Page 151 of Injustice and Absolution

“Oh, my God!”

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

DELILAH

The inferno Royce conjured within me turns to ice the second I lay eyes on Maggie over his shoulder.

I watch, my gaze frozen on hers, as shock rockets through her eyes.

Then pain.

Then fury.

“What the fuck?”When she shouts again, Royce springs into action, continuing his path into the bedroom and dropping me onto the bed before running back out and closing the door behind him.

I appreciate the fact that he’s likely trying to shield me—and my nakedness—from Maggie’s wrath, but she’s my best friend. I owe her my honesty.

I knew the time would come when we’d have to tell her how we felt about one another, but I didn’t think it would be now, not so soon. And certainly not like this.

As their scathing roars boom through the house, I grab the first article of clothing I can find—Royce’s shirt, discarded in the throes of passion yesterday.

Fuck. Seeing me in it isn’t going to help matters, but can they really get any worse? I need to get outside quickly, before they kill each other.

Throwing open the bedroom door, I follow their harsh screams through the house to the front yard.

“This is beyond fucked-up, Royce. Even for you,” Maggie spits as I step into the conversation. I stand next to Royce, whose bottom half is now wrapped in a towel.

I follow her eyes as they scan Royce’s body and then my own. Taking us in—half naked, next to one another—Maggie gets vivid confirmation that what she just saw really happened.

The sickening look she gives me steals my breath. Without speaking, I look from her to Royce, suddenly scared that Maggie’s condemnation could put an end to us before we truly get the chance to find out what we could have together.

“Watch your fucking tone, Maggie. I’m warning you.” Royce points his finger in her direction, but I capture it in my hand before he takes aim at her.

“Don’t.” I look at Royce, my teeth worrying the skin of my lower lip. “It’s okay for her to be upset.”

With Royce’s hand still in mine, I turn my attention to Maggie.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you—”

“I’m not hurt, I’m disgusted.” She squeezes painful tears from her eyes and seethes at us through clenched teeth, but I continue.

“And I wish you never would have found out like this. What Royce and I have is … complicated but real.”

Sensing the shaking in my voice, Royce squeezes my hand, comforting me.

“What you have.” She scoffs, her upper lip curled in revulsion. “What you have is fucked-up.”

“You don’t understand.” Determined to explain how Royce and I got to this point, I step forward, prepared to divulge the part of myself I never let her see when we were growing up. “Royce saved my life.”

“And you thanked him by fucking him? You really need to get yourself deprogrammed from Drew’s brainwashing, Delilah.”

Her words sting. I know they come from a place of hurt, but I also didn’t realize she knew the severity of what I experienced during my time with Drew.

“Maggie.” Royce’s tone is a warning for Maggie to lay off me.

“What?” Maggie’s attention moves to Royce before her eyes land on mine again. “It’s true. I overheard everything you told Draven about what he did to her.”

“I didn’t tell him everything, Delilah.” I can hear the panic in Royce’s voice.

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