Nothing.
Everything.
I don’t even know where to start.
“Can’t sleep?” he asks.
“Not really.” I lower my gaze to the bedframe and rest my fingers on the carved wood. “I think I’m too tired.”
“Tell me what’s worrying you.” He sits higher, still wincing with the movement when he rests against the headboard.
He sounds sincere. So real. So caring.
I hate it and love it at the same time.
“What will happen to my sisters?” I divert the conversation away from me. “What will Hunter do with them once they land?”
“They’ll be taken somewhere to regroup for a while. A safe house of sorts. That’s where they’ll be coached on what to say to their family and the authorities once they’re ready to return home.”
“But they definitely get to go home, right?”
“Of course.”
“And what about me? Will I go through the same process?”
He shrugs. “Something similar, I assume. But that’s up to Sebastian.”
My pulse quickens. “Why him? Why does he get to decide?”
His lips part, his hesitation speaking volumes.
“Luca?”
“You weren’t told he’s the one taking you home?”
“No, I wasn’t.” I guess I should’ve expected it, yet here I am, surprised and beating away panic. “I could go on my own. I don’t need him to take me.”
“You’d leave an island where you were enslaved, with no protection, to board a jet with pilots you don’t know, all because you don’t want to be near your brother?”
“I told you why—”
“I know.” He raises a dismissive hand. “I get it. But I’m not going to let you leave alone. It’s not safe.”
I wish he wasn’t right. I wish so badly, because that flight will be hell.
“Have you allowed yourself to grieve yet?” he asks.
“I haven’t stopped grieving since Luther stole my life.”
He nods, the movement slight. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.” Not the violations or the punishments.
“What about Chloe? Do you want to talk about her?” He stares at me, his comfort sinking into my heart. “How long did you know her?”
“Six months. Maybe a little more.”
I remember the day she arrived, her face red and swollen, her cheek blackened with a hearty bruise. Some women took their time opening up to the other members of Luther’s harem, but not Chloe. She fell into my arms at first sight and cried for hours.