Page 121 of Forged in Rain

“Which was what?” I’m pretty sure she just gave him the money she insisted was gone.

She glances at me sideways. “The money.”

“You found it?” I don’t know why I bother. I’m sure she had it all along, but I want to hear the lie. I want her to confirm what my gut is telling me I have to do, even though my heart feels like a block of ice in my chest.

“Sure.”

I smile, although the stretch of my lips must be macabre because I can feel my control slipping with every breath she takes. “That’s all? Just the money?”

She averts her gaze, and I swallow. “What else, Iris?”

“The pictures.”

“Of your mom?”

She whips around so fast I sink in my seat. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Licking my lips, I say, “I found pictures of your mom and a baby.”

Her brows slam over her eyes, and she grabs my arm. Wincing, I attempt to wrench away, but she just holds on tighter. In a tone I’ve never heard before, she leans into me and rasps, “If you ever believed me. Believe me now. Nothing good can come of telling anyone. You understand?”

Nodding slowly, I say, “Why?”

She laughs caustically. “Because that’s next-level shit. You think picking up girls and raping them is bad?”

“Then—”

“You don’t need to know. Forget what you saw and for fuck’s sake, never mention it again.”

I don’t know what to think, but I do know the ferocity of her reaction leads me to believe this is more important than anything else she’s lied about. Because as I stare into her eyes, I see a single-minded focus that makes the hair on my nape stand on end.

Turning my head, I mutter, “What pictures then? John’s?”

She releases me, and I blink against the urge to squirm at her thousand-yard stare before finally she puts the car in gear and says, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because if push comes to shove, Jagger might actually defend me.”

I almost scoff but bite my tongue. Iris is delusional, but what’s new?

Now the money’s gone, and that only leaves Iris. Am I willing to trade her?

And where the hell is McCafferty?

∞∞∞

The following day, I make the trek home after school with an aching heart. I’m no closer to a solution, and time is bearing down on me. Iris peeled off as soon as we got home, and I brooded in the living area until I heard Pam enter before sneaking off to my room.

With the money gone, my options just shrank dramatically. I’m hanging on by a thread, and with each passing moment my brother and Mom are gone, I lose a piece of myself.

Are they safe? Is he hurting them? Am I taking too long for his fucked-up demands?

I suspect if I told Pam, all hell would break loose, which is why I’ve avoided her. She’s a loose cannon. I just can’t decide if John’s actions pushed her to the edge. And why the fuck did she let it happen for so long? Does she lay awake at night, tortured by whatever he did to Iris? I sure fucking hope so.

Once she’s gone to bed, I exit my room and stop before Iris’ door. It’s unlocked, and I push through quietly before tiptoeing up to her bed. She’s sleeping soundly, her lips open on a soundless snore.

With a whimper, she turns on her side, her expression innocent in the face of the machinations she carries out every damn day.

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