Her head drops to one side from the effort of trying to break free and from all the blood she's lost, so I step back. I don't want to rush this.
"Leave her here for a few days with just an IV for hydration and some food. I'm not done cutting."
I look to Cas, who nods slightly, and then I find myself asking, "Where did you get this whole army of men?"
For a few seconds he looks at me, then exhales.
"From my biological uncle. And before you ask—no, I'm not telling you who he is."
"Cas, that man—"
"He's not the one who raped her. Berna's with him now. She went with him willingly, but I don't know all the details. I know she's okay; I see her on video calls every day when I check in."
I look at him, and I don't think he realizes how much emotion is in his voice.
"She smiled," he whispers with his head down.
My eyes widen instantly, and I step closer.
"On a call two days ago. She was in the garden at sunset, and she smiled. Faint, but damn it, Damien, it's the first time I'veever seen my mother smile. So she's staying there until she gets better."
My eyes are wet because I understand what this means for my sister and for him, but I don't know if Berna will ever truly get better. Whoever this man is whom she's with now, I hope to God—for the sake of his kidneys and liver—that he's taking care of her like a precious jewel.
"I'll be back tomorrow," I tell him because I'm about to collapse any minute.
He nods slightly but doesn't leave the hangar.
When I reach the door, I turn back toward him and watch as he stares at Marzena. We were told since he was little that emotions would be impossible for him to manage, but I know that gleam in his eyes. It's the satisfaction when someone who hurt you pays. The satisfaction that you're the one causing damage now.
And that's one hell of a feeling for someone who, in theory, feels nothing.
Chapter 52
Roxy
White ceiling. That's the first thing I register. Then the burning sensation in my shoulder. My hand is wrapped in bandages, and I feel like I've been asleep for years.
"Hey," a soft voice says, and I turn toward Luna.
"If I'm dead, please tell me you at least put that Bobby Brown lipstick on me and those red heels," I rasp.
She laughs, but her eyes are glassy with unshed tears.
"Stop it. You're not dead," she says, placing her hand on my leg.
I try to sit up, but after exactly two seconds, my muscles stage a full rebellion and I collapse back into the mattress.
"Let me help you."
Luna lifts my pillow gently, and after some teeth-gritting, I manage to prop myself up somehow.
The accident floods back, the warehouse, Damien's face as he begged for my life, the certainty that I wouldn't escape that pain. Without meaning to, tears blur my vision.
"Roxy, you're safe."
I know. But for a moment, I thought I'd never leave that warehouse. I thought Damien would have to watch me die, and there wouldn't be a damn thing I could do about it.
"Where is he?" I ask, because she knows exactly who I mean.
