Page 54 of Buried in Blood
“I’m going to give you two a few minutes alone.” I raise my eyebrows. “Brother and sister. A chance to bond. Maybe share childhood stories, talk about the life you could’ve had if Mommy dearest hadn’t sold her womb like a slot machine.”
Brooke’s mouth opens, but no words come.
I chuckle. “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll be watching. Always watching. But I’ll let you talk. Maybe even… touch hands.”
Dante shakes his head slowly. “Don’t do this to her.”
“Oh,I’mnot doing anything,” I say. “You are. Every look, every word—it’s your move now.”
I step toward the door and pause at the threshold, looking back over my shoulder with that same smug smile I wear like armor.
“Make it count,” I say, tapping the camera above the door. “Wouldn’t want her to think you’re the monster.”
Then I slip out, the door creaking shut behind me.
And I lock it.
Because monsters come in all forms.
And sometimes, theyletyou speak—just to hear you scream without saying a word.
20
Dante
I don’t lift my head when the door shuts.
I don’t speak when the lock turns.
I don’t breathe until I hear her exhale.
The silence between us stretches, heavy and uncertain. I keep my eyes on the concrete floor, counting the cracks in the surface like they’ll somehow ground me.
“Hi,” she whispers.
And I finally look up.
She’s smaller than Destiny was. Softer. More hesitant, like a fawn left in the woods too long. But the eyes are the same. Wide. Deep. Full of things that shouldn’t belong to someone her age.
“You’re… Dante,” she says, voice light and breathy, like my name is something sacred.
My throat tightens. “You look like her.”
Her lips part. “Destiny?”
I nod once. “She was my best friend. My—”
My voice cracks. I don’t finish.
Brooke’s face lights up, a soft sort of wonder dancing across it.
“Damien told me about her. He said she was brave. That she fought.”
Iclench my fists. “Isthatwhat he told you?”
She tilts her head. “She meant something to you, didn’t she?”
“She was family.”
