The Wolves Are Everywhere

by Janie Marie

  Her heart beat so fast it hurt to breathe, and she couldn’t speak.

  He turned, watching as Ryder tucked Janie in, whispering to the nurse before she left. “That was a night terror,” he said. “She’s had them since she was seven. I haven’t been with her through them in a long time. That’s why she was at my place that night—she can’t be alone. It helps her to have someone close. ’Cause she tries to get away from whatever she’s seeing.”

  “Oh.” Kylie looked away when Ryder glanced at her. “I thought that was sleep paralysis.”

  “Did she look paralyzed?” he asked harshly.

  “I guess not.” She wanted him to come with her; leave everything. He didn’t realize how unhealthy this was for him, and they were going to turn him on her.

  He exhaled, running his hands through his hair as he seemed to debate saying more. “He told you, didn’t he? About my baby with her.”

  A fire in her lungs made her want to scream. She hadn’t expected him to come out with it right away. With Ryder and Janie in the room, no less. It stirred the flames that had simmered in her heart, and she couldn’t help but point out what mattered most to her. “You lied.”

  He stared directly into her eyes. “I lied.”

  She pressed her hand to her chest, fearful her heart would be ripped out.

  Logan sat beside her but returned his focus to Janie as Ryder squeezed onto the bed with her. “I couldn’t cope,” he said. “She wanted to protect me from Arthur. He would’ve killed me. He had asked me to be honorable with her, and I’d gotten her pregnant then left. So Ryder told Arthur the baby was his. I let him because I feared what the truth meant.”

  “But you said you never had sex with her,” she whispered. That’s all she could focus on.

  He nodded, clasping his hands together. “It was a shitty move on my part—there’s no excuse I can give; it was wrong. The truth is, we were each other’s firsts, and we learned everything together. Everything.” He took a deep breath, unaware of how much of her heart he just destroyed. “I wanted to marry her—it had always been that way. From the moment I held her, she was someone I never wanted to let go of, and when I became interested in girls, she’s who I wanted to spend my life with. I planned to wait for her, but I didn’t hold back like I made it seem. I made love to her all the time, and I got her pregnant right before I graduated.”

  Kylie’s tears fell to her lap, but she couldn’t speak. He had made love to Janie, but not to her.

  He still didn’t look away from the couple who’d ruined her life. Ryder had closed his eyes, but he held Janie protectively, shielding her from the make-believe monster.

  “I was going to be a daddy,” Logan said, “but I accused her of cheating. Then I turned my back on her and my baby. And she lost it all alone.”

  Kylie choked on her cry.

  “I’m sorry.” He lowered his head and scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know why I blurted out I’d never been with her. Fuck, even that day they brought you to the gym she asked me if I was going to be honest with you, about her and our baby, and I told her we never had a baby. She slapped me.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the whole scene. Everything was a lie—just like Ryder had said.

  “I guess after things got real between us,” Logan went on, “I was afraid. You reacted bad after just finding out she’d been my girlfriend. I knew once you learned she’d been my first and that we almost had a child together you’d leave. I didn’t want that. I liked you. You didn’t know what kind of monster I’d been. You looked at me the way I wished she would again.”

  Fire sparked in her chest. Any rationality she might have managed died. “I was an escape? Her replacement?”

  “I don’t know.” He stared at his fist. “Is it true?”

  Kylie leaned away. “Is what true?”

  “Is it true you hit Maura, lied, and you”—his fist shook—“let your father rape her?”

  She wiped away a tear. “I hit her.”

  He closed his eyes. “And your dad—did you let him do that to her?”

  Kylie darted her eyes toward Ryder. He wasn’t looking at her either. He was staring down at Janie, caressing her stomach.

  “Kylie?” Logan called, shaking out his hand.

  “I don’t remember.” She clutched her head as something pounded on the door in her mind. “I don’t remember.”

  Finally, he glanced at her, watching how she held herself. “You blocked it out, didn’t you?”

  The mental door banged three times, and she swore she heard Maura’s cries on the other side. She whimpered, shaking her head. “I don’t know, Logan. I wasn’t lying about the abuse. She’s been hitting me for four years with a bat.”

  “You mean since your dad couldn’t touch her anymore,” he said, his voice dead. “When it was safe to fight back.”

  Her heart sprinted. “I only shoved or hit her with my hands a few times. I think I broke some of her things and a couple times I threw things at her. But I never hit her with a bat. And I told you, I don’t remember him doing anything to her.”

  He looked sick.

  She reached to touch him, but he scooted away. “Logan, I was a kid.”

  “So was she.” His gaze flew to hers, anger and confusion rolling off him in heavy waves. “That’s why she hits you.”

  Her tears splattered on her legs as she shook her head, which only caused the banging on the door to get louder. “Please try to understand. He was my dad; I wanted my dad.”

  Logan stared at Janie, agony screaming across his features as he took in his ex. “He raped her, Kylie, and you lied. She was a little girl. She told Ryder you saw it multiple times—over the entire time she lived with you. You weren’t always little.”

  “I just wanted my dad to pay attention to me.” She didn’t understand why no one ever understood that. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

  He exhaled, shaking his head. “What did you think you were doing to her? Did she tell anyone?”

  “I don’t know.” That wasn’t true. She closed her eyes, choosing to say what she didn’t doubt. “She told Lorelei I saw something. I only said I didn’t see what she was saying happened. You have to understand—if I said what I saw, they would’ve taken him away.”

  He cradled his head. “Do you realize what you caused by keeping your mouth shut? How many times did you see something? Tell me.”

  She whimpered. “Please, Logan.”

  He kept staring at the floor like he couldn’t even stand the sight of her. “You made me believe you were innocent, a victim.”

  “I am.” Why was her abuse disregarded?

  He lifted his head to look at her. “But there was more to it.”

  Kylie wanted to scream. He was staring at her like she was a monster.

  Well . . .

  “You weren’t going to tell me,” he said. “You were never going to tell anyone. That’s why you want to get your inheritance and leave—why you never wanted the police called. You knew your secret would get out.”

  She pressed her lips together.

  Disbelief shone in his eyes. “You were going to let me take you in when you were responsible for ruining her life. She’s in the hospital for trying to kill herself, Kylie, and you kept your mouth shut.”

  “She beat me.” She whimpered, darting her eyes over to Janie and Ryder. They were sleeping or pretending to be asleep. “You weren’t going to tell me you’d been fucking Janie, and that you had gotten her pregnant.”

  He gave her an incredulous look as his tone turned bitter. “You’re comparing me keeping a private matter between me, Janie, and Ryder to you beating your sister and watching her get raped without telling someone?” He looked torn between gagging and shouting but settled for speaking in the most broken tone. “I loved her. Every day I wish I had been there for her—that our baby was alive and well—that she was a mom to our child.”

  “What are you saying?” Kylie cried.

  He cove
red his eyes. “You’re comparing my baby dying, and me being ashamed I let her down, to the sick shit your father did—that you did. You made me believe you were innocent.”

  “I didn’t deserve to be hit with a bat,” she seethed. “I don’t even know what really happened.”

  Logan focused on Janie, his expression cracking the longer he stared at her. “You’ve acted like a saint, judging Janie for shit—I see it every time you look at her. I tried to let it go; I did let it go, but now I understand you just couldn’t stand that a sexually abused girl is loved. I don’t know what to even think about you now.”

  “I’m still me.” She would scream if he brought up Janie’s sainthood one more time.

  “Did you have anything to do with Maura trying to kill herself? Did she even try to kill herself? Or did you do something to her?”

  She gasped, covering her mouth. “I didn’t hurt her. I got help! I’m not a killer like—”

  His gaze stung just as fiercely as his voice. “Janie? Is that what you were going to say?”

  Her eyes burned. “I’m not a killer or a bad person.”

  “But she is,” he spat. “God, you’ve called her a killer from the moment you found out she’d saved me from her rapists. Because your father was one.”

  “This isn’t even about Janie,” she hissed, cowering when he glared at her. “I just didn’t want to lose my dad.”

  “Do you even realize what you’ve caused?”

  “Stop acting like they didn’t hurt me too,” she said through gritted teeth. “Like you didn’t do the same thing with Janie.”

  “Wow.” He chuckled bitterly. “I can’t believe this shit. You did nothing wrong—that’s what you think? And fine, be pissed my shit with Janie is similar. You’re still protecting a rapist, but I’m making up for my mistakes with her.”

  She’d slap him if he talked about making shit up to Janie. “I didn’t deserve to get hit by a bat or to have Lorelei cover it up.”

  “But Maura deserved to have your dad rape her and for you to beat her.” He stood up. “I can’t even look at you right now.”

  “But you can go to her?” Kylie got up, too. “You don’t even care Ryder’s going to make me give a statement. I could go to jail for all I know, and you’re still only concerned with Janie. You’re both acting like I didn’t get abused for the past four years.”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “How many years did your dad abuse Maura—a little girl at the time?” He stared right at her, not a single ounce of softness in his dark eyes. “How many years did you beat her up and destroy her spirit for no reason at all?”

  Seven years.

  “You can’t even say because it was for so long?” He took a step toward Janie’s bed. “I don’t know what to do. You don’t see that it’s not about who had it worse. It’s that you still only care about yourself.”

  Ryder snapped his fingers. “Come here, Grimm.” He then pointed at Kylie. “Stay put and don’t open your mouth until I say.”

  Logan didn’t bat an eye at her or speak up for her. He simply walked to the chair by Janie’s bed and sat. He held her hand while Ryder spoke to him. Like an obedient dog, he nodded, kissing Janie’s fingers as he listened to whatever he was being told. And not once did he look at Kylie while she cried.

  I knew he’d go back to her!

  Only thinking about yourself again.

  Who should I be thinking about?

  Maura.

  Her breath hitched, and she looked over when Janie woke up.

  “What’s wrong?” Janie touched Logan’s cheek.

  Ryder sent Kylie a glare that had her frozen in place, but it was Logan crying and dropping his head to Janie’s chest as she ran her fingers through his hair that had Kylie storming to the door.

  “Fuck this! Fuck all of you.” She stopped at the foot of the bed, her hand on the curtain as she glared at all three of them. “And thank God your babies died. You would’ve been terrible parents.” She yanked the curtain back and ripped open the door then came to a sudden halt because her path was blocked.

  “Going somewhere, Miss Hood?” Luc calmly gestured to Than Messor, the police chief, and Damon King. “Take her upstairs.”

  The police chief sighed, moving aside when Lance Grimm came up behind him.

  “You’re not taking me anywhere,” she snapped. “Move.”

  “Kylie, I suggest you go without causing a scene,” Lance said. “Your mother is missing, and you need to do the right thing. I know what Ryder was told.” He shook his head, disappointment and disgust in his eyes. “Give your sister peace. She’s suffering, and if you keep quiet again, you may destroy what little hope she has left.”

  Her eyes watered. “And what about my hope? You’re all treating me like a monster and acting like she’s a freaking angel. She killed people.”

  Lance frowned, glancing at Damon and Than.

  Luc smiled darkly. “She’s talking about Janie. Not Maura.”

  Gawain and Gareth Knight walked up to them. They didn’t look at her. They simply squeezed past the others and entered the room.

  Luc gestured for Lance to go inside as well. Once he was gone, unnatural silver light flashed in Luc’s eyes and his jaw clenched. It made his features appear so perfect it was hard to look at him. “One becomes a monster by choice, Miss Hood. You are showing you’d rather become one because it upsets you that another girl refuses to become a monster. Go with them before I lose my patience.” His jaw relaxed a tiny bit. “Your sister already gave a recorded statement with me and a detective, and I must say, even I am disgusted to be in your presence.”

  Her lips trembled. “I was a kid. He was my dad. I wasn’t going to say something I didn’t believe.”

  He chuckled, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand. “Perhaps the first dozen times you saw him touching her. But seven years of ignoring and covering up such horror is incomprehensible. And playing an innocent victim for the following four years because your sister finally had a way to fight back is sickening. You almost fooled us all. Luckily for Mr. Grimm, our family has a way of discovering dirty secrets people wish to keep buried.

  “You see, my brother forces one to confront every truth about their soul. And I, Miss Hood, deliver punishment to those souls. Now go, before I decide you don’t deserve a chance to explain yourself.” He turned, shutting the door and leaving her with the police chief.

  “This way, Kylie.” Than Messor motioned for her to follow him while Damon King waited, clearly making sure she didn’t run.

  She covered her face, feeling as though she was walking to the gallows. She kept seeing the hooded girl. The light around her made it impossible to lose her in the dark, but Kylie still refused to look. She refused to even turn toward the door.

  Still, she heard Lorelei’s voice repeat the same words she’d said the first time Maura had hit her: “You brought this on yourself, you know. Nothing good ever comes from lying.”

  Four

  VILLAIN

  Kylie kept her eyes on the laptop in front of her. They had paused it on Maura’s face. Her stepsister’s eyes were sunken in, and her normally tan skin was pale. She looked like a sick person.

  Because she is. Just like you.

  As Than Messor read over Maura’s signed statement, she scanned the room. The chief, Detective Parvati, and Damon King were the only people present, but she felt crowded. She didn’t know why Damon got to be there, but he was too intimidating to ask to leave. It had been a relief to see the same detective, but the woman had barely looked at her since coming in.

  Do you blame her? She wanted to help you, and you were the monster all along.

  “Shouldn’t I have a lawyer?” Kylie asked.

  Detective Parvati glanced up. “You are within your rights to request a lawyer, Kylie. You can also request a family member to be present, but you’re an adult now. We informed Kevin Blackwood about us questioning you.”

  Than clasped his hands together and gav
e Kylie a stern look. “Kevin thinks this is a follow-up to the questioning from the other night, since you didn’t get to finish. We didn’t clarify because Maura has asked he not be informed before speaking to you. All he knows is the allegations regarding your abuse are still under investigation, and that Lorelei is missing.”

  “Missing?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Your stepmother is a prime suspect in your father’s death, and we know she was involved in a sexual relationship with Trevor Grimm.”

  “What?” She looked at each of them. “She was with Trevor?”

  Than frowned. “That’s the least of our concerns regarding her, Kylie. We’re mainly focused on her involvement in your parents’ deaths. Besides you, she’s the only beneficiary to his estate and insurance policies.”

  “She did it,” Kylie blurted. “I know she did it.”

  “What do you know, Kylie?” Detective Parvati asked.

  “Who else would do it?” Kylie stared at them, shocked they weren’t out scouring the streets for Lorelei. Instead, they were questioning her even though she wasn’t doing anyone harm.

  “You’re right. What mother wouldn’t kill to protect her child?” Detective Parvati looked away from her.

  Looks like someone doesn’t like child rapists.

  Kylie scowled at the table. Her father was a good man. He saved lives. He loved her. And he—

  Forcibly raped and molested a seven-year-old girl until she was fourteen. You know it’s true.

  I don’t remember.

  No, Kylie, you just don’t want to remember.

  There was a knock on the door before it slowly opened. Logan walked in and motioned for Damon to leave. Unfortunately, Luc entered as soon as Damon walked out.

  “I don’t want either of them here,” she snapped.

  Logan searched her face like he was seeing her for the first time, and by the hardness in his eyes, he wasn’t happy with what he saw. “I shouldn’t be here after the shit you just pulled,” he said. “But I’m here to support you.”

  Her heart throbbed. Was he picking her?

  Oh Jesus.