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“No.” Dane’s jaw flexed. “I should kickGia’s ass for conning you into this. You had no business in thathellhole. Or fucking around with Ben’s bullshit.”
“She didn’t con me. I volunteered. Shewould’ve done it, but Kirke wouldn’t even talk to her.”
“Nice to know he did have one single braincell after all.”
“Dane!” Zara sat up. “I know you don’t getalong with her, but—”
He threw his hands arms up. “She shoved youdown the stairs. Now, she nearly got you sold into some dark webrevenge porn shit. And you’re defending her.”
“I told you. I took over when Kirke wouldn’ttalk to her. It’s not like we’re professional at this. We were justtrying to…”
“Bite off more than you could chew? Successon that score.” His big hand caught her forearm, dragging her backinto the couch, and he loomed over her, blocking the light. “Whatthe hell did she have on you to blackmail you into thisshit?”
“Nothing. It’s not like that.”Zaradidn’t meet his eyes. She hated seeing how much he still loathedGianna. It was only a stupid fight, and they shouldn’t have beenarguing on the stairs. She wondered if he’d hate her so bitterly ifshe’d been the one standing, and Gia was the one with a brokenleg.
“If you keep letting her fuck you over, itwill be your fault for taking it.”
“I couldn’t keep doing nothing! Not afterall the—”Zara’s mouth snapped shut, and Dane’s eyesglittered.
“After all the what?” His fingers dug intoher arm, not enough to hurt but enough to say he wasn’t letting goanytime soon. “You swore you were telling the truth. So that meansthe whole truth. Spill it, or this goes to your dad afterall.”
Her heart sped up, and the world spun. “Youpromised.”
“I’m not keeping full promises forhalf-truths. Talk.”
And what was there to say except the truth?If she didn’t want Dane going straight to their father? The couchfelt suddenly as if it were teetering on a cliff. She could throwherself on the daggers in Dane’s eyes, or crash into her father’sfull-force rage.
“Ben hurt her,” Zara choked. “He’s ... he’salways played rough. You know that. But this was…”
“More?” he prompted. Dane didn’t move, buthis tone was gentler.
“He said he’d only hurt one of us to see ifthe other felt it. But he...”The words she needed fell apartinside her, coming out in a confused sob.
“The marks that showed up on her arm lastsummer.” Dane sat back with a calculating gleam in his eyes. “Thoseweren’t so self-inflicted, huh?”
Zara shook her head. “No. At least not all.”She hated explaining, but he’d demanded the whole truth, and shedidn’t know what was safe to omit. “She has some bad days. But mostof it’s always been Ben. Only nobody would ever believeher.”
“Because she lies, Zara.” He sounded like hewas talking to a little kid who’d lost their mom at theairport.
“Not about this.” She swallowed. “I saw it.But I was afraid of…”
“Rightfully so.” His head tilted. “What didyou see?”
“Little things. Nothing I understood. Untillater. Except for the last time he was home? After you graduated…”She trailed off, shuddering, and glanced up into Dane’s blackvelvet eyes. “He cornered her in the wine cellar. I ran down tograb a bottle for Ethan, and he was…” The sentence fell apartagain. She couldn’t make the words come out. Not even for Dane. Hisgrip on her arm loosened, and his hand slid up her shoulder.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because you’re in the game, right? Youcan’t do something Dad doesn’t want.”
“I could’ve donesomething.”
“And you’re Ben’s best friend.”
“Even I have limits.”
“I know. But you’re still his friend.”
“Only in the loosest definition.” A muscleat his right temple twitched. “Did he hurt you too?”
