“Because I didn’t protect her,” he answers quietly. “I let Carlisle beat her for her indiscretion, and I didn’t say a goddamned word to save her.”

His admission sucks the air from my lungs, but I can’t let him know it. He’s talking, and I’m aware there’s only a brief window of time before he’ll stop and shut this door forever.

“Why?”

“You said it yourself.” He blinks open his unfocused eyes. “This is the world we live in. I was sixteen, and Carlisle’s word was law. She’s never forgiven me for it, and she never will.”

The truth splits my heart in half. Because as much as I pity his mother for what she must have endured at the hands of his grandfather, my heart aches for Judge too. I understand better than anyone what it’s like to be trapped in an impossible situation. I learned that from watching my brothers trying to sacrifice themselves to save me. It never worked. They would take beatings, but I would too. It didn’t stop my father, and I know it wouldn’t have stopped Carlisle either.

“And what about this?” My fingers move to the tattoo wrapping around his back, over the scar he’s tried to hide. “What happened here, Judge?”

His eyes snap to mine, and suddenly, he looks stone-cold sober, and I know the time for answers is over.

“Let that be a lesson to you.” He pulls his cock from me and hoists me up, splashing water everywhere as he helps me from the tub. “That’s what happens when you trust someone. There’s no such thing as loyalty, little monster. We all have to learn the hard way.”

13

Judge

As I sip my coffee, I scroll through Mercedes’s old phone, looking for any clues I missed. Anything at all. No new threats have come in. It’s quieter than I expect, which is worrisome.

Vincent Douglas knows by now that Mercedes survived his attack. So why hasn’t he sent another message? Another threat?

According to Ezra, Douglas is a steelworker at a company in Baton Rouge. He’s quiet, keeps to himself, and they’ve never had trouble with him. He shows up for work, does his job, and goes home.

A few weeks ago, though, Douglas quit without notice and simply disappeared. I’ve had men at his apartment, a small, basic accommodation. Cleaner than I expected. He had paid rent for the following month, according to the landlord. For a small fee, however, he was willing to let us into Douglas’s apartment where his things still were, including photos of himself with his sister. A lot of photos. They were close. Further investigation into Lana’s life proved that. They grew up together in foster care. Close enough in age, they managed to stay together until Lana turned fifteen and Vincent sixteen.