Page 83 of The Revenge
“There’s one in the bathroom.”
Is her thigh causing her pain? I hurry into the bathroom and pull open one of the cabinets. It gets used more than I’d like to think about, but because of this, I make sure it’s kept stocked.
When I turn around, Tori’s in the doorway. She bites her lip then goes to the chair. She picks it up and carries it over to me, setting it down beside the sink. “Sit.”
“Me?” I ask in surprise, not moving.
She bites her lip again and then she takes the first aid kit out of my hands and puts it down on the side. Without any hesitation, she turns and pushes me onto the chair.
“What are you doing?” I ask as she grabs my hand.
Carefully holding onto my wrist, she maneuvers my hand in front of my face. The back of my hand is smeared in dried blood. Each one of my knuckles has a cut that’s starting to scab over.
Even though I’ve not noticed until she points it out, suddenly, my hand is throbbing.
“I can deal with this.” I try to pull my hand back, but she doesn’t let go.
“You can, but this time, I am, so shut up.” She glares at me with her stubborn eyes, waiting for me to object.
“Fine.”
Eyeing me suspiciously, she lets go of my hand. If she’s expecting me to walk out, I don’t.
Though I don’t know why I’m not…
Tori turns her attention to the first aid kit, pulling out a few supplies. After arranging everything on the side, she takes my hand again. “Does it hurt?” she asks as she gently dabs at my hand.
“You may not guess this about me, but I like to fight. This isn’t the first time I’ve split my knuckles.” I’m not sure why I’m telling her this.
“He deserved worse.” She doesn’t say anything else. Instead, she keeps diligently cleaning my hand as I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from wincing when she touches a tender area.
When my hand is clean, she grabs a roll of gauze and proceeds to wrap it around my knuckles. Once she’s finished securing the fabric in place, she quickly gathers up the bloodied swabs and tosses them in the trash can.
She turns and looks at her reflection and lets out a long sigh. “God, I look a mess.”
I stand but she doesn’t move. “I’m sorry,” I tell her.
Without moving her body, she turns her head to look at me.
“I’m sorry for a lot of things,” I say before she can ask. “I truly believed your brother killed mine, and I took a lot of anger out on you. I’m sorry that the only option I gave you was to endure the Elite initiation alone, and I’m sorry I was harsher with you than any of the others.” My gaze drops to her neck where the makeup she used to cover the line is starting to fade in places. “I’m sorry, Tori.”
Tori stares at me for the longest time before she eventually nods her head. “Thank you.”
The next breath I take seems easier somehow.
Straightening my back, I cast my eyes over her until my gaze falls where her thigh should be, hidden beneath the dress. “What about you? Are you okay? I thought I saw you favoring one of your legs. Is the other injured?”
Tori’s weary eyes look at me through the mirror. “I’ll be fine.”
That’s not a no.
“Tori…”
There’s a small squeak as Tori’s grip on the marble counter tightens, and her fingers slide across the smooth surface. “All I need is to take a shower, Syn. I’m fine.”
“Fine,” I snap. If she wants to be awkward about it, so be it. I leave her in the bathroom and walk out of my bedroom, closing the door behind me.
Of all the residences my family owns, this one is probably the closest to being our family home. Attending school in Manhattan, it made sense that JP and I spent most of our time here, but since JP died, I’ve only been here when absolutely necessary.
