I reel my head back in surprise. “Stupid? What for?”
“For not seeing it when I was there. You guys make it seem so obvious, but at the time, I just didn’t know. I had no one to tell me that what he was doing was wrong.” She frowns, tilting her head as if something just occurred to her.
I squeeze her hand to get her attention. “What is it?”
She looks at me as she asks, “You remember me mentioning my best friend?”
“The one who ghosted you in University, yeah?” I say, trying to hold back my resentment of her being left alone.
“Sometimes I think he was trying to tell me things… about my brother, but we were always interrupted.”
“He?” I ask, my brain freezing on that one word. There was another male she had been close to?
“Yeah, Elias. Did I never tell you his name before?”
I shake my head, then my eyes dance to where the other three are eavesdropping at the table right behind her. Sly shakes his head, indicating he didn’t know about Elias either.
I figured they would follow us, and as long as they give me my time with her, I don't mind them being close for extra protection.
“He lived next door to me. We grew up playing together. But he got to go to school, while I was homeschooled. When we were around eleven or twelve, my brother refused to let us play alone anymore. He made sure that either he or one of his two head guards was always in the room with us.”
She looks around as if trying to recall a specific memory. “Sometimes he would whisper things to me. Things about my brother not being a good person, but whenever that happened, Robert or the guards would step in and make him go home. I didn’t really think much of it, because Robert had treated me well… mostly.” She swallows, her brows pitching like a horrible memory has just surfaced. She shakes her head and then continues.
“Elias seemed to know that whispering got him sent home, so he’d still come and see me, but he always looked annoyed, especially when he looked at Robert or the guards. He’d want to know everything about my day. I’d ask him about school, but he wouldn’t say much, often glancing over his shoulder as if he needed to be careful what he told me. Do you think he knew?” she asks, raising her eyes to meet mine.
I nod. “Yeah, sounds like he was in a tough spot. He wanted to tell you but knew Robert would silence him.”
“But it’s not like he would be hurt or anything, Robert would just make him leave.” I press my lips together tightly to stop myself from saying anything. There’s a good chance her friendwashurt. Based on the fact that her brother was trading her for guns, I wouldn't put it past him, especially if it kept Wren in the dark.
“You said Elias stopped talking to you when he was in University?” I ask.
“Yeah, he would call every couple of days. Of course, I didn’t have a phone, so the call was always on speaker in front of Robert. Elias was close to finishing his degree when he just suddenly stopped calling. I tried calling him a few times, but he never answered. Robert said he’d probably moved on with his life.”
I squeeze her hand in support as she adds, “I think he grew tired of not being able to have a real conversation with me.”
I try to reassure her as I tell her, “Elias probably saw how your brother was treating you, but his hands were tied. I imagine it would be hard to talk to you and not be able to tell you that what your brother was doing was wrong.”
The waiter takes our order as she composes herself, offering me a strained smile. “Enough about me, tell me more about you, Dex.”
“What do you want to know? I told you everything that matters in my letters.”
“You told me you fought in underground fighting rings. But what about before that?”
“Before? There was nothing before,” I reply, unsure what she wants to know.
“What about your childhood? You’ve never mentioned it.”
“Ah,” I say in realization as I sit back in my chair and nod. “I don’t like to think about that.”
“You don’t have to tell me. But Dex?” I lift my eyes to meet hers, and she gives me a soft smile. “It won’t change how I feel about you.”
“And howdo you feelabout me?” I ask, the corner of my mouth pulling up in amusement.
“Maybe if you’re good, I’ll tell you one day.” I narrow my eyes at her, but realize she’s not ready, or she doesn’t know. That’s okay, it’s my job to show her that she can’t live without me. That I’d do anything for her. Even if that means reliving a past I’d rather keep buried.
“I killed my father,” I blurt out just as the waiter arrives with our plates. Wren and he stare at me with wide eyes as I quickly try to talk myself out of being arrested. “Metaphorically, of course,” I add, hoping I used that word right.
The waiter smiles nervously as he sets our plates down. We both watch him leave, then a nervous bubble of laughter erupts from Wren. She slaps a hand over her mouth, and her wide eyes meet mine as she tries to hold in her laughter.
