Trouble nods, his throat bobbing as he swallows. “Someone had to have put them in there.”
“Fuck!” Judge angrily swipes his fingers through his hair, his expression savage.
“It has to be the same person. Too much of a fuckin’ coincidence.”
Trouble nods. “My thoughts too.” He rolls his head my way. “Do me a favor and call Remi now?”
With a nod, I pull my phone from my pocket and find Remi’s number. My hands tremble as I bring the phone to my ear.
What in the hell is going on here?
Chapter Twenty-One
JUDGE
The Past
I SNEAK OUT THE BACK DOOR, making sure to turn the knob so it doesn’t click closed. Running barefoot across the backyard, I turn down the alley. It’s raining buckets of water, but it feels good against my sore body. Muddy water splashes, leaving streaks of mud down my legs, but I don’t care. I need to hurry and get to the gazebo where the others are.
It’s still dark outside, but the sun will be coming up soon. We need to get to Mae and Dale’s house before it does.
I almost stumble when a sharp pain hits my stomach. Forcing myself to continue, I turn right at the end of the alley and sprint across the Harrisons’ front yard. A dark shape darts out in front of me, and I barely have enough time to jump over Merlin, the Moores’ black cat.
Up ahead, I spot the gazebo, and release a sigh of relief when I see a shadowed figure. I come to a stop beside JW and bend at the waist to rest my hands on my knees. I suck in big gulps of air. My stomach is starting to hurt really bad, but I ignore it as much as possible.
“Where are the others?” I pant and brush my wet hair back from my face.
“They should be here any minute. Rella wasn’t looking so good when they left the Hall tonight.”
Anger hits me square in the chest. Mr. Masters is a twisted son of a bitch. There’s no telling what all he had Emo do to Rella tonight.
I spin around when I hear splashes come from behind me. Trouble and Emo come walking up. Rella is huddled against Emo’s chest, her arm around his shoulder and her head tucked against his neck. She has on a long white nightgown that’s soaked through. Although her eyes are open, she doesn’t appear to be looking at anything. Her gaze is va
cant. There’s a bruise on her cheek and the skin around her mouth looks raw. There’s no telling what was done to the rest of her.
Emo, on the other hand, looks like he’s about to lose it. His black hair and eyes seem even darker against the grayness of his complexion. His eyes are red-rimmed, but I know it’s not from crying. It’s his fury showing through. His lips are a straight line and the skin over his cheekbones is tight. His body is rigid, but his hold on Rella is gentle. Emo doesn’t show his emotions, except when it comes to the girl in his arms.
Trouble isn’t in much better condition. He looks just as angry as Emo, like he wants to kill someone. His movements are stiff, so I know he had a rough night, but his focus is centered on his little sister. He stays close to her and Emo, his eyes continuously flickering to her.
“How is she?” I ask, walking over to them.
“Not good,” Trouble replies, gently pushing Rella’s hair off her cheek.
“Come on. Let’s get to Mae and Dale’s and they’ll look her over.”
For the last couple of years, we’ve been going to Mae and Dale’s once Hell Night is over. They help patch us up when the adults have been particularly cruel in their sick perversions. I don’t know why they help us, I’m just glad we have someone to go to. I don’t care about myself really, but my brothers and Rella need the comfort they offer.
It doesn’t take us long to get to their house behind The Hill. The door opens before we make it up the steps; they knew we would come.
The moment Mae sees Rella, her eyes fill with tears.
“Come,” she rasps. “Bring her to the bedroom.”
Without a word, Emo follows Mae with Rella in his arms. Trouble trails behind him. JW and I stay right outside the bedroom door.
Emo carefully lowers Rella to the bed.
“No!” she yells, reaching for him. “Don’t leave! Please.”