Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn #1)(24)

“Pull it together,” he ordered tersely. “You can’t fall apart now. You’re safe. Breathe, damn it.”

His words were like a whip, snapping over her and bringing her sharply into focus. Calm descended and the loud buzz in her ears abated. He shoved a cool washcloth into her shaking hands and she buried her face in it, breathing deeply.

When she finally pulled the cloth away she saw two men standing just beyond Caleb, their expressions indecipherable.

Great. Her first face-to-face meeting with his family and she was a complete basket case.

“Okay now?” Caleb asked, his tone gentler than before.

She nodded, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

“Ramie, stop,” he said in a low voice. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“What is she doing here?”

Ramie yanked her gaze to the doorway where the stricken, female voice had come from to see a young woman standing there, staring in horror at Ramie. Her words were shrill, almost to the point of hysteria.

Ramie didn’t need an introduction to know who she was. Ramie knew her on sight. Tori Devereaux. Caleb’s sister. A woman whose mind Ramie had been in. A woman Ramie had suffered with.

“You said you were helping her, not that you were bringing her here,” Tori said, her voice rising. “What is she doing here? She can’t be here. You have to make her leave.”

Tears ran in rivulets down Tori’s face as she stared at Ramie, shame burning brightly in her eyes. Ramie closed her eyes, unable to bear looking at Tori a moment longer.

It was obvious that Tori’s brothers had been completely unprepared for their sister’s outburst. And before they could react further, Tori turned and ran from the room.

Caleb looked as though he’d been punched in the stomach. His two brothers were equally stunned.

“I’ll go after her,” one of his brothers said in a low voice.

He departed the room leaving Ramie alone with Caleb and the other brother. Ramie knew the names of the family, just not who was who. Caleb was the oldest and Beau and Quinn were younger while Tori was the baby.

Her guess was that Quinn had been the one to go after Tori and that Beau, the second oldest Devereaux, had remained behind. The moment Tori’s outburst had registered, Beau’s expression had become unwelcoming. He stared at Ramie as though she were an unwanted intruder. She could hardly blame him.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said in obvious bewilderment.

Ramie shook her head. “Don’t apologize. Her reaction isn’t surprising.”

Beau’s brow furrowed. “Why do you say that? You sound as though you expected such a response.”

Ramie stared directly back at him, her voice calm. “Because I know. Because I saw everything. Because I’m the one person apart from her and her kidnapper who knows exactly what she went through. You and your brothers didn’t see. You know only what she’s told you or chosen to share. She’s embarrassed and ashamed because I saw her at her worst and I experienced it with her. You can hardly expect her to roll out the welcome mat for me. Because as long as I’m here, I’m a constant reminder of everything she’s tried so hard to forget. And she doesn’t get to console herself with the fact that I don’t know everything as is the case with you and her other brothers.”

“Jesus,” Caleb said, running a hand through his hair. “I never even considered . . .”

“I should go,” Ramie said, rising abruptly from her perch on the couch. “It’s obvious I don’t need to be here. I’m doing her harm. I should have never called you. I’m sorry.”

“I disagree,” Beau said bluntly, surprising her with his response. From the way he’d been looking at her ever since Tori’s outburst, Ramie would have thought he couldn’t get rid of her quickly enough. “I think you being here is exactly what Tori needs. You’re right. We don’t know what all she went through. We can’t possibly understand. But you can and do. And no, she won’t like it, but we’ve babied and coddled her for the last year and I think we’ve done her a huge disservice even though our instincts are to do just that. Protect and coddle her. Maybe it’s time that the gloves come off.”

“This family has used Ramie enough,” Caleb said icily. “I won’t have her used anymore. Not as a crutch for Tori. Not for anything. I promised her protection and safety, so yes, she will remain here. But not because we’re going to use her as some kind of healing measure for Tori.”

Beau looked surprised by the vehemence in Caleb’s voice. His gaze narrowed as he glanced back and forth between Ramie and Caleb.

“She’ll hate me,” Ramie said softly. “She won’t be able to bear being in the same room with me. Because every time she looks at me, she’s going to know that I know. That I know things she’s tried to forget. Things she didn’t share with you—or anyone. And she’ll resent me with every breath.”

“Good,” Beau said savagely. “At least then she resembles something of a human. Right now I’d take any emotion from her. Even hatred or anger. Anything but this lifeless apathy that has taken over my sister’s soul for the last year. You don’t deserve her anger, Ramie. But this is the first time I’ve seen so much as a glimmer of life from her. She’s lived in a fog for the last year and me and my brothers have been helpless to do anything but watch her die a little more each day. If having you here makes her feel anything at all then I don’t want you going anywhere.”