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"My- and I realize he picked it up in lord-knohat condition from wherever it fell

"Thank you," I snivel Then I realize, he’s not a good guy, he doesn’t want to help o

An uncontrollable shaking takes overmy teeth chatter He straps me into the backseat of a car that smells remarkably like the lavender sachet I put in my car after it almost became a boat and the tires screech as we leave

We end up parking soain, we’re in h he moves and stops, not to be seen We climb so Then I hear running water

He sets me down somewhere soft, which I think is loves rubbing against love, fro me, but the fact that he’s not really that other man makes myain aroundthen cal dohen he eases back "Is it because of thethe"My car is up for sale, I just haven’t had takers and owe half of it anyway, so I need just a littleunexpected He reaches for ry squeeze, a reassuring squeeze I fall quiet My heart skids as he keeps his hand on , until he seeo I feel his footsteps and the creak of my , and suddenly I reach up and scramble to remove the hood

I’ He leftthrough the balcony and eency stairs?

There’s blood on me There’s blood all over me as I slide into the tub, fully dressed, and take a bath, scrubbingthose awfulout of tiain Why on earth did I ever think I could et involved with these kinds of people? I think about asking someone for help, but I’m too proud to I’m too proud to tell my best friend, my friends, I’m too proud to tellAnd Greyson For so about him makes me most sentimental of all He makes me feel so safe, like he could protect me from the world Even frouy I’ve had a connection with know about this He probably doesn’t like me that much anyway No It’s never like that forso dirty I never, ever want to get out

ELEVEN

KILL

Greyson

"FUUUUCK!"

These bastards want to play around? Touch what’sready To die Whoever sent these four to retrieve her, whoever ht back with us to the warehouse? I’ kill hi in pain, I stickfro what they were about to do to Melanie tonight

I couldn’t even fking talk to her I couldn’t even tell her it was going to be all right Because of the list, because of Zero, because he can’t be known out of the Underground; so I had to hold her inwofire toto

Godday warehouse restroo, my face pale froleaed I pull the s clattering to the ground when I find nothing

I press a towel tighter to the wound and try to knot it, all while unable to ta in my blood

I haven’t had a drop of real hu, I wanted to tear that dirty hood off Melanie’s head, wipe her tears, look into her eyes, and co to destabilizebecause itto be all right and the next time she’s touched, it will be by a man ants to please her more than himself Most ridiculous of all is that somewhere in my twisted mind, that man is me

CC stalks into the bathrooht the sole survivor of our encounter

"Where the fk is he?" I yell