Page 67 of Bully's Darkness
“Bully!”
We both startle at the sound of Liv’s painful cry, and I rush to her room, bursting in to find her tangled in the sheets, her body twisting from side to side as she cries out for me. I dive onto the bed, cupping her face. “I’m here, Liv. I’m right here,” I say, my voice full of panic as she settles, and I realise she’s so deep in sleep, she’s lost. She sobs, her body vibrating. I slide in beside her, glancing at Bria, who’s standing in the doorway silently crying. Liv immediately curls into me, her head resting against my chest, her nose pressed to my throat. I wrap her in my arms, our legs tangling the way they always do when we’re together.
“Stay with her,” Bria whispers. “I’ll come and get you if you’re needed.”
I wake with a start, and it disturbs Liv, who also wakes. Her eyes find mine, and she smiles. It’s cute and sleepy, but I see the second everything comes flooding back because she gasps like a physical pain has hit her, and her smile fades. “I thought it was a nightmare,” she whispers, her voice heavy from sleep.
I place a kiss on her forehead. “It was, Liv. Just a bad dream.”
“He was going to take me. Make me his.”
Each word punches me in the chest. “I’m sorry I left you. I should’ve stayed.”
Her brows furrow as she’s hit with memories. “He said I had to choose a side or he’d choose for me.”
I rest my chin on her head, holding her against my chest as I stroke lazy circles on her back. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She frowns, like the next words are hard. “Lila was pregnant.”
I swallow the shock. “He told you that?” She nods. “He could have been lying, Liv. We won’t ever know the truth.”
“I don’t think he was lying. He told me too many details, personal details. She was pregnant, Bully, and it was yours.”
I cup her cheek as she brings her eyes to mine, “We don’t know that for sure. She could have been fucking other guys in there.”
“Don’t do that,” she mutters, disappointment pouring from her. “Don’t put the blame on her, she told you she loved you. She wasn’t fucking around. And she was pregnant with your child. Doesn’t that bother you?”
I look away, gathering my words carefully. “I don’t know what you want me to do with that information, Liv. She’s not here anymore. My focus is on you now, not her, not some kid I knew nothing about.”
She settles back against my chest, and we fall into silence before she asks, “Will I go to prison?”
I pull back again, surprised, running my eyes over her innocent face. “No, Liv. You’re not going anywhere.”
“I have to tell them,” she says, her face full of concern.
“Liv, you can’t go to the police.”
“But when I tell them . . . when I say what he did . . .”
“Liv, it’s not an option. Too much would come up, so many things that you’d be dragged into.”
She blinks. “Club things.” I nod. “But I don’t know anything about that stuff.”
“They’d think you’re lying to cover for me.”
“What about him . . . his b-body?”
“Gone.”
She pushes to sit, now looking concerned. “Gone where?”
“We took care of it.”
She shakes her head, throwing the sheets back and swinging her legs over the edge. “Liv,” I whisper, my voice pleading as she races to the door, ripping it open. “Fuck’s sake,” I mutter to myself as I dive up to follow.
She rounds the kitchen, skidding to a stop and staring at the spot where Dagger was laid out hours ago. “You have to bring him back,” she cries desperately, “or they’ll think I covered it up.”
“No one will find him.”
