Page 94 of Mercy & Malice

I pull her to me, her body trembles as she pushes away. “What if it’s him? We have to get out of here.”

Her running out into the storm is the last thing I want. She rummages through the blanket and sofa cushions. “Where’s my phone? It was right here. We need it to call for help.”

“Hey.” I take her hands and hold them to my chest. “We’ll find it. We’re safe.”

But when thunder rumbles, she pulls away and continues searching. “I can’t find it.”

She grabs at her shirt, pulling the collar away from her neck.

Setting my phone down with the light face up, I tell her, “Look at me.”

Her frightened eyes finally meet mine. “I have my phone if we need to call for help. I promise we’re safe. The storm knocked the power out. That’s it.” When I see the fear still there, I change tack. “I need five things you hate about me. Tell me now.”

“You’re stubborn and always think you know best.” Her eyes snap shut when the power flickers again, and she shakes her head. “We need to go. We can’t just stay here.”

“We’re okay. I’m waiting on three more things.”

“I’m thinking.” Her teeth bite into her lip as she mumbles out, “You don’t listen. And you’re cocky. And smell really good.”

“Okay. Now four things I need to improve on.”

The power finally comes on and stays as she mutters, “Your stubbornness for sure. Arrogance, listening skills, and grades.”

“We’re still safe, and I want to hear three things you want to do with me.”

“I just want to be happy, and go to prom, and make it through a day without crying and be happy. That’s it.” She hides her face, tucking against my chest.

“We will be.” Even if it’s a lie, I have to reassure her in this moment.

“Two things you love about yourself.”

She sniffles. “Nothing right now.”

“Then I’ll tell you what I love about you: your strength and your heart. Now, I really want to hear just one thing you like about me.”

“Everything.” She finally looks up at me. “But it’s not just what I like about you. I love you, Micah. Everything about you. I think I’ve always loved you. I just couldn’t say it because love was used as a tool to manipulate and control. It was never just given freely or unconditionally. You’ve never asked me for anything in return.”

I press my mouth to hers as I tell her, “I love you too. More than life itself.”

She whispers, “I love the way you love me.”

That makes me beyond happy, but I still feel like it’s not as much as she deserves.

Brooke tucks her face back against me as she says, “He controlled everything. We didn’t get what he called love unless we earned it. And we only did that by never defying him. And if we did, he made us pay dearly. That night he made me choose between watching my mom be beaten with his belt or raped by him, it was all because we disobeyed his wishes. My doctor wanted to put me on a prescription to help regulate my cycles. But he’d said being on birth control would make me a whore like my mother and didn’t want me to. He found the pills in my room and punished us both. All because he decided what was best for my body and I defied him. I stopped taking it until we moved out. It was never about what he thought was best for us, it was all about control.”

Her words make me want to kill the bastard again. Or go back in time and do it sooner. But since I can’t, I just hug her closer to me.

52

BROOKE

Even as I hang up the phone, I can’t believe the level of audacity he’s reached. Yeah, Micah has always had his fair share. But this is utterly absurd.

Pushing up from my desk, I head to his room. When I swing the door open, I find him and Luca mid-discussion. Both stop talking as they notice me standing in the doorway.

“I was just thinking I should check in with my boss about when I’m scheduled to work since I haven’t heard from him.” I see no reaction on Micah’s face as Luca glances between the two of us.

I keep a lock on Micah. “Imagine my surprise at hearing I’m not only off the schedule but no longer employed there since he was told I no longer need my job.”