CHAPTER 10: HOME AGAIN

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BIA

Theo is waiting outside the front door of his house when we pull up and park in the cop car. Hendrickson must have texted him that he found me.

Theo is smiling, leaning against the house door while Hendrickson drags me out of the backseat by my arm. I look away from his face, dread rolling in my stomach.

"Found her outside of a laundromat," Hendrickson tells Theo as he pulls me towards the house. My legs are shaking so badly that I'm having a hard time not falling while keeping up with Hendrickson's long stride.

"Thanks, man." Theo's voice is dark as Hendrickson passes my arm to him. Theo's grip is tighter than Hendrickson's— it feels like a metal band squeezing my arm. The reek of cigarettes envelopes me, and I have to struggle to keep my face blank.

"Yeah. We even now?" Hendrickson asks, turning to walk back to his car.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Alright, sounds good. See you later, man."

"See you."

I stare at my shoes, listening to the crunch of gravel as Hendrickson drives away. I don't want to look up at Theo, because I'm terrified of what I'll see. For several long moments, we stand there— me, shaking like a leaf; and Theo, gripping my arm so tightly I know it'll leave bruises.

As soon as the cop car is out of sight, Theo abruptly turns and walks back inside, dragging me along with him. I don't bother resisting. I know that there's no way that he's going to let me get away again, and any attempt to fight him will only make things worse.

If they can even get any worse.

As soon as I walk over the threshold into the house, the familiar smell of alcohol, sweat, and cigarettes washes over me.Underneath that, I think I can smell the faintest whiff of something like rotten eggs. I can't help but screw my face up in disgust.

Theo stays silent as he drags me along. I'd been expecting for him to yell at me, hit me— something. But I don't think he even looks down at me as he pulls me through the house, heading for my room.

His hand is gripping my arm so tightly that it feels like it's going to break, but I can't tell him that or he'll make it worse. Instead, I grit my teeth, holding in a whimper as we reach my door.

Theo opens the door and pulls me inside the room. Lightning fast, his free hand shoots up to grab my jaw, forcing me to look at him.

And he's furious.

There's a dark fire in his eyes that I've never seen before.

I'm genuinely worried he might actually kill me.

His hand is squeezing my jaw so tightly that the inside of my cheek is cut open by my teeth, filling my mouth with blood. But I don't move. I don't do anything to risk angering him further, if that's even possible. He just stares down at me with those savage eyes, studying my face.

My legs feel like they're about to give out and my heart is pumping so hard I think it might burst. I look up at him, trying in vain to hide my terror.

Should I say something?

"I-" I falter, "I'm sor-"

"No," Theo interrupts me, his voice as cruel as his eyes. "You're not."

Unable to withstand the searing intensity of his gaze for another second, I look away. Instantly, Theo's hand squeezes harder on my jaw, making me yelp with pain. I immediately snap my eyes back up to meet his, my breathing rapidly accelerating. His grip relaxes slightly as he continues to just stare at me.

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