From here on out, they were going to be safe or else someone was going to die.
Keaton wasn’t guilty. He wasn’t a drug dealer. I believed that with all my heart.
Fuck, perhaps I should stop my vendetta?
That idea made me squirm inside, but ending the insanity would keep Keaton and Ginny safest. Could I be happy that way?
My body was already in motion, running away from the crap spiraling through my head. “Well, why don’t we show you to your new room. Forget about this mess. I’ll get it later,” I said to Ginny.
She bounced around me, a precious windup toy. “Really? Are you sure? All mine? I can share!”
“You are sharing.” I put my hands on my hips. “Have you forgotten already?”
She blinked up at me with a wrinkle on her little brow. Her face was so cute I wanted to smush her cheeks, but I didn’t.
“With Bernadette. You wouldn’t make her sleep out in the cold, would you?”
“No!” She whooped and rushed from the room. “Where is it?” I’m pretty sure people in space could hear her.
“Upstairs. Second floor. Last door on the right.” Keaton was giving me a suspicious look, so I flashed a smile. “Does she know her right from her left?”
“Not sure.” He stomped past and it seemed as if he was mad, but we hadn’t been fighting.
I caught up to him and grabbed his hand. “Are you okay?”
He sighed and glanced at me as we followed Bernadette up the wooden stairs.
“Right.” My face heated and I wanted to kick myself. I gave his hand a squeeze. “Sorry. Of course you’re not okay.”
He stopped on the stairs and studied my face. I moved up a step so we could be eye to eye with each other.
“What?” I caressed his cheek.
His nose crinkled. “How long are you gonna want to do this?”
“This?” I frowned at him.
“Me. Ginny. Your life is good. Why would you want to take on some dumbass and his little sister? And there are bound to be problems.” He glanced away.
Irritation tickled me and I moved until our gazes were locked again. “What is up with you and being so mean to yourself?”
He brushed his hand down my chest, almost like he needed to reassure himself I was still here. “I know what I am.”
“Says who?”
He looked away again.
I moved so he was staring directly into my eyes again. “Who has been a jerk to you?”
Did he get made fun of in school? My heart twisted. It wasn’t as if his mom would’ve been able to afford tutors if he had problems.
“Roger.”
A growl slipped out of me. “What?”
Keaton puffed out his cheeks, and for the first time I could really spot how much he and Ginny looked alike. “Roger was a dickhead, but he wasn’t wrong. He got mean when I wouldn’t leave Mom and Ginny. He said I was too stupid to escape the park. Eventually, I was too stupid for everything. He said it a lot and it bothered me, but he wasn’t wrong. He was just telling things like they were. I’m stupid. I didn’t graduate high school.”
“Roger who?” Anger sizzled in my chest and I fought not to let it leak into the conversation.
