Trapped (Caged #2)(5)

I could hear Steven and Conner talking quietly to each other, and both of them seemed to agree that whole ceremony thing was just screwy, and Brandon standing up to Leo was pretty cool. Apparently Conner was seeing a woman from some town north of Jonesport, and Steven was interested in a girl from Florida that he met on the internet. Neither one of them seemed to think this particular tradition was worth upholding.

Keith was talking with his hands, and Tria had hers crossed over her chest as she looked away from him and toward the small fire on the ground. People were milling about the area—cleaning up the decorations and speaking in hushed tones. I wondered how many others were glad someone spoke up to Leo the Lion.

I narrowed my eyes as I focused on Tria and Keith. It had been way too long, and though I could still see the outline of both their shapes, I wasn’t the least bit comfortable with any of this shit. Though I wanted to honor Tria’s words and do as she asked, I couldn’t stop myself from moving a little closer—just to make sure he wasn’t being too much of a dick to her.

I took a couple of steps backwards, which put me right next to a big tree and somewhat in its shadow. Conner was still talking to Devin, and they both seemed to have forgotten I was there. I slowly walked around the tree, trying not to step on anything noisy—and moved up a few feet toward the area where Tria and Keith were talking. At first, I could only hear the tone—they were both talking in hushed voices—and I didn’t like it immediately.

It wasn’t Keith’s condescending tone—I expected that—it was Tria who had me moving faster. Now that I was closer, I could see her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to climb into her own skin. I took a few more steps until I could hear them clearly.

“Don’t you see what you’ve done?” Keith was saying to her. “You’ve been gone for months, being influenced by a world you know is nothing like where you grew up—where you belong. And now you have come back and brought…that guy with you…and the whole community is suffering. All because of you. What you’ve done.”

“It’s not like that, Keith,” Tria said. “It’s not! I am grateful for what everyone here has done—”

“Yes, and I can see how your gratitude shows itself,” he interrupted. “You stopped your best friend’s only chance at having a child!”

“I did not,” Tria said.

“Oh no? You really think Brandon would have gone off on my dad if it wasn’t for you bringing him here? You brought an outsider into our home. You told him the secrets you swore to never tell anyone outside the community, and you tainted all of us with his ways.”

“I didn’t—”

“You’re selfish, Demmy. That’s what you are. You care nothing for the people who gave you a home and a life, and you’ve turned your back on us. How can you live with yourself?”

“I didn’t mean…” Tria’s voice trembled as she spoke, and her arms tightened around her upper body.

“You’re a pathetic excuse for a woman,” he said. “No wonder no one in your own family ever wanted you.”

The transformation was immediate, and it sent goose bumps down my arm.

Tria dropped her head and looked off to the side. At the same time, it looked like she practically shrunk into herself as she backed down from his look. Her lips smashed together, and I knew she was holding back something she wanted to say. She reminded me of a dog that had been kicked one too many times when trying to gain the affections of an abusive master.

In that moment, she stopped being the woman I knew. She wasn’t the confident and vital woman who demanded more from me than I wanted to give, or the one who called me out on my bullshit, or the one who demanded I explain my apologies. Instead, she had become a frightened little girl cringing from something terrifying.

It f*cking pissed me off.

“What the f*ck have you done to her?” I yelled as I took a step forward. Conner appeared out of nowhere, stepped in between us, and held out his arms a bit. I knew he was going to make me go through him if I was going to make a move against Keith. Even if he agreed with me, he wouldn’t go against Leo’s son.

I turned to Tria instead, reached out, and put my hands on either side of her face. I tilted her head up to look at me.

“No one tells you what to do,” I said through clenched teeth. “No one. Not him. Not me. You do or say whatever the f*ck you want!”

Her gaze darted over to him and then back again.

“It’s not that easy,” she said quietly.

“I’m not going to let him touch you,” I said emphatically.

“I know,” she whispered as she gripped my forearms.

“Demmy, you know you belong here,” the douchebag said, unwilling to end his rant. “We’re the only ones who took you in and gave you a home when your own mother didn’t want you. This is where you grew up, and these are the people and the ways you know. We both know it’s just a matter of time before you are back—with me—where you belong.”

“Over my dead body,” I snarled.

“Arrangeable,” he snapped back.

I started to release her, the rage boiling up inside of me demanding to feel the rough strike of knuckles against yielding flesh. I clenched my hands as I stepped forward, ready to down Conner in one swing to get to my real target.