I flinched and yanked my hand away.
He frowned and moved closer but didn’t grab me back. “Bev, I was raised with supportive parents and have hadtraining. It wasn’t a criticism of you. You’re just starting the part of schooling to learn this—where most of us learn this. You’ve done what none of us can. You’re awesome.” He waited until I nodded. “But…”
“But?” I mumbled as I turned and went back to jogging.
“This is going to sound pompous,” he admitted.
Oh, I had thought it was going to be a slight against me honestly. “I don’t think you’re egotistical. Hit me.”
He chuckled, his cheeks a bit flushed when I glanced over. “I’m good. I mean—yeah, I’m good. People aren’t team leads thisyoung. I’m good at what I do, Bev. Really good at it. Hell, my last name and who I’m related to isn’t aplusat that estate. Not with the guards. It was a strike against me, and I got this promotion ahead of a lot of others in spite of it.”
“You are good and a lot respect you. I see it,” I praised, glad when that seemed to settle him. “This stays between us, right?”
“Always.” He cleared his throat. “Unless you’re being hurt—you know the lines.”
I nodded. That was fair… But also just told me not to ever discuss that with him.
Something he realized as he cursed under his breath, glancing at me and opening his mouth to probably figure out how to handle that.
Which actually helped me blurt out part of what was burdening me. “Tracey and Taylor are screwing.” I wanted to melt at feeling like a goober for saying it like that, but then I realized hedidn’thave a reaction and almost tripped over my feet turning to face him.
Luckily, Link had really good reflexes and easily caught me, keeping us both on our feet even if I sort of ended up leaning on his arm.
“You knew,” I accused.
“I knew,” he confirmed, sighing when I pulled away.
“So I’m the fool who didn’t know. Awesome.”
Why did that always,alwaysseem to be the case?
Why couldn’t I just ever be normal and catch things like others did?
Why couldn’t I be a good friend or get things like others and was always such a… Freak?
And how did I stop this feeling of hating myself each time it happened?
19
“No, I’m sure a lot of people don’t know about Taylor and Tracey,” Link argued and fell in step with me. “Again, I’m good. I noticed.” He cleared his throat when I didn’t say anything. “It’s my job to notice the changes in people, Bev.”
“Fair, but I feel like I’m a bad friend that I didn’t notice,” I mumbled.
“I didn’t notice from Tracey. I noticed from Taylor.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it. “I want to ask, but that seems private, but they’re part of what I want to talk to you about. Well, in a few ways.”
“Okay, me knowing probably makes that easier,” he hedged when I didn’t continue.
Probably not actually. If he knew and wasn’t worried then I might really be stepping in something? I wasn’t sure.
“Is there a time when a man can abuse their partner and it’s not like they are—it’s not the obvious stuff?”
“Yes, of course. Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said andimmediately.
That was what I needed to hear. “Like during sex? Being too rough and—”
Link grabbed my upper arm and spun me to face him, making me lose my feet again. I flinched at the dark rage thick in his eyes. “Winter? You guys weren’t having sex, only you andSergey, right? He would never go too far with you. Did you start with Winter and he fucking hurt you?”
