Until We Fly (Beautifully Broken 4)

I feel the sudden urge to lunge from this chair, find Nora, scoop her up and carry her out of this fucked-up madhouse.

“Your uncle?”

My words are wooden, stilted, as I try to wrap my head around it.

Nora’s afraid of her uncle. Her uncle is sending her threatening text messages. And the look I see in Nora’s eyes… it makes me dread knowing what he did to her.

But I know.

I know.

Nate nods. “Yeah. Our uncle.”

Nora and Camille choose this minute to walk back in, and Nora instantly finds me, searching me out. I smile at her.

Everything’s fine, don’t worry.

She nods, just barely, her shoulders sagging a bit with relief.

She’s in a house of sharks and she’s worried about me.

She walks straight past everyone else and puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m exhausted,” she tells me. “Are you ready to go?”

I instantly push away from the table.

“Of course.”

I thank Camille, and we walk out.

The entire time, I can feel the glares of William and Maxwell between my shoulder blades.

The entire time, my head is spinning.

Her uncle.

Her fucking uncle.

As we turn the corner, I glance back into the dining room, and see William watching Nora leave. His gaze is rapt and he’s focused only on her.

My stomach rolls.

“I forgot something,” I tell Nora. “Go ahead. I’ll be right out.”

She looks up at me, confused, but I don’t say another word. Instead, I just walk back into the dining room, trying very very hard not to limp.

I walk straight up to the bar where William is refilling his glass.

He glances at me in surprise, and I lean in to speak in his ear, where only he will hear me.

“If you put another fucking hand on Nora, I’ll crush all of your fingers, then break them off and feed them to you. Got it?”

William’s head snaps back and he stares at me, his eyes wide and filled with guilt.

“I don’t know what she’s said to you,” he snaps quickly. “But she’s lying.”

I shake my head slowly, and look into his faded eyes.

“She didn’t tell me anything. You just did.”