And all I could think was,finally.
Chapter 3
Jace
“Where is he?”
“Inside,” I said as I took in Mav’s harried expression. I wasn’t at all surprised to see him, since I’d expected as soon as Memphis told him where Caleb was that Mav would want to come and see for himself that he was okay.
I’d gotten Memphis’s text a few minutes earlier that they were nearby, so I’d gone outside to wait for them.
And not just because I didn’t want to wake Caleb up.
Restless energy thrummed through my veins as I watched Memphis and Mav tense up at roughly the same time as they realized I wasn’t going to invite them inside the cabin. Mav took a step forward, but Memphis put his hand out to stop him.
I was almost disappointed because I was itching for a fight.
Anything to get rid of the rage that was making my blood run cold.
Caleb was hurting himself.
On purpose.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it, despite having seen the proof on his arm. Despite having felt the weight of the box cutter in my hand.
I didn’t know the young man who’d lain calmly beneath me last night and had told me he was too far gone already… that he wasn’t worth saving anymore.
Well, fuck that shit.
After I’d climbed off Caleb, he’d turned over on his side again. I’d sat on the edge of the bed for a long time as I’d tried to figure out how I’d managed to fuck all this up so badly, but when there hadn’t been any answers to find, I’d laid back down next to him and put my arm around him. He hadn’t melted against me like he had the previous night in the motel. There’d been no tears of despair on my skin to prove he hadn’t meant what he’d said about being beyond my or anyone’s reach, and no whispered fears or pleas to take his pain away.
There’d been absolutely nothing.
Just like there’d been nothing in his beautiful eyes when he’d declared himself shattered beyond repair.
Nineteen fucking years old and acting like his life was over.
No.
Fucking.
Way.
Not on my watch.
I shifted my eyes to Mav. He looked like complete and utter shit and rememberingwhyhe looked like that helped tamp down some of my anger.
“How’s Eli?” I asked.
“How do you think he is?” Mav asked, his own anger getting the better of him. Though I doubted it was all directed at me. “Twelve people watched and listened as he was forced to recount every single thing he had to do to survive as a kid and decided that somehow that meant he deserved to be repeatedly raped by a man twice his age who he also happened to call ‘Dad.’”
Memphis put his hand on Mav’s arm to calm him and Mav sucked in a deep breath. “He’s coming apart,” he murmured. “He’s with his fathers until I can get back.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. And I was. I’d met Eli several times and he was a really good guy. He’d made a good life for himself, despite allhis suffering, and he’d taken Caleb in when Caleb hadn’t had anyone left.
“Eli needs to know his brother is safe,” Memphis suggested.
“He’s safe,” I said.
