Bound by Honour [Part I & II]

21

"Ash, shut up," I snapped, eyeing the exit. My twin moved to block it. Why did Cameron even let him come?

"I will not shut up. Please, come home," he pleaded, eyes brimming with tears. No, I couldn't handle crying.

"We should go," Cameron said, "the longer we stand here, arguing, the more likely someone will come looking for you, Maisie."

"Cameron, I-"

"Don't fight me," my older brother warned, and I looked back at him over my shoulder. Determination glinted in his eyes, and he tilted his head, silently saying, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

I shook my head. "Whatever."

Cameron reached for my forearm, nudging me gently ahead of him. I hated this. They didn't understand and were too fucking stubborn for their own. Outside the bar, Sebastian and Isobel were waiting next to their black SUVs. 

We met Jaime and Harley outside the locker room. They walked ahead of us, receiving a few stares. Cameron didn't let go and never gave me a chance to rVs.

"I put the first aid in the backseat," Izzy said, glancing at me. Ashton opened the door, climbed in and scooted behind the driver's seat.

I slid in beside him, ignoring the sadness in his eyes. Cameron got in behind me and slammed the door, setting my backpack between his legs. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. The tension between us could be cut with a knife.

"Buckle up," Isobel ordered from the driver's seat. I did as I was told, glancing down at my hands.

Jaime slid into the front seat, looking over his shoulder. "You're bleeding," he said, and I reached up and touched my nose.

"So it seems," I muttered and noticed Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose. For the drive home, everyone was quiet, barely uttering a word. My older brother cleaned my face, wiping the dried blood away without saying a word. I didn't deserve a brother like him, I really didn't.

***

"Hold still, Mase," Sebastian muttered, dabbing my knuckles with disinfectant. He had pushed me into the kitchen and had be sit on the counter. I continued to fidget, playing with the string on my sweat pants. "Maisie."

"Well, that shit stings," I hissed. I shifted, anxious, watching Cameron pace in the living room, speaking on his phone. Jaime and Ashton were in the living room, talking to Eden.

"Maisie, stop moving," he repeated. "Do you want these to get infected?"

"Obviously not. You guys shouldn't have found me," I snapped, ripping my hand away from his fingers. "I want to leave. Let me go; it's for the best."

"No. Can you let me do this without complaining?" I made a face at him, and Sebastian caught my wrist, straightening my arm. He began wrapping gauze around the cuts on my knuckles. "Why do you want to run from us?"

"It's not safe."

"Do we make you feel unsafe?"

"No ... no, that's not it -"

Cameron cleared his throat. He leaned on the wall next to the fridge, jaw twitching. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he shouted, smacking his hand on the counter. My heart pounded, knowing this was coming. "What were you fucking thinking? What would have happened if Royce found you? He would have fucking beat you within an inch of your life and then handed you over to whoever wanted you next."