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I mmy heard the window of her bedroom open.

She stayed still, not wanting to scare him away. That had happened before. So she lay there frozen as he climbed through the window and slid it back down. Then he lay on the floor next to her bed.

Time to move.

She grabbed the spare pillow and blanket that she kept next to her and rolled over, dropping them down next to him.

“Immy,” Jenner said on a sigh. “Shit. I woke you up.”

“I was already awake,” she told him. “Are you all right?”

Immy knew what his answer would be. He always gave her the same answer.

“I’m fine, Immy. Go to sleep.”

As he took the pillow and blanket, she thought she heard him grunt in pain. Immy bit her lip.

Don’t ask.

Don’t ask.

Don’t ask.

It was so hard, though. She loved him. She adored all of her friends, but there had always been a special relationship between her and Jenner. He took care of her, stood up for her, he made this whole crazy scary world seem less crazy and scary because she knew he was at her side.

Always.

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you, Jenner,” she whispered.

Things were happening. Cat was close to turning sixteen and the Deity seemed to be taking an interest in her. That made Immy feel sick to her stomach. She was the youngest of all of them and wouldn’t be turning sixteen for another six months.

But she was dreading it.

Immy knew that when she turned sixteen, the Deity would give her to one of the men in the cult. As his wife.

She swallowed heavily. She wasn’t even sure what would happen then. But she just prayed she was given to someone kind.

Although that was doubtful.

The best case scenario was that she’d be given to Jenner. Being his wife would be amazing.

And then he could sleep in the bed with her instead of on the floor.

“I can hear you thinking, Immy,” he said. “Go to sleep.”

“How can you hear someone think?” she asked.

“Don’t know, I just can. And if you don’t go to sleep, I’m going to leave.”

Immy didn’t want that. She liked having Jenner close by so she could take care of him.

Four Years Later

He was failing to take good care of her.

Jenner paced up and down the living room floor, listening to Immy cough from her bedroom.

Fuck.

She could hardly breathe.

Abe stepped out of her bedroom, looking worried. He and Immy were close. Close in a way that had often made Jenner feel jealous.

Which was ridiculous.

Immy loved them all like brothers. Which is how he felt about her.

Yep.

Exactly how he felt.

“How is she?” he asked.

Sampson was making her a honey lemon drink while Isaiah was sitting on their old, crappy sofa, tapping away on his laptop.

But they all paused to look up at Abe who ran his hand over his face. “Not good. She’s running a fever, she’s bringing stuff up when she coughs, and it’s hard for her to catch her breath.”

“She needs to go to the hospital,” Jenner said. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

Immy had always had a compromised immune system.

No one knew why, exactly. Her mom had said that she’d had anemia when she was born and that it was some sort of genetic issue.

Immy’s parents didn’t really believe in traditional medicine.

Sometimes he wondered if the Deity had promised to make Immy healthy to get them to join the cult.

Now that she was out of the cult, she seemed to be getting sick more often. And he knew why.

It was this place.

They’d wanted to live together again. All of them had hated living apart after they’d left the cult. Abe and Immy had been with her parents. He, Sampson, and Isaiah had lived with his mom.

Now, the five of them were all old enough to live on their own. Maeve was away at college and Cat was in New York. Abe and Isaiah were going to college here while Sampson was working at a gym and Jenner had a few singing gigs.

They were barely scraping by. Immy tried her best to add to the pot, but she was often ill and could only work part-time.

This apartment was making her sick. They couldn’t afford better, but they really couldn’t stay here.

It was going to kill her.

They were in the worst part of Nashville. Immy wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment without one of them with her. They tried their best to keep the place well-ventilated and clean, but mold kept growing in the bathroom and kitchen. They didn’t have the money to eat as healthy as she needed.

She needed a safe environment.

Somewhere dry and clean that wasn’t overcrowded.

And he had to provide that for her. To make sure she didn’t keep getting ill.

“She’s refusing to go,” Abe said.

Jenner frowned. “What do you mean, she’s refusing to go?”

“Just what I said,” Abe said tiredly. “She won’t go to the hospital. Maybe I should call her parents. It might be best if she goes to stay with them.”

“She’ll hate that,” Isaiah told him.

“I know. But, fuck, you and I have exams, Isaiah. Sampson is working sixty hour weeks and Jenner’s work isn’t much better. And she needs someone to take care of her.” Abe rubbed his temple tiredly.

“I can take tomorrow off, I’ve just got a gig tomorrow night,” Jenner said immediately.

“I’ll be home by eight,” Sampson added. “I can look after her all night.”

She started coughing again and Jenner knew that as much as he wanted her close, that the best place for her to be was the hospital.

“She can barely breathe,” he muttered. “She needs to be in the hospital. I’m going to go talk to her.”

“She’s worried about the cost,” Abe said with a sigh.

God, that hurt.

Money was the last thing she should have to worry about when she was ill. The hospital here had discounts for those without insurance, so he also knew she was being foolish.

“If I have to go in there and pick her up and carry her to the hospital, I will,” Sampson grumbled.

Jenner shot him a look. She didn’t need anyone to strong-arm her, for fuck’s sake. She was ill.

He didn’t bother knocking, just walked in to find her halfway out of bed.

“What do you think you are doing?” he snapped, jumping forward to grab her as she swayed.

“I need to send an email to work,” she said.

Shit, she was burning up. She was wearing a pair of pink and white striped pajamas that were almost worn through and hanging off her frame.

She’d lost too much weight lately. Sickness after sickness had laid a toll on her eating.

Jenner placed her on the bed, rubbing her back as she coughed.

“Tissue,” she croaked.

He grabbed one and gave it to her. She coughed into it, then scrunched it up in her hand, but he wasn’t having that.

“Show me,” he demanded.

“No!”

“Immy,” he warned. “Show me now.”

“Don’t . . . want . . . to,” she said between breaths.

He fucking hated listening to her struggle to breathe.

“Tough. Show me.”

“You are . . . so bossy.”

He wasn’t usually. Not in the way that Sampson or Abe were. Except when she was ill. Then his bossy side really did come out.

It had to. She needed someone to take charge. Sampson would get all growly and upset her. His worry tended to make him snap and snarl. Isaiah usually grew quiet and watchful. Abe could be bossy, but he struggled with not giving Immy everything she wanted.

So it was up to him. Jenner checked what she’d coughed up. Shit. It was green. Not good.

“You’re going to the hospital, Immy.”

She was resting back against some pillows. She looked so pale it was scary, and her lips were tinged blue. She wasn’t getting enough oxygen. It was likely pneumonia.

Again.

It hadn’t even been three months since she’d last had pneumonia.

This just wasn’t good enough.

Jenner grabbed the glass of water from beside the bed and held it to her lips.

“I’m not going,” she told him after she finished swallowing.

“You are.” He gave her a firm look. “There’s no arguments allowed. You’re a very sick little girl.”

Shit.

He beat back the need to take charge completely.

Sampson had just started going to a BDSM club, the cost of the membership was high, so he was working as a bouncer two nights a week in lieu of membership fees. The owner had offered Jenner a membership as well for the same deal.

Jenner was considering it. He needed an outlet for this . . . need.

To control. To dominate.

But he wasn’t sure it was for him. He didn’t want to cause anyone pain. At the same time, he never felt more settled and in control as he did when he was looking after someone.

Like right now.

Fully taking care of Immy made all of his other worries and fears disappear into the background.

She needed him. So he would be what she needed.

Sampson said it gave him a much-needed sense of control. Although Jenner didn’t understand that, since Sampson always seemed to be in control. Of himself and everyone around him.

He was wound up tighter than a jack-in-the-box. Jenner sometimes worried about him exploding.

“I’m not a little girl. I’m nearly twenty.”

“In six months’ time,” he said.

God, she was still so young. They all were, technically. He guessed he just felt like he was older than his years.

“Don’t wanna go, Jenny.” She pouted at him as she used that ridiculous nickname.

“You’re ill so I’m going to let that slide this once. But you call me Jenny again and you’re going over my knee.”

Okay.

He really shouldn’t have said that to his friend. To the woman who was like his little sister. He wasn’t that much older than her. He had no right to speak to her like that.

“You gotta . . . catch me . . . first,” she told him.

“Somehow, in this state, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.” He clasped hold of her hand. “Go to the hospital? For me, Twinkles? Please?”

“Well . . . when you . . . say please . . . I have . . . to.”

“That’s the rule. Good girl.”

Her eyes flared open and he realized he was doing it again. Maybe visiting the club wouldn’t be a bad idea. Perhaps Abe and Isaiah would like it too.

After so many years of feeling out of control of everything in their life, this could be a way to take control back.

But he pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, he needed to get her to the hospital.

“The money . . . though.”

Fuck it all.

He hated that this was a factor in her care. All he wanted was for Immy and the rest of his family to have whatever they needed and desired.

To do that, you need money.

He was gaining some traction in his singing career, but he still had a long road ahead of him.

One day, he was moving them all out of this place to somewhere safe. Somewhere where they’d all be taken care of.

And he didn’t care what he had to do or what toll it took on him.

They’d be happy and safe.

Immy would be happy and safe.

And that was all that mattered.