowing him, he wouldn’t let anyone else do this. His tone seemed cheery, but the false kind that was hiding a secret, like he had gotten bad news that he didn’t want to share with me yet. A crease ran through his forehead, a new one, as if the stress of the situation made him ill. But his lips were soft, open, waiting for me. His breath landed on my cheeks, warm and sweet, and it was intimate, being vulnerable enough that he had to help me.