Page 56 of Fighting Shadows

Before Aidan stops me, I jump into my SUV and drive to Zander’s house.

When I arrive, they are all chilling in the living room, their eyes glued to the TV as they watchThe Blind Side.

“Hey,” I say, making my way over to them.

I still feel weird about letting myself in, but Dominic and, surprisingly, Zander insisted when they got sick of losing their cuddle spots with Autumn to answer the door.

Dominic is practically glued to her side as I enter, but his eyes light up when I walk in.

“Bestie!” he shouts, gaining funny looks from the others.

“Best friend!” I shout back with a laugh.

I hate to say it, but he’s grown on me; he’s a psychopath, but I’ve grown accustomed to his over-the-top ways and just started to embrace it.

“You both are ridiculous,” Autumn laughs, but the smile that takes over her face at our antics makes my heart stutter.

She’s still wary of me, and whenever I try to talk to her on her own, she avoids me as much as she can, but I can’t step away.

I know Sebastian hates me, but I’d like to believe I’ve grown on the others. I mean, I’m not a psychopath who likes to torture people who hurt Strange Girl, but I’m funny; I mean, I can be. Surely, that can be enough to keep me around.

“Over again, I see,” Sebastian mutters under his breath, storming past me and throwing himself onto the sofa next to Strange Girl.

“I am. I actually wanted to talk to Autumn,” I tell them.

“What about?” she asks.

“I just wanted to check in with youagain. I hate that Charlie caused all of this.”

“Do you want us to leave, Babygirl?” Tobias asks her. His thumb strokes over her hand from where he’s holding it, and I can’t stop the pang of jealousy that hits me in the chest.

“Can you take us to Dad’s house, please? I need to have this talk sooner rather than later, and I think I’ve put it off for long enough,” she says.

“Of course, I’ll go get the car ready. Go get some shoes on, and I’ll drive you over,” he says, kissing her forehead. Then, he extracts himself from the puppy pile on the sofa.

Ten minutes later, Autumn appears, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her brown roots, which were showing before, have been dyed, and her hair is now ashy blonde. The black summer dress decorated with pink flowers flows perfectly over her thighs. Apparently, she’s been living in them and sweatpants since she got home due to the wounds on her thighs.

She’s so beautiful, and I want nothing more than to walk up to her and kiss her, but I can’t. She has five men, all willing to die for her and cater to whatever she needs or wants. I would bring nothing to the relationship, and she doesn’t even acknowledge me half the time, but part of me wonders if it’s because I might look like Charlie.

I mean, who would want to look into the face of their abuser every day?

I feel Dominic stand next to me before I see him, the sneaky little fuck.

“She’s beautiful, right?” he’s goading me; I know he is.

“I feel like no matter how I answer, I’ll end up with your knife in my gut,” I tell him, forcing a laugh, but a part of me is terrified.

He’s observant; they all are. The only one who is entirely clueless to my apparent obsession with her is Autumn.

The others don’t say anything, but I see how they watch me, and I’m one hundred percent sure that Sebastian is just looking for an excuse to hit me again.

“Nah, I wouldn’t stab my bestie.” He grins at me, somehow managing to look boyish even with the piercings and tattoos that litter his body.

“Good to know. Remember that for the future, please.”

“Noted. Now I need to do something before we leave; I’ll meet you all out by the car!” he shouts the last part to the others before he disappears again.

The clanging of metal in the kitchen, the opening and shutting off of drawers, and a few swear words from Dominic are all it takes for all of us to search him out and figure out what the hell he’s doing.

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