Page 58 of Restitution

The door opens, and I spin around to see Kyle slowly walking down the stairs. He stops when he sees me, his eyes sliding to the chair in the middle of the basement and Chris’s slit throat.

Before he can speak, I step forward. “I was fourteen, Kyle. Fourteen and terrified. If you understood how much he made my life hell and took everything from me…” I cover my mouth with the back of my hand. “I had to. I had to kill him. I had to end it.”

I have no idea why panic is suddenly wrapping around my heart like a fist, but I care about Kyle. He was always the good brother. And I’ve just killed his real, blood-related sibling.

Kyle narrows his brows as if his response is obvious. “I know you had to. I’m not mad at you. I just… wish he didn’t turn out the way he did.”

“Please don’t hate me.”

He looks confused for a second, glancing between us all. “My little brother abused you for years. Why would I hate you for dealing with him?”

“Because he wasyourbrother,” I say, my bottom lip wobbling. “And he’s dead. You didn’t want him dead.”

“Of course I didn’t. But look at the damage he’s caused. I lovedChris but not what he turned into. He wasn’t the kid I taught to ride a bike or helped with his homework because our dad was a lazy wanker. I taught him everything, and I tried to make sure he grew up to be good, not this…” He gestures to the body. “He turned out a lot like our dad.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Was your dad a rapist, murderer and an abusive asshole?” He steps forward. “Did your dad groom a fourteen-year-old girl?”

Kyle shakes his head, turning white. “No. But he did beat us.”

He tuts and tilts his head. “No comparison, kid.”

I stare at Chris again then back at his brother. “Chris made his own bed; he can die in it.” I walk past him on the steps. “I’m going to see Kade.” I stop halfway. “You should go home. Nora will be worried. They’ll dispose of the body.”

“What about you?” he asks. “You aren’t coming with me? You’re my sister. The Fields manor is your home.”

“I’m where I belong. You’ll always be my brother, and I love you, but I never want to set foot in that house again.”

Before I can reach the top, he says, “Wait. I can’t take him?”

“Ask Barry,” I say, opening the door. “I’m done.”

18

STACEY

No one speaks to me as I hurry to my room, covered in blood, and I stop at Kade’s door opposite mine, opening it slightly to pop my head in. He’s asleep on his back, arm slung over his eyes, his other hand resting on his chest. A glistening layer of sweat coats his skin, and his brows are drawn together.

Tobias locked the windows, just in case he tried to jump out.

I’ve witnessed withdrawal before, but Kade’s situation is different. He’s mainly traumatised from everything he’s endured over the past three years. He doesn’t believe he’s safe and with his family.

I think that’s the scariest part. Watching the light vanish in his eyes as he dissociates and goes elsewhere in his mind. He throws up a wall and closes himself off fromthe real world.

A cracked shell.

The drugs are just the tip of the iceberg.

Tobias and Aria found thirty-six scars on his body; four injuries that have gone untreated. He has tattoos covering most of them, but some are still visible.

I close his door and go to my room, turning on the shower and freezing when I stare at my hands. Blood is dried under my nails.

When I get under the spray, I scrub until my skin is raw, washing my hair three times until I feel clean enough. I brush my teeth and spend nearly an hour drying my hair.

By the time I walk back over to Kade’s room, he’s awake. His eyes are fixed on the ceiling. Dazed. He doesn’t look at me as I gently close the door behind me with a soft click.

The mattress dips beneath me as I sit down, still keeping my distance. A glow from the lamp is the only light in the room; it casts a shadow down the side of his face, making the muscles on his body more defined.

Yes, he has lost weight and is paler than usual, but he’s still lean, attractive, and I want so badly to lie my head on his chest and stay there forever.