Page 48 of Forged in Rain

I blink because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him put on the charm and it’s, well fuck hot.

“I see,” Pam says, looking him over curiously before glancing back at me with a twinkle in her eye. “Okay, honey, have fun, but do not do anything strenuous and be back by midnight.”

I squirm under her knowing look, flushing a deep red as she smiles slightly and turns away.

“Okay, thanks, Aunt Pam,” I whisper before turning to Cyn in mortification.

Avoiding his gaze, I hobble around him, pausing when he stops at the door to the SUV and opens it for me. Bastion and Jig are waiting, and I slide inside, scooting over for Cyn to follow.

A glance at his face reveals a bemused expression. I have no clue why he proclaimed to be my boyfriend, but with him, I’m sure it’s with an ulterior motive I won’t like in the end.

“His house?” Cyn asks gruffly.

I nod and Bastion backs out of the driveway.

“Why were you talking to him, to begin with?” Cyn demands, and I hear the warning in his tone. He’s gearing up for a lecture or maybe to ice me out for having the gall to speak to another fucking guy.

Fuck him.

“He called from Iris’ phone,” I say icily.

“Did he say what he wanted?”

“Not really, but I think he’s angry that I outed his meeting with Jagger. He threatened her . . . me.”

“Fuck!” Cyn growls, slamming his hand against the door, and I jump out of my skin, eyeing him warily.

“This is fucking insane. We should just leave her there,” Jig grumbles.

Gasping, I turn to him with a heated glare. “She’s a human being. How about having a little compassion?”

“She fucking went there on her own,” Cyn barks, his right eye ticking.

“Yes, she’s made mistakes,” I scream back, noting his wide eyes absently before continuing, “but she’s fighting for her fucking life. Do you know what it’s like to be raped for years by the man who you’re supposed to trust? She’s fucking broken, you dick.”

Sniffling, I turn away and look out the window, remembering Iris’ devastation when her mom accused her of having an affair with John. Why adults are so fucked up is beyond me, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s a rite of passage. Turn a certain age, and automatically you’re a dick.

“Rain, tell me what happened to your ankle,” Cyn says after an extended silence.

Glancing down almost absently, I wince when I move it from side to side. Will it make the coming confrontation worse if I admit it was Saul while we’re en route to his damn house to get Iris?

“Rain,” he growls, and I raise my eyes to his, sucking in a breath at the ferocity staring back at me.

“Yes?” I whisper, caught in his glare.

“Tell me who the fuck did that,” he growls, glancing at my ankle and the crutches laying across the floor.

Searching his expression, I finally relent because I’m tired of lying, and maybe Cyn can actually do something. It would seem I sure as fuck can’t.

“It was Saul,” I whisper.

And then I flinch away as Cyn beats his fist against the window over and over again as he curses long and loud until Jig twirls in his seat and says his name firmly.

Finally, he relents and drops his head, but I have no time to examine the ferocity of his anger because soon after, we pull up to Saul’s house.

I look to Cyn for direction because I promised to stay in the car, and it would be completely shitty to go against his word after he agreed to do this, especially since he doesn’t want to be here at all.

And I don’t disagree. Iris got herself into this mess, but I can’t leave her in it. I just can’t.

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