Page 79 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

His whiplash changes in demeanor frighten me. His intensely dark stare makes me feel exposed. Everything about him has me questioning myself. My choices. My perspective. My belief that running is the better alternative to staying and fighting.

“I feel like we’re playing with fire, Char,” I tell her softly. “If we stay here, we’ll get burned.”

“We’ve already jumped into the fire, Elyssa,” she points out. “Now, we might as well make the most of it.”

I shake my head. “You don’t know what you’re asking me.”

Her stare twists slightly. I can see the pull of emotion tugging at her botched features. She’s always so forthright with how she feels.Cry when you feel like crying.That’s always been her motto. Except I’m starting to realize there’s an exception to that rule where Charity is concerned.

Every emotion is acceptable in her eyes—except fear.

Because fear is a liability in a world that only favors the strong. Fear incapacitates you. It makes you vulnerable and weak.

The first time I saw Charity truly afraid was in the minutes after she’d banged on the door of the shelter. Right after she’d almost been beaten to death. And even then, she’d shaken off her fear as easily as removing a jacket.

Or had she? Maybe that was just an act. A lie. A wall she’d put up to hide the fact that, inside, she’s still hurting. She’s still terrified.

“What about what you’re asking of me, Elyssa?” Charity asks, on the brink of tears. “Not only was I almost beaten to death, but he sent a cop after me,” she says. “These are powerful men. With connections. What do I have? Nothing. Nothing but hope. I don’t think that’s going to save me this time. And it’s not like I can stay here without you, Elyssa. Phoenix has even less reason to care about me. This place is the only one that gives us some amount of protection. Some safety. If we leave, they can find me. And when they do…”

She trails off, leaving the rest unsaid.

I twist our intertwined hands over so that I’m the one holding her hand. “Oh, Charity…”

“I’m sorry,” she says, hanging her head. “I know I’m making my problem your problem right now. That’s selfish. I’m sorry.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s not. You’re not. I should have realized I was only thinking of myself.”

“No, you’re thinking of Theo. Which is exactly who you should be thinking about. I just… I’m…”

“Scared.”

She looks up and I see tears standing in her eyes. “Yes,” she says in a small voice.

I’m amazed she’s admitting it. “What ever happened to just being scared when you’re scared?” I ask, trying to smile through my worry.

Charity offers me a shaky laugh. “Always knew that motto was gonna come back and bite me in the ass.”

“You’re right, though, Char. About all of it.”

“If you really don’t want to stay here—”

“I just don’t want to rely on a man,” I say quickly. “Not a man like him.”

“I get that,” Charity says. “But, honey, we have nowhere to go. We have no money or resources. We don’t have family to turn to or friends we can count on.”

“We have each other,” I point out.

She smiles. “True. That’s something. That’s definitely something.”

“But I see your point.”

“Lys, Phoenix is Theo’s father,” she says cautiously. “It’s not fair that you have to raise him on your own.”

“I don’t want help raising him.”

“No, of course not. But financially…”

I sigh. I don’t want to ask Phoenix for anything, especially not money. But the look on Charity’s face makes me reconsider. If we had money, we could at least find a safe place to live for a little while. We’d have some sense of freedom, of independence. Something to tide us over until we get on our feet.

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