Page 83 of Precious Legacy

A hand comes to rest on mine and when I look up, Mom’s face is soft with sympathy. “He’s going to be okay,” she says with a smile.

“I hope so,” I reply quietly.

“You want to tell me what happened?”

My brows furrow. I don’t really know what happened other than the police coming in and raiding the fight club. Aside from the fact the police were clearly after him. The raid was purely to catch Roman, probably my brother and Haldon, too. “I don’t know. The police just?—”

“I don’t mean tonight, Lani.”

My eyes shoot to hers and the softness that fills her gaze chokes me up.

“Something happened, didn’t it?” she questions, making me frown harder. “And that’s your motivation for joining the force.”

I swallow back the thickness suddenly clogging my throat. All I can do is nod, because the fear of actually answering her and my voice cracking is paralyzing.

Taking my hand in hers, she squeezes it comfortingly. “I recognize trauma, sweetheart. Whatever you went through, it wasn’t your fault. You don’t need to tell me right now because I understand how hard it is, but I’d like to think that one day you can talk about it. When you’re ready, you know I’m always going to be here, ready to listen.”

My eyes grow hot, glazing over with the tears I’m forcing back. I feel like a mess; a pitiful cocktail of guilt and suppressed pain that’s ready to spill over. And I’m ready to let it. I’ve been masking the pain for so long, using hate as a weapon rather than actually facing my trauma head on. Using it as motivation to seek justice was the only thing keeping me focused, and since I’m probably about to lose that, I need to find another coping mechanism.

Staring up at my apartment window, I spot my brother standing inside, watching us. Keeping my secret from him is probably hurting him as much as it’s hurting me. I know I can trust my twin. I know he’ll want to exact revenge because the two minutes that make him my older brother also make him incredibly protective over me.

“Can we go inside?” I ask my mom.

“Sure, sweetheart.”

We head towards my apartment, and the fifteen steps it takes to get to the second floor is the most daunting I’ve ever experienced. The moment my key twists in the lock, thedoor swings open and Varo wraps me in a hug. It’s tight and suffocating, but I don’t push away. I revel in his comfort until he pulls away.

“Any update on Roman?” Mom asks, heading into the kitchen where she turns the coffee machine on. Even though coffee is the last thing I want, it’s probably exactly what I need.

“Not yet,” Varo confirms as he walks me to the couch. “He was taken to another precinct.”

I swallow nervously.

He glances past me to where Mom is busying herself in the kitchen, frowning when he returns his gaze to me. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” I sigh. “I…umm…” I take a deep breath just as our Mom places two mugs of coffee on the table in front of us. “There’s something I need to tell you… both of you.”

A hand rests on my shoulder. When I look up, Varo is peering at me, gaze filled with sympathy. “What’s going on, Lani?”

Taking my mug, I let the warmth seep into my palms, soothing my bones and my nerves. I shove back the fear of reopening old wounds. This is my family; people I can trust. They’ve done nothing but protect me, and I know I owe them my honesty.But what if that’s the problem? What if by telling them, I make them feel like they’ve failed to keep me safe?

No.I have to do this.

Mom takes a seat on the armchair, silently waiting for me to open up, and I appreciate the hell out of her patience. I’ve not been the easiest daughter, I know that. But I also know how lucky I am to have her in my life, and that’s what I cling to as I finally tear open the pathetic band-aid of suppression.

“Five years ago, I… I went to The Ravenite.” I glance up at my mom, but her expression remains calm and collected, patient in a way I’ve never seen before. “I was angry at Roman because he was leaving, so I drank way too much and…” I shakemy head in an effort to organize my spiraling thoughts. “Some guys came onto me. I didn’t know who they were at the time, but they were pushy and crude, and I wasn’t as strong then as I am now.”

Varo sucks in a deep breath beside me. Catching his gaze, he nods for me to continue, his hand rubbing soothing circles between my shoulder blades.

“The guys dragged me into the alley beside the club. I couldn’t…” I catch my breath, not realizing how hard it is to retell this part. The first time I recalled what happened, it was to Haven, and we both cried together, sharing the trauma and attempting to ease my burden.

When I told Roman, the comfort and support I felt as he wrapped his arms around me eased the shame and fear I felt as the words spilled. It’s like each time I open up, the wound gets a little easier to manage. It no longer feels like I’m tearing myself apart, reliving every damn moment of that awful night. Bit by bit, I actually feel like I’m moving to a better place—at least in my mind I am.

“They attacked me. Physically. Sexually,” I glance at Varo, then to my mom. “I don’t remember much after that, but I remember waking up in a hospital bed with Haven beside me. She was the first person I called when I came to and I made her promise to keep it to herself. I wanted to tell you, but the more that time passed, the more I just wanted to forget about what happened. And then Ashton Greedy became this overnight boxing superstar, and I just couldn’t go back there.”

Tears freefall down my face, but it’s not pain spilling free, it’s relief. Relief that my secret is out, that it feels easier to breathe around my brother. The guilt dissolves as I look into the soft green eyes of my mom, and it’s like she said before, talking about it has made me feel loads better.

“Fuck, Lani!” Varo slams his fist down on the arm of the couch, breaking the quietude. He shoots up and begins pacing back and forth as he runs a hand through his hair. “AshtonfuckingGreedy? Why didn’t you tell me?”

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