Sighing, I close the door behind me and shove past him, trudging down the hallway without a backward glance. Quickly, he jogs after me to catch up.
“Dread will murder me if I don’t stick with you today,” he complains.
I shrug. “Works out. Sable can take care of your body afterward. No one will ever know.”
He groans. “She might be worse. I haven’t decided yet.”
“The hell did you do to her?” I ask, glancing at him.
He goes quiet, drawing my attention back to him, anxiety instantly filling my stomach. The man never shuts up, so him being silent about that night only exacerbates my burning curiosity.
Oh, they’re hiding something, and I don’t like not knowing. I’ve already asked her several times if he hurt her, but her cagey responses weren’t very reassuring, despite her denial.
As women, we’re conditioned to hide trauma close to our chests. If it’s not the fear of being called a liar keeping us silent, it’s the men silencing us themselves.
I stop, fury blackening my vision. “Did you rape her?”
Rogue stops, too, blinking at me like I just slapped him across the face before his expression turns thunderous. Unease builds in the pit of my stomach, but I don’t back down. I’ve never seen Rogue angry, and I’d die happy never seeing it again, but I’d die even happier knowing he didn’t hurt my friend.
“Is that what she told you?” he barks, taking a menacing step toward me.
I cross my arms. “No,” I snap. “She hasn’t told me anything, and now you’re being tight-lipped, so obviously,somethinghappened. I swear to God, Rogue, if you hurt her?—”
“Me?” he loudly echoes with disbelief, his anger giving away his real emotions beneath—hurt. “Do you even know your friend? That woman wields a scalpel like it’s a goddamn machete.”
I narrow my eyes, my fury dimming, but not enough to fully trust his word.
“Look—” He shifts his weight onto one leg and splays out his hands, palms facing down in a placating gesture. For once, he’s completely serious as he says, “I’m not a goddamn rapist, and I’m fucking positive she’d attest to that. I wouldneverdo that to anyone.” He pauses for a beat. “However, thereisa chance I’m an asshole.”
I roll my eyes. We both know it’s not just a chance, but a fact.
He holds up a pointer finger, and I know what’s coming. “But.” Precisely what I thought. “She was an asshole first, so my assholery was purely reactionary. Would’ve been completely avoidable had she not hurt my feelings.” He places a hand over his chest, giving me a heartfelt look. “I’m a very sensitive guy.”
“Uh-huh,” I respond, turning and resuming my walk.
I’m sure there’s a lot more to that story, but for now, I feel assured enough he didn’t physically assault her.
He groans again, this time more drawn out and dramatic.
“No one’s forcing you to come,” I remind him just as I push through the exit door, wincing from the sharp bite of chilly air.
I cannot fucking wait for winter to be over.
“All right, I’ll make a deal,” Rogue says, a hint of desperation in his tone. “I’ll get on my knees and apologize for all the terrible shit I’ve taken part in with you and Dread, but for the love of God, don’t let the woman come near me with a scalpel or needle.”
Rogue stops walking again, and, with another weary sigh, I stop and turn to face his pleading puppy dog face.
“Tell me why you helped him to begin with. I’ve done nothing to you or Severen.”
A shadow passes over his eyes, and for one, vulnerable moment, I can see into the depths of his soul, a well of darkness. The next second, his mask is firmly in place.
“We’ve all been friends since middle school, and he saved our lives in very different ways, but both of us can firmly say we wouldn’t be here without him. And he didn’t just save us once—hekeptsaving us. Truthfully, he’s never stopped. He never asked for a single thing in return, so we volunteered to help. He was a fucking shell of a person when we met him, and, as fucked up as it is to say, the only time he looked alive is when we made you look dead inside.”
He runs a hand over the back of his head nervously, his face tightening with discomfort.
“We understood his pain more than anything.” He throws out a hand, as if he’s at a loss, while he stammers, “I— You didn’t see him, okay? You didn’t see what your family did to him. You didn’t see the fucking wreck your parents left him with. I guess Severen and I felt like if he had to deal with bullying for telling the truth, then it’s only fair you deal with it for telling all those lies.”
I wince, the last sentence like a kick in the gut. Noting my reaction, he lets out a heavy exhale, staring off to the side as he thinks for a moment then returns it to me. A haunting look reflects in his raven eyes, and I get the feeling it has a lot more to do with his own story than mine.
