Stained

Chapter 124

Hayden's lips tighten into a straight line in frustration, flicking his wrist he drops his phone onto the table and it lands with a hard thud. But then something seems to come over him and he leans back in his seat with all the grace of a calm person as he turns his head to look up at Damien. "We'll go after I've eaten."

"No now," Damien demands.

Is this because of me? If so, I don't want him leaving on an empty stomach because of my selfishness to hold onto the anger all so I wouldn't ball my eyes out in front of him again.

Hell, I will ball my eyes out in front of everyone in this room if it will stop him from leaving without eating.

I open my mouth to plead with him to eat a little something before leaving, but Hayden speaks up before I can, "what's wrong?" worry creases his brows as he sits up straight.

Damien looks at me, his gaze hesitant, as if he doesn't want to say anything around me. Or perhaps the reason for the look is because I'm the reason he wants to leave.

Either way, I'm the cause for his silence.

My chest twists tightly and I drop my gaze, begin to stand up. "I'll erm... just go."

I wish I made up an excuse, but with the pain already wreaking havoc, I can only keep my tears at bay. Which takes a great deal of strength without the anger to hold onto.

"What no," Hannah whines.

I pay her no heed. But once I move to get out of the booth, Damien turns to face me, bombarding my way.

Images of the past flash before my eyes of the teacher doing the same thing before a door.

Keeping my gaze pinned on the ground, I mumble, "excuse me." God was that small voice mine?

"Dariel bought drugs again," Damien says.

All panic evaporates, replaced with shock. My head whips up, only to find Damien's hard eyes on me. A piece of the pain chips away as I realize the cause of his rage in the car that lead to his outburst.

His brother.

I search his gemstone blue eyes, but he's completely closed off again.

I miss the unfiltered Damien he is with me.

'That's a fake profile you receive. This is the real him.'

I so desperately want to reprimand the voices, but I promised myself I wouldn't disregard them again.

"No, he didn't. I locked him in my house," Hayden says, matter of fact.

Horror slams into me. The first thought to enter my mind is, Is Hannah aware she is in love with a psychopath.

He locked his brother in his house?! His adult, eighteen-year-old brother in his house?!

No. I have to have heard him wrong.

Damien faces his brother as I sit back down in a daze of shock. "Well, he got out and bought a shit ton of drugs."

"Where did he get the money fr..." Hayden trails off, his eyes widening in shock.

Hannah's mouth falls open. "Your safe."