23. Relic

Chapter twenty-three

Relic

W hy couldn't one damn thing be easy? When Macie had placed her hand over mine, offering me comfort in a world that never showed me any, I'd longed to hold onto that moment, but my life always got in the way. As soon as Lyra walked in, I took Macie's hand, and we walked out. I'd deal with Lyra later, and I wasn't interested in my older sister making Macie feel like an animal at the zoo.

Macie let go of my hand as she eased into the passenger side and then took my hand again when I offered it to her after I got us on the road. Her soft skin felt like heaven, her hold on me like a beam of light that raised me out of the hellish darkness I'd been in for years.

We reached the empty cul-de-sac of her neighborhood faster than I wanted, but when I turned off the car, Macie didn't let go of my hand, and she made no move to get out. She sat staring at me and I found the courage to meet her gaze. When she offered me her shy smile, I swear my heart fell from that shelf I kept it on, and it landed straight in her lap. I had never felt like this before, and I had no idea what to do with her, with me, or with all these new emotions.

"I've been thinking," Macie said slowly. "About why I freaked out when you said you wanted to find the people who…" I hated how she choked on the words she wanted to say.

"You don't have to explain anything," I said. "No one wants to feel used."

"While that's true, there's something more…something I've never told anyone… Obviously, there's lots I've never told anyone, but this…part… It's the part that terrifies me the most, and I think it's the reason I became so mad at the idea of your looking into it."

Feeling on the edge of something huge, I angled toward her and placed my other hand over hers in support. "If you want to tell me, I'm here. But if you can't, it's okay."

Her fingers went limp in mine, and I rubbed my hands over hers as if that could give her my strength.

"The guys who did this—" She jerked as if her body was physically preventing her from speaking, but already, I'd gathered two new pieces of information: whoever did this were males and there were more than one.

"You're doing great, Macie," I encouraged. "You got this."

"The guys who did this," she started again, but then gave a muffled scream of frustration. "Say it!" she yelled at herself. "Just say it!"

"It's okay. Don't push yourself," I said as she screamed out, "Know me."

I blinked hard as an eerie sensation curled within me—a quiet promise of violence and revenge that was as sharp as a blade. "They know you?"

She nodded, and her lips mashed together—an indication her body would allow her to speak on this no more.

"Did you know them?"

It seemed difficult for her to shake her head, but she did.

"Were they masked up?" I prodded, but Macie pulled her hand from mine as she rubbed her face and temples. No answer, but I needed to know more, "You said they knew you, which means they must have said your name?"

Macie crammed her fingers into her hair and practically yanked at it as she forced a nod.

"Did they threaten you, Macie? Did one of those bastards call you by your name and threatened to find you if you talked?"

Her eyes shot to mine and the fear there, the complete and absolute pure horror answered better than any nod or verbal affirmation. Macie trembled, little earthquakes like the fault line within her was about to crack.

"It's okay." I rubbed her back. "You don't have to answer anymore. You're done. Okay? You've done enough for tonight."

She threw her hands out in frustration. "But I want to answer. That's the most infuriating part of this whole mess. I want to talk about it, but I can't."

I tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

"What?" she asked in annoyance. "You're looking at me like you have something say but don't want to hurt me. My parents look at me that way, and I don't want that from you."

She'd pegged me right. "No one else knows this, do they?"

She shook her head and glanced at her fingers that were now forming hives. I took her hand and held on tight. I squeezed, she squeezed back, and I swear my heart would never feel the same without her touch again.

"Macie, is it possible the reason you can't talk is because you believe them? You believe that if you talk, they'll find you and hurt you?"

Tears filled her eyes as she answered, "Yes."