Page 52 of Deceptive Games

I nodded, walking into my bathroom and closing the door behind me. It took a second for me to convince myself to put my knife on the sink, then I stripped out of my clothes and turned the shower on, waiting for it to heat before stepping under the hot spray.

I scrubbed the blood from my skin and hair, the shaking in my hands easing.

A strange sense of peace washed over me at the thought of Tristan being gone, but guilt hit me too. Caden hated his father, but I’d still taken him away from him.

Was he only being nice right now to lure me into some kind of trap?

Had he even processed what I’d done or was he in denial?

Once I knew I was clean, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel, eyeing myself in the mirror.

Did I look different? I felt different. Stronger, maybe.

“Rory? Are you okay?” Caden called through the door, reminding me that he was waiting for me and I’d taken forever, so I opened the door to find him getting ready to knock. “I didn’t think you’d heard me. What can I do?”

“Whatever nasty shit you have planned, can it wait until tomorrow?” I asked quietly, making him frown.

“What do you mean?”

“I killed your dad. You’ll want to hurt me, right?”

His face softened and he hesitated before reaching for me, dragging me closer as I clutched the towel.

“Baby, he deserved so much more than the ending he got. Years’ worth of torment should’ve earned him months’ worth of torture until he begged for death. The things he did to you? Fuck, Rory. Did he touch you today? Skeet said he wasn’t sure.”

I shook my head, leaning into him since he didn’t seem to give a fuck about his clothes getting wet.

“He tried, but failed.”

“Thank God,” he murmured, tightening his arms around me. “I know you probably want me to leave you alone, but?—”

“No,” I blurted out, closing my eyes as he kissed the top of my head. “Stay.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, and I looked up to find sincerity on his face.

Maybe he was still in denial about what I’d done?

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he replied, cupping my cheek. “You protected yourself. I’d never be mad at you for that. He wasn’t more than a sperm donor to me, who made my childhood hell, but to you, he was a monster. I’m sorry you had no choice, but only because I’m worried about you. I don’t give a fuck that he’s dead.”

“It feels different to last time,” I said softly, burying my face in his chest. “I don’t feel much at all, other than relief.”

“That’s because last time the person was a stranger. Your emotions are tied to this one.”

“I still murdered someone.”

“No, you survived. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you from this if Slash is playing some kind of game. We have the best lawyers in the country,” he assured me. “Let me help you dry your hair.”

I didn’t argue, hating to admit that I enjoyed him looking after me. He seemed so genuine, his touches gentle as he blow-dried my hair and brushed the knots out.

Once I was dressed, we burned my bloodied clothes, and I mourned the loss of my favorite jeans. It made me wish I could stab Tristan all over again.

Caden forced me to eat a sandwich and drink a glass of water before leading me into the theater room, and I didn’t fight him when he pulled me down onto his lap to keep me close.

It was almost as if he was holding me together to stop me from breaking.

“I slept with Lukas,” I mumbled randomly as he turned on Netflix, his reaction surprising me.