Shaking, I obeyed for the same reason I obeyed Sugar Bum. Compliance was better than pain.
I rocked back against the headboard, pushing away Mom’s tender touch. The screaming was over, replaced by fear of the man standing nearby. Occasionally, I noticed my brother and sister peeking at me from the doorway. I wanted to tell them to run before the monster got them too, but my voice didn’t work now.
Soon, the medicine made me drowsy and I no longer rocked. My body rested lazily against the headboard as Mom cleaned the scratches on my arms. The memories of Sugar Bum and his club faded into a long ago nightmare.
Harlow and Mom helped me into the shower to clean up the mess I’d made. So numb from the medicine, I couldn’t even feel the water on my skin.
I returned to the bedroom to find Dad had changed my sheets. He was different now. No longer the monster, he returned to the man who saved me from a life in foster care. This was the only father I ever knew or needed.
Sleep didn’t come for a long time. Mom and Dad stayed with me until Harlow crawled into bed with Cookie Monster. She stared into my eyes and told me she would keep me safe. I believed her too. Harlow was strong in ways I wasn’t and she’d saved me before.
Chapter Eighteen ~ Dylan
Already treating Cooper’s office as a club hangout, Vaughn was like a destructive toddler on a rampage through the construction site. Judd sat nearby throwing sunflower seeds at his buddy. I could only pretend not to notice the mess they were making. After all, they were enforcers.
Nick arrived for his shift to find mayhem. He frowned at Vaughn juggling metal pipes then glanced at the seed throwing Judd. Finally, he looked at me
“What’s in this spray bottle?” he asked me.
“Water and maybe a little bleach.”
Nodding, Nick took the bottle and sprayed Vaughn.
“Hey, dickweed,” Vaughn growled.
Judd pointed a finger at the approaching Nick and shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”
“You want to stay dry then stop making a mess.”
Judd glared. Vaughn glared. Nick only smiled and pointed the bottle.
“What’s it going to be?”
“Asshole,” Vaughn said, wiping his shirt.
Judd said nothing, continuing to glare. He did stop throwing seeds though.
Nick walked to me and set down the bottle. “You can’t let them run all over you. Trust me. My old roommate, Danny Boy, was a fucking slob until I started spraying him and he finally learned to pick up after himself.”
“Why spray them though?”
“My first roommate had a cat and it worked on her, so I figured I’d try it on people.”
Leaning forward, I whispered, “They do kill people for a living.”
Nick rolled his green eyes. “They won’t kill us. In the future, feel free to spray them if they get out of hand. It works on Bailey too, by the way.”
I was still laughing about the Bailey comment when Harlow rushed into the building. She ignored Vaughn’s hello and came straight for me. Based on her expression, I suspected I was about to get punched. I wasn’t wrong.
Harlow got a decent hit in before Vaughn pulled her back. Her one punch did the trick and I tried to hide how much it hurt. Rubbing my jaw, I waited for her to explain.
“Calm down, Harlow,” Vaughn said when she struggled to break loose from his grip.
“Dylan, you fuck! I warned you what Winnie was like! You said you’d be careful, but you had to be greedy like every other fucking guy in the world!”
“You think I’m greedy?” Vaughn asked, sounding offended.
“Not now!” she screamed.
“Shit,” Judd said, standing between Harlow and me. “What did you do, man?”
I heard the accusation in Judd’s tone. Vaughn’s humor was also gone. Suddenly, I was the enemy.
“I have no idea.”
Harlow snorted. “You had to push her. What the fuck did you think would happen?”
“What did happen?” Vaughn asked before I could.
“She had a breakdown last night,” Harlow said and her words were a punch to my gut. “She’s medicated and barely coherent. That didn’t even happen when the Devils grabbed us. She was messed up, but not like last night. You did something.”
“I didn’t…”
Judd focused his gaze on Vaughn. “Take Harlow home.”
“No way,” she cried.
Judd ignored Harlow’s protests as Vaughn shepherded her out the door. I waited for the enforcer to do what he was paid to do. Winnie was protected by the Reapers and I hurt her. Despite how much she meant to me, I’d broken the woman I loved.
“Did you two fuck?” Judd said quietly, directing to the back of the office where we’d be alone.
Nick came along without being asked. I think he hoped to protect me, but Judd only had me sit down then asked me the question again.
“No. We got close, but we haven’t had sex.”