"We know he's a police officer; we understand the risks, sweetheart."
"I don't think you do," she says, cutting Nitro off. "He's not someone who accepts things not going his way." She grabs the bottle of water and takes a few gulps from it before looking back at Prez. "I've seen him and his colleagues beat a man half to death because he gave them the wrong info. That beating took place at the police station."
Both Nitro and Wrath stare at her, shocked looks across their faces. Data and Tongue both look just as shocked.
"Hold up," Nitro says. "You know your uncle is a dirty cop?"
She nods at him, confused. "He beats me almost daily, of course I know." She bites the inside of her cheek and drops her head, her eyes focussed on her hands in her lap.
"Baby, what is it?" I ask, my mind already spinning with thoughts I should not be thinking. She looks up at me, then drops her head again, but I grip her chin and turn her to face me.
"Tell me," I encourage her, my eyes locked on hers.
She blinks back tears, and I think she’s going to shut down, but she looks behind me and then gives a small nod. I turn to see Tongue staring her, and I give a chin lift in question, but he shakes his head and indicates back to my girl.
"I got detention at school one day, I hadn’t handed in my homework, because I hadn't actually done it… my uncle had locked me in my room all weekend because, well, that doesn't matter why..."
"Yes, itdoes," I say, wanting her to tell me.
"I, erm… his tea was cold. He was mad, he punched me in the stomach and then locked Mason and I in our rooms over the weekend. We were only allowed out to go to the bathroom. When he locks us in our rooms, he takes everything from us, including our schoolbags." She grabs the bottle from the table and takes another big drink.
"He was mad that I wasn't home to cook him dinner, so to teach me a lesson, he had his colleagues pick me up at school and throw me in a cell. I begged to be let out. Pleaded with them to let me go home. But it just made them mad." The tears begin to fall, and I look across to Nitro. She needs a fucking break, but he shakes his head at me.
He gets up then grabs a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard, pouring us all a drink, including her. He places the glass in front her and she shakes her head at him. "No thank you, I don't drink."
"Is that because you don't like it or because you're not allowed it?" he asks her, already knowing the answer.
"I've never been allowed it. I've never drank anything before,” she tells us in a quiet voice. She isn't shy, she’s fucking embarrassed, and it pisses me off that she's ashamed of this sort of shit.
"Well, I think today you need it. But let me put some ice in for you," he tells her, passing the glass to Wrath who takes it out to the main bar.
He returns a few seconds later, placing the glass in front of her with several large ice cubes. "Just sip it, sweetheart, and prepare for the burn." He gives her a wink and sits back down.
She picks up the glass and takes a sniff, her eye twitching at the strength. I laugh a little. "Don’t' smell it, that is a sure-fire way to put you off, baby. Just take a drink."
She places the glass on her lips and tips it back a little, letting a small amount of the amber liquid slip between her lips. We're all waiting for the burn to hit, fully expecting her to cough, but she surprises the shit out of us all by swallowing it down, licking her lips, and then placing the glass back on the table.
"That was not as strong as I was expecting,” she tells us. I lean in, placing a kiss to the side of her head while the others laugh.
"You ready to keep going?” I ask quietly in her ear. She doesn't look at me, she gives a small nod, her eyes locked on the centre of the table.
"I was so relieved when they opened the door to the cell. I thought they were coming to let me out, but they weren't." I watch as the tears roll down her cheeks, and I wipe one of them away, but she keeps talking. "They told me that my uncle was on his way, but that they had been given permission to start without him."
"Start what?" Wrath snaps. "Shit, sorry," he says when he realises he’s scared her.
"They… erm..." She twists her hands in her lap, and I look over at Prez and VP, my stomach in fucking knots. "They pinned me down. I screamed, said that someone would hear, that the cameras would record everything. But they laughed and said that I didn't need to worry about that. They started to take my clothes off me, and I freaked. I kicked out at them, trying to rip my arms out of their grasp, but they just laughed, and then one of them climbed on top of me, sitting on my legs, pinning them in place while the other guy kept hold of my arms, holding them above my head." She reaches for her water and downs the last of it before continuing.
"I was still in my school uniform, I had trousers on, so he struggled to get the buttons undone. My uncle came storming in the room and yanked him off me, throwing him to the floor. And I thought for a second that I was safe. I was so wrong. He screamed at the guy, telling him that he wasn’t given permission to touch me like that. That nobody was allowed to do that to me. Then he turned on me, blaming me, saying I was leading them on."
"Nova." Nitro tries to stop her from talking but she keeps going.
"They didn't rape me, but all three of them beat me in that cell, so badly that I left with a broken arm, four broken ribs, some internal bleeding and a concussion." She lets out a shaky breath, unable to stop the tears from falling.
My insides are on fire from the rage burning through me. I look to my brothers, they feel the same way I do, those sick pieces of shit will pay for this. Nitro and Wrath exchange glances, both then giving me a nod as I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her. “She’s done for today.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
My head is buried in Ice's chest as he rubs his hand up and down my back, trying to calm me down. "She's done for today," I hear him bite out, and I shake my head against his chest.
