?s a chance they may stay a while. From what I’m hearing, she’s asking for several weeks, not days. Of course, she could decide to do it anyway. She doesn’t need my permission. No one is forbidden from inviting visitors. It’s just in everyone’s best interest if we don’t. Everyone here has secrets. Ones that could put most behind bars. Layla won’t invite Holly if I urge her not to, but looking at the hopeful expression on her face and knowing I’m the reason her life is going to change dramatically, it’s the least I can do.
“Fine. Send her an invitation. Just let me know when she’s due to arrive.”
Her smile lights up her entire face and it fractionally loosens the string of guilt I feel. I’m glad I can give her this.
“Thank you, Judge. I promise to keep an eye on her.” She presses her hands together, like she’s praying. “It’s going to be so nice to finally meet her.”
They’ve been friends for a few years. They met in an online grief group right after Layla moved to Malus. The abuse Layla went through was horrific, and her mental state wasn’t great. For the most part, she was closed off, not letting many people get close to her, and she didn’t like talking about her ordeal. JW suggested she join the group, thinking it would be easier for her to talk to people who didn’t know her.
Voices come from the doorway seconds before Eden and Remi, holding Elijah, walk into the kitchen, JW and Trouble flanking them with their plates. I step to the side to let them deposit them in the sink. Turning, I open a cabinet and pull out the bottle of whiskey JW always keeps stashed there. A glass appears on the counter in front of me.
“Sorry about yesterday,” I say quietly as I pour a couple of inches into the glass.
“It’s okay. I know you’re under a lot of stress. It can’t be easy being so far away from Maisy.”
I grunt. Understatement of the year. It’s fucking torture.
I toss back my drink. “Where’s Thea?”
“Staying with Brittney for the night.”
“How’s she adjusting?”
She frowns, worry pulling her brows down. “Slowly. What those… people did to her really scarred her emotionally. She’s too quiet for a girl her age, and too withdrawn. I was actually surprised when she asked if she could spend the night with Brittney.”
Thea is JW’s little sister. He didn’t know about her until several months ago when he hunted down his mom and brother to kill them. His brother, Trey, was JW’s primary tormentor during Hell Night. It wasn’t until he found them that he discovered that Trey wasn’t his brother, but his father. Apparently, his dad was infertile after an accident and his mom wanted another child. Trey volunteered. Warped, fucked-up shit. While he was there, he also found out they had another child, who they had also been abusing for years.
“Give her time. She’ll come to realize she has nothing to fear being here.”
She nods, a soft smile tilting her lips up. “She adores her brother though. Every time he walks in the room, her eyes follow him.”
Hero worship. Thea was homeschooled, so I’m sure JW was one of the first people she came across who didn’t hurt her in some way.
I turn when Emo walks up and snatches the bottle from the counter. He doesn’t bother using a glass, just lifts it to his lips and takes a healthy swig. He’s been more tense than usual.
“What’s crawled up your ass?” I ask, taking the bottle back from him and pouring myself another couple of inches.
“Grace has been gone a week. And you took my kill.”
“Call one of the other women, and I’ll give you my next one.”
I put the bottle in the cabinet, but he wrenches it back down. His throat bobs as he takes several swallows of the harsh liquid. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he replaces the bottle in the cabinet.
“I don’t want one of the others. Only Grace knows how to give me exactly what I need.”
My eyes drop to his hand. Scabs lace the already scar-covered palm. There’s no telling what his arms look like under his long-sleeved shirt.
“Where is she anyway?”
“Her father’s in the hospital. She’s in San Antonio with him.”
There’s a loud shout outside the window, followed closely by a gunshot. Emo and I sprint into action. We’re the closest to the door, so we make it there before the others. I hear someone yell behind me, telling the women to stay in the house and lock the doors. I round the corner of the house to the front yard, where the shouts came from. Night has fallen, so it’s dark, but the streetlight shows a small figure lying on the ground by the road with two others hovering over her. Even from a hundred feet away, I can hear the cries. It’s a female. I haul ass toward them with Emo on my heels.
I skid to a stop and drop to my knees beside a crying Brittney. Misty and Thea lean over her. I look at her cradled arm and see a dark spot on her bicep. My gut clenches. This girl is only eleven years old and she’s been fucking shot. She’s the same age as Maisy. The thought has my blood turning ice cold.
“Move over,” Trouble grunts as he kneels beside Brittney. I get to my feet.
JW appears behind Thea and pulls her to her feet. She tries to launch herself against him, but he holds her by her shoulders, his eyes running over every inch of her body. “Are you hurt?” he asks frantically. Not finding any injuries, he snatches her against him, where she burrows her face against his chest.