Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Chains’ hand found mine with his, his calloused fingers wrapping around mine. The simple touch anchored me as I continued.
“My father was a successful, respected surgeon. But he also ran an illegal organ trafficking operation. He’d identify vulnerable patients, usually immigrants or people without families, harvest their organs without consent, and sell them to wealthy clients who didn’t want to wait on the transplant list.”
“Jesus,” Chains muttered.
“The worst part? He pled guilty for a lighter sentence in exchange for giving up the names of everyone else involved. Other doctors, nurses, and staff. They were guilty, but my dad was the one calling the shots and, if he’s out now like he says he is, he served less time than any of them.” I shook my head. “Overnight, I lost everything. My mother had died in childbirth, so I had no one other than my father’s parents. I never knew my mother’s parents. I was told they were dead too. And here’s the thing, Chains. I know how manipulative my dad is. It’s a matter of public record. But I didn’t really understand until I spoke with him just now.”
I looked up at the sky, blinking back tears. “The scandal was all over the news for months. ‘The Butcher of Bellevue,’ they called him. Kids at school wouldn’t talk to me. Their parents wouldn’t let them. I was the daughter of a monster.”
Chains’ arm slid around my shoulders, pulling me gently against his side. I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of him seeping through my sweater.
“Halloween became this awful reminder,” I continued. “That first year, those memories would come flooding back. The raid, the screaming, watching them take my father away. It was as vivid in my mind as if it had happened the day before. I hated anything to do with October.”
“What changed?” Chains asked, his voice a low rumble against my ear.
“My grandmother,” I said, smiling at the memory of her. “She was amazing. Tough as nails but so loving. When I was thirteen, she sat me down and said, ‘Elvira, you can let that night own you forever, or you can take it back.’ So we decorated the house, carved pumpkins, made cookies. All just like we used to when I was little. It was hard that first year, but the next year was a little easier. My grandmother died the next summer, but before she died, she made me promise to keep taking my Halloween back. I did my best to keep that promise and I guess Halloween was what held her and Grandpa’s memory bright in my heart.” I turned to look at Chains. “I took back my favorite holiday, made it about joy instead of the night my life fell apart.”
“That’s brave,” he said simply.
“Not really.” I shrugged. “Just… survival, I guess.” I leaned my head against his chest, and his other arm came around me, enveloping me in his warmth. “The decorating, the baking, the whole witch thing… it’s my way of reclaiming something that was taken from me. Turning darkness into light. And yeah. I think part of me liked the idea of remembering when I was Daddy’s little witch. So yeah. My relationship with my father -- or lack thereof -- is complicated.”
We sat like that for a long moment, his arms around me, my head against his chest, the autumn sun warming our faces. For the first time in years, I felt completely seen. Understood. Sure, the conversation stripped me bare and I felt raw and unsettled, but somehow, I also felt lighter because of it.
Chapter Seven
Chains
I guided Ellie through the compound, my arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. She trembled against me. I hated that she was so distraught, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel ten feet tall because she was taking comfort from me.
The conversation with her father had drained all the color from her face, leaving her eyes wide and haunted. My chest tightened with a mix of rage and concern, a dangerous cocktail brewing inside me. Tate Blackheart. The fucking name alone set my teeth on edge, and I hadn’t even met the man yet.
“Hannah’s waiting for you in the Oasis,” I said softly, guiding Ellie toward the women’s common room at the center of the compound. “Carrie and Pippa should be there too.” I needed to reassure her, to let her know everything would be all right, but I couldn’t promise that. Not because I didn’t believe it. Because I knew there was no way her father would leave this place alive, and I knew Ellie was going to have some complex feelings about when and how he died.
She nodded, her movements mechanical. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not,” I said firmly, tightening my hold on her. “You’re family now, remember? It’s our privilege to help you. And we do it together, Ellie. Just like you’d help Carrie if she needed it. Right?”