Page 22 of Twisted Tate

“At first it was just being in the room. I’d sit on their laps and they’d touch my body over my clothes. My father said I was just being a good lady of the house.”

Tate’s breathing has gone slow and controlled, like he’s forcing himself not to move. His gaze is fixed on me. And I know I can’t tell him all of it right now, but I’ll get through what I can.

“Then I turned sixteen, and things got worse.” My voice cracks. “They started doing more things to me.”

“Reese.”

The way he says my name makes me want to crawl across the couch and sink into him.

“He sold me.” I finally look at him, and his face is terrifying. He’s doing his best to remain calm, but I can see the war he’s fighting with himself to not run from here and rip my father’s head off. “My own father sold them the use of my body for . . .”

And it wasn’t even the worst thing my father has done, but I can’t get into that.

“Names.” I can tell he wants to kill everyone in his path. “I want every fucking name.”

“There were different men. Whoever paid enough or whoever my father wanted to impress.” I’m shaking so hard I can barely speak. “Michael Collier was a regular. That’s who the car last night would have delivered me to. He’s been buying time with me since I was seventeen.”

Tate sets his whiskey down on the table in such a way that tells me he really wanted to throw it at the windows.

“That’s why you came with me.”

“Yes.” I laugh, and it sounds unhinged. “I thought if I burned my life to the ground, at least it was finally my fucking choice.”

“He’s dead.” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “I know that fuck, and I’m going to make him pay for every single time he touched you.”

“There’s a lot of men who deserve to die for what they’ve done to me.”

“Then I’ll be busy.” His eyes lock onto mine. “I don’t give a fuck how long it takes. I’m taking out all of them.”

My ribs feel too tight to hold what I’m feeling.

“Why?” My voice is barely a whisper. “Why do you care? You wanted to take out my father. That’s what this is about, right?”

“Your father tried to buy my sister-in-law, Ivy. Her father took her from my brother and was going to sell her to the bastard. That’s why I started this, because my brother wants your father to die by his hand for what he tried to do to her.”

I watch him as he appears to search for his next words. Then he swallows hard.

“And I’m still going to give my brother what I promised. But, baby girl, I’m also going to do this for you.”

“I still don’t understand why.”

“Does it matter? What I need to know is if you want to stay with me while I figure out a way to end this. Or I can get you out of the country tonight, if that is what you want. But you get to choose, baby girl. But please don’t ask me not to kill them.”

Tears sting my eyes. No one has ever given a shit about me. Not like this. I’ve never had a single person in my fucking corner. And if someone would have told me that Tate Sinclair would be the one to fight for me, I would have laughed in their face.

“I don’t want to run.” I wipe my eyes and raise my chin. “I don’t want to live like that. And I’m done letting them control me. I want to stay with you and help rid the world of the trash.”

He almost smiles, but I can also see the way he clenches and unclenches his fists.

“We’re going to get them, baby girl. And you should know that while you were in the shower, I got confirmation that your father has already involved the Council in looking for you.”

My blood turns cold.

“My father—”

“He’s playing it off like he’s a concerned parent.” Tate’s voice is flat, deadly. “He’s mobilized the entire Raven network. My father is supposed to send Talons to find you.”

The room tilts. I don’t want to run, but maybe I should. They’re going to find me and drag me back. I’m going to end up right back in that house, under my father’s control, forced to—