“This is where everyone has meetings each morning,” Eli says, pointing at the large table we’re walking past. “This is the kitchen, office, safe that has all the super-cool gadgets inside, and this…” He comes to a stop at the edge of the mats covering half of the floor. “This is the training area.” My gaze roves around the back of the warehouse, seeing all the gym equipment. “And that’s Uncle Evan’s workstation.” I look down at Eli, his face open and grin wide. “He has one at his cabin too. He loves computers.”
“Really?” I ask, my eyes wide. “Me too!”
Eli’s eyes slowly widen, his mouth open as he rolls his head to Evan who’s standing beside him. “Did you hear that, Uncle Evan? She likes computers!”
Evan raises his brows. “Really?”
“Sure.” I shrug. “I mean I’m not a whizz or anything, but I can totally work a spreadsheet.”
Evan snorts. “Maybe we should get you to organize the office system. It’s a mess at the moment with Kay out on jobs all the time.”
I chuckle but don’t say anything. The silence wraps around us before Evan claps his hands. “Get the gloves on, dude.” Eli bounces over to a cupboard before pulling stuff out and leaving me standing beside Evan. “If you don’t want to watch you don’t have to…” He trails off, biting his bottom lip. “But if you wanna learn a few moves, I can teach you. I teach self-defense classes at the community center.”
“I…” I look over at Eli. “Maybe I’ll just watch for a few minutes.”
He nods, stepping onto the mat and turning around. “Lexi and Kitty will be back in a minute, maybe you can hang out with them?”
I mentally try to place the name Lexi, running through conversations I’ve had with Luke, and when I remember she’s Evan’s girlfriend, it makes sense.
I don’t answer him before he turns around and starts Eli’s lesson. I flinch every time his fist connects with his palm, my stomach rolling with the sound of the hits. I feel like a baby, like I shouldn’t feel like this now. I should be okay. I’m safe—safer than I’ve ever been before—yet I can’t shake the feeling, the images, the memories.
I’m stuck inside a space in my mind I don’t want to be. I need to find the key to the door, unlock it, and step into the world I deserve to be in. But do I truly deserve it?
“Hey.” I startle at the voice behind me before spinning around as my hand lands on my chest, keeping my heart from escaping. “Shit, sorry.” Kitty grimaces, her gaze moving from me to Evan and Eli. “Eli get you out of the house?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, unsure on how to talk to her or how to act.
“He tends to do that.” She stares at him for a beat before turning to Lexi. “This is Lexi, Evan’s…” She smirks. “Baby momma.”
“Shut up.” Lexi rolls her eyes before moving toward me and holding her hand out. I let out a relieved breath. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“Aunt Kitty!” Eli shouts, running over to us. “I got Lil out of the house.” He grins big and wide. “Ty owes me five bucks.”
Kitty laughs, a full-on, throw-your-head-back laugh. “You’ll be rich by the time you turn ten if you keep on hustling us like this.”
I step to the side when Evan and Lexi start talking, feeling like the odd one out, which I am. I don’t know these people, they may be Luke’s family, but they’re not mine.
My skin crawls the further away I get from them, darkness grasping me, willing me to come toward it. I need to get back to Luke’s house, back to the safety he provides.
“Come on, Lil. Let’s go watch a movie.” I look down when a small hand slips inside of mine, my mouth and brain not working, but my legs moving forward with Eli. “You ever watched Avengers?”
“No,” I croak out.
“Awesome! We’ll start from the beginning, get you ready for the new one in the movies.”
Someone behind us pulls open the door, but I can’t bring myself to look who it is, all I’m concentrating on is the steps I’m taking and getting closer to Luke’s house.
“Lily!” I freeze at Evan shouting my name, and when the gravel crunches behind me, I tense up, expecting… what? What am I expecting? “She’s right here, Luke. Chill out.” Evan rolls his eyes when I look up, handing over his cell. “It’s Luke.”
Taking it from him tentatively, I bring it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Darlin’.” His breath comes over the line. “I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“Sorry, I was in the warehouse—”
“What?”