Page 176 of Relentles
With each chant, he struck himself.
Rory staggered back. He’d never fucking seen something so fucked up. “Jesus Christ.”
Rule narrowed his eyes. “Blasphemer.”
It was a whisper, chilling in its intensity.
“Y-y-yes. S-s-sorry, dude.” Rory actually shook. “I, uh, I…” Panicked, he made the sign of the cross.
“What the fuck’s going on in here?”
“Rebel, don’t—”
But she stepped in before Rory finished.
“Oh, my fucking God, you’re such a fucking dickhead, Rule.”
At the cold anger in Rule’s eyes, Rory grabbed Rebel’s elbow and tried to pull her back. She jerked away, bracing her feet apart as Rule got to his feet, closed the distance between them and lifted his hand.
“I’ll fucking gut you,” Rebel warned.
Rule believed her because he backed away. “Go back to your room, Rebel,” he ordered.
“I’m looking for Harley,” she said. “I have to tell her Aunt Bailey and Uncle Mort are leaving.”
Rule frowned.
“She’s in CJ’s room,” Rebel said with impatience.
Eyes widening, he thought for a moment. “They are virgins, aren’t they?”
“How the fuck would I know, dummy?” Rebel demanded. “I’m not the pussy and cock police.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“It isn’t like I give a fuck what you think of me,” she said with a shrug. Then: “You’re bleeding.”
“It isn’t as if you care,” he shot back.
“Petty little motherfucker.” Rebel exchanged a glance with Rory, but he was too shaken to be of any help. “I do care, brother. But, uh, you’ve taken a fucking dive off the deep end. Ever since CJ came home the night after Uncle Johnnie left, you’ve…something happened to you.”
“Mom was dying,” he said simply.
“Mom was getting better,” Rebel countered.
“No, Reb. CJ was crying. I heard him. It frightened me, so I came and prayed. It was the first night He talked to me. I cured Mom.”
“No, Rule,” Rebel said impatiently. “The doctors cured Mom. Hearing voices means you’ve lost your fucking mind. It isn’t JC talking to you.”
“You’re a disgrace,” Rule snarled. “I’m ashamed to call you my twin.”
Rory tried to intervene again. He wasn’t afraid of many people, but he was scared shitless of Rule. At the fervency in his eyes, he snapped his mouth shut.
“I don’t give a fuck if you’re jumping for joy that I’m your twin,” Rebel retorted. “You’ve gone from piety to zealotry in the span of weeks, asshole. If anyone should be ashamed, thatshould be me. I shouldn’t even talk to you, since you helped those fuckheads to lay the booby trap for me.”
“Your cookies are good. You were being spoiled and selfish and forgetting your woman’s place. Women and girls are subservient to men and boys. They told me to punish you.”
They?
