Page 116 of Praying for Thunder

Punishment? Revenge? Whyyyyyyy?

“If you weren’t fucking in that tent, what were you doing?”

Mistakenly, and regrettably, forgetting how intelligent Onus truly was, I had walked into his trap. Now I stood there, speechless. To say anything about that night spoke of my plan, and it would reveal who was involved. Placing more loved ones in danger wasn’t an option my heart could agree with.

He asked, “Why did the Stallions want me so distracted?”

Fuck! I couldn’t tell Onus about Diesel and who he was to me.

“Nothing to say, son?”

I couldn’t tell him that we knew he was selling girls or I would never find them. So, I did the only thing I knew I should. Sacrifice the ones who couldn’t be saved. “Please close the door for privacy.”

His aggressive body language faded instantly. “Now, was that so hard?” He turned to walk away but then spoke over his shoulder. “Tabitha, if the ‘deed’ isn’t done, your cunt will be sent home, after Piercer—and whoever else wants a turn—is done with it.”

The door closed.

In the darkness again, I felt hope seep away from me. “I’m sorry, Tabi.” My body, still trying to heal from being unconscious days ago, was waning.

She kept silently crying. “Me, too.”

I felt numb. If I fucked this up, Tabi was going to experience what Ani did. Plus, I was positive Onus would hurt Rya, somehow, someday… “I will be gentle.” I would never be a piercer.

She whispered something, but I couldn’t hear it. Nor did I want to. I just wanted this over with.

Feeling lethargic, I half fell, half rolled into my bed, then laid on my back, staring at Roam’s empty bed above me. “I’m so tired.”

“I understand.” She sniffled, crawling into the bed with me. On her side, her head on my pillow, she stared at me. “I want to help people, yet at moments like these, I wonder if I am.”

That being a rather odd statement, I whispered, “You sound like this has happened to you before.”

“Exhausting times making me want to wave the white flag of surrender? Oh, yes.”

Being drained, her words weren’t making sense to me at first. All I could think of was… “Rya.”

Tabi buried her face into the pillow to muffle more tears. I wanted to be more caring for her emotions, but I was too deep in my own self-pity.

Tabi composed herself enough to finally say, “So young, yet she loves you dearly.”

My body froze. Rrr-rrr?

Reading my response, she exhaled. “You’re a good kid, Thunder.”

Thunder… How does she know that name? My ears rang.

Wiping tears, she whispered, “Her father is of interest.”

My jaw locked.

“We’ve been monitoring him for some time.”

My hands balled into fists. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

“And his daughter—”

I was on top of her, and in her face, before I even knew what I was doing. “Leave. Her. Out of it.”

She whispered, “I’m undercover—”