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His voice was both guttural and soft. “You ready to confide in me yet?”

I’d refused to talk about it.

Refused counseling.

Refused to even acknowledge it.

I’d wanted to pretend it didn’t happen. But shoving your pain into a box didn’t make it disappear.

It only festered and grew. Twisted and morphed into the ghosts that would forever haunt my spirit and mind.

“I—” The single word stuck to the back of my throat.

Trevan’s eyes seemed to swim. Like the lapping, darkened waters of a lake beneath the kiss of moonlight. Nearly black but glinting with sparks of light.

“You can trust me, you know?” It was a grumble. A petition he asked me to sign.

I hadn’t even fully opened up to Brinley about it. I’d only given her the barest insight. She knew I’d been hurt, but no one truly knew the depths.

“I know. I do.”

“But it hurts.” Trevan didn’t phrase it as a question.

I nodded, and moisture slipped from my eyes, a messy streak over my nose and dripping onto my pillowcase.

Trevan traced it. Gathered it in his care. Gaze promising that he would hold anything for me. He always had.

“I wanted to be loved…or wanted, I guess. To know what it was like.” It was a haggard admission.

Everything about him darkened, and the lines on his face deepened and contorted. Contained energy zapped and sparked across his skin.

“This guy had messaged me on Instagram. I checked out his profile. He was…attractive.”

Really attractive.

Not close to Trevan. But still, I’d felt a swoop in my stomach at the idea of being with him.

“We started talking, and he wanted to meet. You guys had Church that night, and I knew most of the Crows would be inside and only a few prospects would be standing guard. So, I snuck out. Climbed over a side gate.”

It was during the time we’d lived in Moonlit Ridge. Moving there to be nearer to Kent Ellison’s compound. The goal to wipe him out since he’d been the one responsible for our mother’s death.

I hadn’t known anything about it, though. It’d been considered club business. Silas had only told me he was close to enacting vengeance on our mother’s killer. Had promised that he would do whatever it took to see it through.

I had no idea I was about to ruin the mission.

“I walked half a mile to our meet-up point.” My teeth raked my bottom lip, and Trevan watched me like he was five seconds from coming unhinged. Hands shaking as he kept one on my cheek.

Reassuring and still bristling with rage. Jaw clenched so tight I knew he was keeping back whatever words he wanted to spew.

Giving me time.

“This car pulled up…” Horror spiraled and spun. “A really nice car. And I don’t know, I guess there was some instinctual part of me that knew. A part that could feel the evil radiating out. I turned and started to run back in the direction I’d come, but it was too late. Two men jumped out and chased me down.”

Trevan flinched. Body and soul. The pad of his thumb frantically brushed my cheek. I didn’t know if he was trying to calm himself or me.

“They shoved me to the ground.” Moisture bleared my eyes. “I remember I was wearing these little shorts and a tank top. I thought it was cute. Not too provocative, but you know, I wanted him to think I was pretty.”

Except it wasn’t the same guy. It was all a hoax. A ruse to lure me out.