He and Ice sit and watch me as I grab the bottle and drink it down quickly. Ice grabs it from me. "Easy, don't drink it too quickly," he tells me.
"So, how long?" I ask.
"Sorry?" Nitro asks, confused.
"How long before I have to leave? Are my family on their way?" I really hope not. I really hope they are just kicking us out and not sending us back.
Ice grabs my hands as Nitro sits forward in his chair, resting his arms on the desk in front of him. "We're not kicking you out, sweetheart, and nobody is coming for you. I just want to talk. And the reason you're in here with only Ice and I is because I think doing it in Church with the rest of the brothers might be a bit much."
"Church?" I ask, confused.
"Not that kind of Church. It's where we hold private meetings. Club business," he tells me. "Now, why don't you eat while Ice and I ask you some questions.”
I'm no longer hungry, I suddenly feel sick. But I know that I've not eaten anything since yesterday. I feel Ice give my arm a gentle squeeze and I turn to look at him.
"You okay?" he asks, concern in his voice. I nod, fearing my voice might give away how I really feel.
"So, Nova." Nitro directs my attention to him. “Why don't we start with why you were on the road driving a car that isn't yours, in a condition that you should not have been driving in?"
"Where is the car?" I ask.
"It's currently in our garage, secure. Now, how about you answer my question?" He doesn’t take his eyes off mine, and I should feel intimidated, but I don't. There's something about the way he looks at me, makes me feel comfortable, and despite not wanting to tell them anything, I feel myself opening up.
"Erm. I... I needed to get Mason out of our house. I needed to get him somewhere safe. I knew I shouldn't have been driving, but I wanted to get as far away as possible as quick as possible." My throat burns as the tears threaten to fall. I take a large drink of water, trying to calm my raging insides.
"Who hurt you, sweetheart?" Nitro asks quietly. I bite my lip and shake my head. I can't tell them. They'll never let us stay. Hell, I'm not even sure they won't hand us over if they know.
I feel Ice shift in the chair beside me as he shuffles it closer to mine, then grabs both of my hands in his. I look down at his tattooed hands engulfing mine. The warmth from them calmsme, and I find myself focussing on the designs he has. Three fingers on his right hand has ‘I C E’ spelling out his road name, then he has what appears to be icebergs on the top of his hand with flames licking at them from the inside. I’m so focussed on his tattoos that I don't notice his other hand coming to my face, until he's cupping my cheek, his thumb running over my cheekbone.
"Hey, Dragonfly, you and Mason are both safe on the compound." I shake my head at him. We might be for now, but we won't be when they know the truth. "Yes, you are. I need you to trust us on that, please."
"What happens when you push me for me answers, what happens when you realise the truth?" I ask, fear making my stomach twist.
"Well, the only way to find out what happens is for you to tell us the truth," Nitro states, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.
I swallow but stay quiet. I don't want to tell them, I don't know how to tell them.
"How about we do this together?" Nitro asks, and I look at him confused.
"What do you mean?"
"You start by telling us who hurt you, then we'll tell you one thing. How about that?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me. I nod, but nothing comes out of my mouth. In fact, the only sound that can be heard is my breathing.
"You aren't leaving this room until we get some information from you, sweetheart, so unless you want to stay in here all day and night, I suggest you start talking." He isn't yelling or giving me any attitude, but Nitro's tone makes it clear he means what he says.
The constant rubbing of my hands from Ice gives me some comfort, and I nod again, only this time I find the courage to start talking.
"My aunt and uncle. It's not the first time, but this was the worst. And hurting Mason, this was only the second time they did it, the first time was when I was fifteen, right after we moved in. I made sure after that first time they didn’t hurt him again, I swear," I rush out, worried they'll judge me for staying there for so long, putting him at risk.
"Stop. We're not judging you, sweetheart. We just want you to tell us what got you to this point. You and your brother are very protective of one another. He has spent every minute you're not around telling people that you always protect him, that you always make sure he's safe. But that there's nobody to protect you." Nitro grabs a pack of tissues off the table and reaches over, handing them to me.
"Thank you."
"He's spent a bit of time with Wrath, Marissa, and Ice. And every chance he gets he tells them that you, Nova, are his hero."
I can't hold it together anymore, I pull in a couple of breaths, but the sobs take over as the tears stream down my face. "I, fai... fail h...him every day," I sob out.
"What?" Nitro asks the same time as Ice states, "No, you don't."
