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I swore softly “Don’t apologize It was a rough night We can talk about it later All of it”

“What if I don’t want to talk about all of it?” Some of the iron that fortified who she was threaded back in her tone, and pride at her fight licked up irl had the tools to take care of herself, the fight to keep herself safe, and that made the way I risked her every day feel less like a dick move

“You don’t have a choice That’s what more is, Reeve You and me and all of it But that can wait until tomorrow”

She looked away froer“Toirl, Titus You aren’t going to like what I have to tell you”

“The story has ayou and me nowhere around to stop it It has you alone and scared while fighting for your life Da to like what you have to tell oing to work through because you have to trust h not to lie to me anymore”

“I have always trusted you It’s you trustingto”

“Then we’ll adjust together”

I hoped they weren’t just e to her because she needed reassurance I wanted to believe that we could indeed figure out so other than the strict black and white that ruled ray that filled hers This time when I put my hand on her knee she didn’t flinch or move away; instead she covered it with her own and squeezed

Chapter 17

Reeve

TITUS’S HOUSE WAS A little bit like him It was a tidy little Craftsman on the outside, with a perfectly s were kind of messy and all over the place It was easy to see from his decor that he was a bachelor and that he lived alone There wasn’t a lady’s touch anywhere and the little furniture he did have was heavy and dark, covered in discarded ite and dotted with empty beer bottles and empty takeout containers Titus was sloppy in his own space, and I would have never believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes

I was tired and I hurt all over, so instead of ju for me, I asked him if I could use the bathroom to clean up a little bit He toldaround as he was rushing to clean up a little bit before I saw even deeper into who the e really was It took hiotwater, and waited while I crawled inside He watched etelse to wear since the stuff I had on was either trashed or borrowed I nodded and watched as he walked stiffly out the door

He was entle forandthere when I needed his had hi to be able to look un and what my initial plan had been to do with it He said ould work through it but I was going to let hiain, and I wasn’t sure his innate sense ofI was fully intending to be part of another person’s death It was a lot for anyone, especially a , to have to h

I wasn’t supposed to get the stitches in ed myself up to the top of my shoulders and did s My hair floated out like a dark cloud aroundso that I didn’t start shaking and crying all over again

Not much scaredblindsided by Zero in a place that had felt so safe was enough to ain He was just there, in my face and everywhere, without a sound and I kneas there to kill me on Conner’s orders, but the look in his eye told me he would make it hurt and make me suffer for his own pleasure