“Next time, I’ll break hisfuckingneck and watch you try to hold yourself together. This? This is a lesson that if you think my son’s influence will get you anywhere, you’re wrong. Understood?”
Forced back beneath his command with no way out, nohope, I swallowed every vulgarity I wished to spew. “Y-Yes.”
“No matter what semblance of freedom youthinkyou have, remember you’ll always wind up here. If Matt dies, someone else will take his place. That’s the difference between you and me. You lead with your heart, your emotions, and no ounce of training will remove that blight.”
I had nothing left to give, not an ounce of rebellion flowing through my veins. He’d snuffed it out the moment Matt walked through the door, suffocating the flame of autonomy that’d reignited in the marrow of my bones. My gaze shifted, sweeping over the man whom I’d give up anything for: my life, my heart, my very essence.
“Matt…” I breathed, fearful that maybe I was too late, that I’d already failed. “Matt… Please talk to me.”
He stayed silent, the breadth of Andrew’s torture knocking him out cold.
CHAPTER SIX
OREN
I’d healed from my father’s wounds before, but Thorne’s? Shit took weeks, bruising still evident where he’d cracked my ribs. It had been unpleasant because there was no reprieve from the pain, not even while he was out on “personal business.”
Matt was gone too, leaving us under the command of a replacement. While he wasn’t Thorne, he was still an asshole. At least he didn’t throw punches;thatwas a blessing.
With both of them on leave, we were left speculating why. Liam said family reasons, while both Simon and I agreed they were fucking. I mean, three, almost four weeks? I’d do that shit too.
Whatever the case, I was just glad they weren’t here. It was my first weekend out, and I wasn’t letting anyone stop me from getting plastered and fucked. If the nightlife was as good as Simon suggested, I wasn’t returning to base until Monday.
I almost cried at the sight of my luggage. Thorne made it seem like I’d never get to see my personal items again, and as I adjusted the cross back onto my neck, a sigh of relief billowed from me.
At least Mom’s last piece was still here. Not even Dad knew I’d remolded it from the pendant she used to wear. As long as it remained hidden, there wasnothinghe could do to break me. Losing this would, and it had to remainmysecret.
I tucked my sheer shirt into the black fitted pants I’d decided on. Flowers were embroidered on the pockets, and Ihopedevery guy stared at them. They were my best pair, and anytime I wore them, I always got free drinks. The shirt was white, with a deep V-neck, and allowed for a perfect view of my chest piercings, something I was proud to admit I didn’t even cry for.
Smacking my lips, I spread the gloss across them as Simon and Liam glared at me. “Perfection takes time,” I said with a wink, as if I wasn’t the reason they’d been waiting for over an hour. With a final stud earring added to my left ear, I placed my hands on my hips. “Thoughts?”
Simon clapped, his enthusiasm only adding fuel to the fire that was my confidence. “Oh, they’re going to eat you up.”
He sat on his cot, wearing a pair of torn, light-wash jeans. The crimson, pinstriped baseball jersey he wore was unbuttoned just below his chest, allowing the hair that resided there to breathe. With his tan baseball cap twisted back, he looked just as bisexual as he informed me he was.
Polar opposite, Liam leaned against the doorway. The black short sleeve he wore hugged his biceps, a slew of various art styles coating his arms. Military-grade cargo pants rested on his hips, and if they didn’t match his demeanor so damn well, I would’ve yelled at him to change.
Using his combat boot to kick himself from where he’d rested, he looked between us. “Can we leave now?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, slipping on the pair of burgundy Oxford dress shoes I’d bought last year in retaliation for dad cutting my spending. What was morefuck youthan a pair of extravagant, hand-crafted shoes? “Oh, and here,” I said as I tossed Simon the chapstick he’d asked for. “Lather up.”
Simon popped the cap, earning an exhale of impatience from Liam. Brushing it across his lips, he blew a kiss at the scowling man before tossing it back at me. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
“Please, I need to get fucked. I’ll take a fucking bathroom stall at this point.”
“TMI.” Liam turned, stepping aside to allow us the space to exit the room we shared.
“Oh, shut up. You love it,” I replied. “Last week, you were intently listening to Simon talk about his dick size. The week before that, you?—”
“No need to reminisce, Valens,” Liam teased, nudging me through the door. “We all know whatyouwere thinking about during that conversation.”
I laughed, lighter than I’d felt upon arrival. “Me? And what wouldthatbe?”
“You know.” Turning around, but continuing to walk, Simon closed his fist, ushering it toward his mouth while his tongue glided against the inside of his cheek. “Being on your knees or something?”
“Oh, I don’t kneel. I may look like a bottom, but sweetie, I top.”
Liam coughed, a laugh escaping Simon in response. “I fuckingknewit! I told you, Sai. Consider yourself indebted.”
