I suck in a breath, reading between the lines. “Your father did that?” I say, the curiosity pulsing through my veins, desperate to know exactly what went down, but it’s something I fear that I’ll never be privy to.
Roman nods and glances away. “It was either her or me.”
Heaviness sinks against my chest, realizing just how much these guys have lost. They’re more than just broken souls. They’ve been tortured and abused for years on end. Hell, the mother was gone and then the love of his life was taken from him. How much more do these guys have to lose? No wonder they are the way that they are. “That’s why you guys are so hesitant to get close to me.”
Marcus rests back in his seat, propping his feet up on the coffee table. “Everything that we get close to eventually gets taken away. There’s no point making attachments because, not only does it put a target on our backs, but it puts one on yours too. If my father’s enemies knew that we had you locked up here to enjoy, they wouldn’t stop until they’d taken you away, whether that’s alive or in pieces.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you keep running,” Levi says. “I know you think you’re better off alone, that you can go back to your shitty apartment and live your life, but you can’t. You’ve been exposed to this world and whether you like it or not, you’re now associated as ours. You need to understand the dangers. We can’t protect you out there, not like we can from here.”
I shake my head, leaning back on the couch. “But I’m not cut out for this world. You slaughter people for sport and don’t even blink when someone holds a gun to your head. That’s not me. I can’t handle it.”
“On the contrary,” Marcus says. “You proved to us exactly what you’re made of when you slid that blade right into Miller’s gut. You didn’t hesitate. You just went for it even though Roman and I had it under control. You could have backed away at any point.”
I clench my jaw and turn to meet his stare, the memories of that night haunting me. “Is that why you gave me that knife? To see if I’d fight back?”
“Well,” he grins. “I gave it to you in the hopes that you’d use it to fend off my brothers if their dicks came searching you out. I don’t share well.” Levi and Roman both scoff, cutting him off, but he rolls his eyes and continues. “You proved to us all on your own that you could handle this world. You were made for it; you just don’t know it yet.”
“It’s inevitable,” Roman mutters darkly. “You’re going to be just like us.”
I laugh. “Okay, now I know you’re messed up in the head,” I tell them. “I will never be like you guys. I was born with a conscience and know the difference between right and wrong. You guys castrate assholes in old warehouses. I could never do something like that.”
“How do you think we started out?” Levi questions. “You have to work up to it. But you’ll get there. It’s a natural talent.”
My eyes widen in horror. “You say that like it’s something to be proud of.”
He leans forward, holding my stare. “Isn’t it?”
I let out a breath, refusing to answer that out of principle as I wrap my arms around my legs, holding myself in a tight ball almost like a coping mechanism. “What am I supposed to do if your father comes back?”
“Trust us,” Roman insists. “Just like tonight, you have our backs and we’ll have yours.”
I shake my head. “I can’t fight like that.”
“You don’t need to,” Marcus says. “Run and hide like I told you to. We will find you when it’s over. We don’t want you scared while you’re here.”
I laugh, smirking at him from across the room. “You’re shitting me, right?” I question. “You guys literally chased me through a dead-end maze with your freaking wolves, you stalked me through dark halls, and tormented me with creepy shit in that dungeon. My fear gets you off.”
“True,” Levi says. “But have we done any of that shit since you stabbed Miller?” My brows furrow and I shake my head, realizing that he’s right. “Exactly,” he continues. “You’ve been rewarded time and time again. You proved yourself worthy, so now, you get to live in peace inside these walls.”
“In peace?” I question, my eyes narrowing in suspicion, not trusting his word one bit. “What’s that supposed to mean? Something tells me that our ideas of peace vary.”
“We’ll leave you be,” he confirms. “No more tormenting you in the middle of the night. We’ll behave, and in return, you’ll be a pleasant house guest.”