Page 23 of Wanted

“I like it when you talk dirty. It gives your image spice,” I confessed, blushing like a silly girl. Being around these two had reverted me back to a time of innocence, hiding my thoughts and touching myself under the covers in secret. That was the teenage Kamila back when her momma was still taking her to the beach house to teach her how to swim.

That was Kamila way before she got fucked in the head.

Just breathe, sweetie. I’m so proud of you.

♥♠♥

“Wake up, baby. You had a bad dream.” Alex’s gentle voice caressed my ear. I didn’t recall a bad dream. My heart was worked up, and my skin felt sticky. I was on top of Alex, one of my legs propped up on his. My arm was touching his torso, and my head used his hard chest as a pillow. We always did that every time he came here.

“I don’t remember it.” I didn’t remember the exact images. I had a bad feeling lurking in my stomach, but I didn’t know what I’d dreamed about.

“You were calling for your brother,” Fylox said out of the blue. How long had he been in here? The living room was dark. I couldn’t see anything. I only felt Alex’s heartbeat close to mine.

“Jesus, man.” Alex cursed under his breath, obviously startled his best friend was here with us.

“Why are you awake?” I asked Alex, cuddling into him even further. I liked the simplicity of having his arms around me as we slept. “You usually sleep so deep that it takes an entire orchestra to wake you.”

“He couldn’t sleep.”

“And how do you know?” I asked Fylox. My tone was snappy. I was still offended by his earlier remarks. Basically, I was offended by our entire existence. “Were you gawking again?”

“No,” Fylox countered.

Never leave your brothers behind, Kamila. They are your backbone. You’re theirs. You three will rule our world one day, and your bond has to be strong. If you ruin your relationship, it’s all over.

Alex revealed, “It happened on a night like this.”

I didn’t like the way he said it, as if he were afraid. Alex didn’t show fear. He smiled. That was his superpower, the antidote to anything that was in his way.

“Don’t start,” Fylox urged his best friend.

“I will never forget the feeling.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if it makes him uncomfortable. Please. You’re not the one who’s around him 24/7…” I urged him. Fylox wasn’t ready to reveal the information yet. I was patient in that regard. I knew things wouldn’t be fine anymore if we pushed him.

Fylox was nice to look at. He made me drool. He made Kamila fucking Ruby drool with his looks, but he wasn’t easy to be around. We were both in a bad place. We didn’t need to make it worse.

“I had this feeling that night. I threw up, and I wasn’t that kid. My mom tucked me into bed. She took my temperature. I couldn’t sleep when she left. I stayed there in bed, the Spiderman poster looking down upon me from the wall.” There was something heavy in the air, and it hovered, threatening to explode. I didn’t want to carry that weight. I was too weak. But I still wanted to know what had molded Fylox.Curiosity will only get you in harm’s way, sweetie. Never ask questions you can’t stomach the answers to.

Alex continued, “I heard my mother’s muffled cry, and I knew something had happened. I didn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t sleep for a couple of days, actually. When my parents finally told me, I cried.”

“Stop.”

“No, this is good for us. We should talk about this. You should let it out,” Alex suggested. I clung unto him. Out of Fylox and me, he was the guiding light.

“She doesn’t need to know.”

“She’s been asking what happened to you ever since I met her. She wants to know.”

Curt, he replied, “We don’t get what we want.”

“What happened to you?” I asked, barely a whisper.

“They took me.”

“Who? Who hurt you?” I pleaded. Hearing Alex’s heartbeat loudly in his chest, I knew the bad times were over. We were alive to tell the story.

“He was abducted when he was eight years old,” Alex blurted out.