Page 32 of His White Moonlight
“Wrenly is none of your business.”
My brows shot up at the same time Walt’s did.However, the elevator dinged, and before I could say anything, Bennett steered me out of the opening doors.
“Wrenly, do you need me to call security?”Walt asked, following us.
I felt Bennett’s hands twitch on my shoulders as I glanced back at Walt.
“This is my older brother.He doesn’t hit.He mostly ignores.I’m fine.I promise.”
Walt nodded and watched as I got into the parking garage elevator with Bennett.I gave a little wave to reassure him.Bennett captured my hand as the doors closed, and a second later, I was pinned against the wall with my hands over my head.
Bennett leaned down so we were eye to eye, and I could see the level of his annoyance in his eyes.
“I am not your brother, Wrenly.”
I made a rude noise.“Fine.You’re not my brother.I should have let him believe you’re my abuser, instead, so he called security on you.It would have been highly entertaining for me, irritating for you, and embarrassing for Mom and Dad.Don’t you think calling you my brother was the best option to defuse the situation?”
His gaze swept over my face as we reached the garage.The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, but he didn’t let go.He continued to look at me.
“If we go back up, I’m definitely calling security.”
His lip curled at the corner, not in a smiling way, but the start of a silent growl kind of way, and he released me.
After a silent ride home, I fled to my room and closed the door.My room wasn’t the sanctuary it’d been in my youth, and I hated that even as I went to my vanity to look at my face.
When I saw the bruise, I snorted in annoyance.It was a mark barely even the size of a dime.The red patch from the ice pack was bigger.Setting the ice pack on my vanity, I sprawled out on my bed with my phone and put my earbuds in to watch a movie.
I was almost to the end when the door to my room burst open and Mom swept in, looking uncharacteristically murderous.I sat up and tore an earbud from my ear.
“What’s wrong?Did something happen?”
She calmed visibly and joined me on the bed.When she reached out to touch my cheek, I made a face.
“Bennett told you I was hurt, didn’t he?”
“He did.What happened, Wrenly?”
I withheld my sigh.
“Bennett lost his cool today and made multiple people cry.Being the curious person that I am, I went to the bathroom to see if I could find out who.I wasn’t paying attention and face-planted into the door.”
She searched my gaze, trying to find a lie that wasn’t there.I took her hands in mine and gave her my best sad eyes.
“Working is obviously dangerous for me, Mom.Maybe I should do something else this summer.Like travel around Europe.I heard it’s fun.”
Her worry vanished, and she gave me a dry look.
“If I find out you hurt yourself on purpose to get out of work, you’ll be in trouble.”
“Like grounded and can’t go to work kind of trouble?”
She groaned and pulled me into a hug.
“I’ve missed you so much, Wrenly.”
Then why did you send me away in the first place?I wanted to ask, but I already knew the answer—Bennett.
Since the day they’d brought me home, he’d had a problem with me.I’d been six and he’d been thirteen.From a distance, he’d watched me play with Karter and Aiden and had tattled any time we’d done anything even remotely fun.
