Page 31 of Break the Ice
Shaking his head, he twists in his seat to level me with a glare. “No. Whatever is going on is fucking with your head. Maybe Coach is right, maybe you should talk to Dr. Armstrong and figure shit out.”
I don’t know why I told him about the conversation with Coach back in Florida. It felt safer than answering all his questions about Finley and what happened in Havenview. I should have known better though, because one of his fathers is a psychologist and one of his moms is a psychiatrist. Jayden is all about talking your problems and feelings out. It’s one of the reasons it’s so easy to be around him—I always know where I stand.
But... “I can’t talk to Dr. Armstrong.”
“Right. You can’t talk to me. You can’t talk to her…”
“Because you wouldn’t understand,” I bark back under my breath.
All the other guys have their headphones in, getting themselves in the zone. Like we should be doing.
“Try me,” Jayden counters.
Stupidly, I debate telling him that the reason I’m all over the place is because I’m worried to death that The Fellowship are going to catch me off guard and take Finley away. That they’ll hurt her, or worse, break her.
“Eli…” He gives me that pleading look that makes me feel like an asshole for making him worry about me.
“When I took Finley away… When… I…”
“Just tell me,please.”
I look around the bus to make sure no one can hear us before I start, “Where Finley and I are from. The church we were raised in…”
“I’ve read about it,” he states, far too calm to know anything of significance about The Fellowship.
Anything that’s online inconsequential, otherwise The Elders would have had it buried. It’s how The Fellowship stays under the radar.
“My father is Shepherd, he’s the pastor and I’ve shamed him, ourfamily…” Jayden’s brows are furrowed tight, waiting for me to give him more. “Caleb Tomes is my dad’s right-hand man, and I took his daughter on the day that they were going to promise her to another Elder’s son. I broke the rules and?—”
“Sounds to me like the rules are unreasonable,” chuffs back. “I don’t see Finley upset that you took her away.”
“They want her back, Jayden.” He shakes his head at my statement. “I’m trying so hard to keep her safe, but they know where she is.”
“That’s why you keep her locked away in your apartment,” he murmurs with understanding.
“Because if The Fellowship take Finley back, they’ll hurt her. My father, her father… they’ll shame her in front of the congregation, and they’ll punish her until she breaks or?—”
“I saw the marks on her wrists and her ankles,” Jayden mutters. “What did they do to her?”
“The girls… ummm, when they become promised, they have to be examined. You know?”
“No, I don’t,” he replies curtly.
“When they are to be married their virtue has to be intact for their husband.”
“You mean they check if they’re virgins?”
“Yes, and if they’re not, they have to go through a cleansing ritual. They have to bleed their sin.”
“That’s insane. That’s—wait. You let them do that to her?”
“No! It’s why I went back for her when Presley told me The Elders were going to betroth her.”
“Is that why you beat him up?” he asks, brows pulled together, lips pressed tight.
“Yes.” A good part of it anyway.
“I asked you what was wrong. I asked you to talk to me. Why didn’t you?”
