“Mian?” I couldn’t tell if the flush of her body was from heat or guilt, so I forced myself to focus on answers.
“What are you doing here?”
“They took me.”
Anger and hurt washed over me. He made me promise not to run even though he’d taken my only friend and let them have her. Rationality was replaced by the beckon of violence. I needed to cause pain so mine didn’t consume me.
So I did.
Z clutched his nose where I punched him and roared his rage. I wondered if I’d broken his nose, but then he dropped his hand and stared at me as if I had betrayed him. There was a bruise already forming, but his nose didn’t appear to be broken. “What the hell did you do that for, princess?”
“Because she’s seventeen!”
My outburst caused Z to forget his nose, and when my gaze found Lucas, he stood way too still. Anna pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She wouldn’t look at anyone.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Lucas’s frown deepened. “She’s twenty-one.”
“Is that what you tell yourself to assuage the guilt?”
“No,” he said and bared his teeth. “That’s whatshetold us.”
I looked to Anna who flushed a deep red. She lied to them? She saw the question in my eyes and jumped from the bed. “I’m so sorry, but it was the only way to protect Caylen.”
What would her age have to do with Caylen?
“Mian—” She scrambled from the bed, but her first step toward the door was blocked by Lucas. I watched as he wrapped a possessive hand around her jaw to keep her from moving.
“You lied to me?” I tensed when his voice and his eyes held no emotion as he regarded her. He appeared calm to someone who wouldn’t know better, but I knew he was holding in his anger for the right moment to strike. Lucas had a temper that he wielded like a secret weapon.
“Yes.”
“You’re seventeen,” he said unnecessarily. I could tell he didn’t want to believe it and would only accept the truth from her.
She squeezed her eyes closed tight and nodded. No sooner had she opened them did he suddenly shove her hard enough to send her flying a few feet. She landed on her hands and knees and cried out. I pushed past the door and past Z and didn’t stop until I was toe to toe with Lucas.
“What the hell is your problem?”
“I don’t fuck children,” he snarled.
“You’ve tried to fuck me on numerous occasions, and I’m only two years older than she is.” I agreed that he never should have touched her, but I couldn’t allow him to play the victim. Anna was well developed for her age, but he was a sharp man. He had to have known she was younger than she claimed.
“Yeah? Well, there’s a big difference between jailbait and a legal fuck.” Fire was burning in his eyes so I made the decision to get Anna far away before he consumed us all.
I turned away from him and helped her from the floor where she stared up at Lucas like a kicked puppy.
“Come on, Anna.”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
I made sure Anna was steady on her feet before turning to face off Lucas again. “She’s not staying here either.”
“She’s a prisoner and so are you. You don’t get to decide.”
“I’m not a prisoner anymore. I’m a guest.”
He glanced at Z who leaned against the door silently. His eyes narrowed when they moved back to my face. “When was this decided?”
“This morning. Right after I fucked Angel’s brains out,” I gloated.
To my surprise, he smirked and took a step back. “Well done, then,” he smartly retorted and moved for the door. “She stays here. You’re welcome to do the same.” With that, he grabbed Z’s shoulder and stormed out. The door slammed, and the lock turned to keep us inside.
“I’m so stupid,” she cried as soon as it did.
“Oh, Anna.” My anger dissipated as I witnessed my only friend lose control of her emotions. “What were you thinking?”
“Angel wanted me to look after Caylen, but Lucas kept talking about my age. He thought I was too young and stupid, apparently, to look after a baby. I could tell he was convincing Angel, so I lied. I didn’t want to leave Caylen at the mercy of those monsters.”
Her tears spilled faster, and she looked ready to collapse at any moment so I led her to the bed. She continued to cry, and I searched for words to say to make it all go away. I came up empty, so I went with the truth that was heavy on my heart, especially since she admitted why she lied. “I don’t know how I will ever thank you for what you did.”
She sniffled and lifted her head. Her cheeks and eyes were puffy with red. “You would have done it for me.”