Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

arms over his chest. “You don’t get it.” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s getting harder for me to be near you when we can’t be together.”

He took a step closer to me, and the distance between us became just a space that begged to be reduced to nothing. I was trembling, divided between wanting him and the same old hesitation.

“You have no idea what I want to do to you.” He threaded his fingers through my hair, and a sweet ache suffused my chest. “But it wouldn’t lead us anywhere.”

I crossed my arms and glanced at Badass, who didn’t move from his spot as he watched our exchange. “Right. Because of your promise of revenge.”

“Yes.”

“Promise to who?”

He dropped his hand. His eyes regained their previous hard edge. “Jessica,” he growled.

“To who?” I repeated, intent on getting to the bottom of this.

He looked away. “I can’t tell you.”

I grabbed the railing, tears pricking my eyes. He had no reason to confide in me; however, it hurt so much. I closed my eyes.

“I can ask you what your revenge is for and why you’re so hellbent on it, but you’ll deny me those answers too, right?”

It took him some time to respond. “Yes.”

I took a deep breath. The sky was getting cloudy, the lights of the stars diminishing little by little. Icy fear and pain fenced my world.

“That’s okay,” I said, bracing myself for what was about to happen. “Because I think I already know.”

He was quiet behind me. Too quiet. And then he said in a strained voice, “What do you mean?”

I turned around. “It’s about Emma, right?”

His bewildered look told me everything I needed to know. “How did you…?”

I was right. His revenge was about Emma and their kidnapping. Pain unlike anything before hit my chest.

I forced myself to maintain eye contact. “Last Saturday, your parents invited my family to your house for dinner.”

He frowned. “That was your family?”

“Yes.”

I clasped my shaky hands together, feeling too small. My throat constricted, rebelling against the words that were about to come out, but I had to push them out and come clean.

“I had to use the bathroom, so the maid took me to the one on your floor. Being so close to your room…I got curious. You weren’t home so I…I went inside.”

He winced. “You did what?”

I recoiled and pressed myself against the railing. Badass stood up to his feet, sensing something was wrong.

“What did you do in my room?”

I stared at my feet, ashamed of myself. “I went to your desk. I saw some photos sticking out of the manila folder along with the ‘Never forget’ note and the photo of Emma and you.”

His face twisted with a mix of emotions: incredulity, confusion, anger, and then a silent fury that was more tangible with each passing second. My heart took off at a gallop.

“I was going to leave then, I swear, but I accidentally bumped into the mouse, and your laptop screen lit up…there was a video in an open folder—”

“You accidentally bumped into the mouse,” he stated flatly.

“Y-Yes.”

“You sneaked into my room, looked through my stuff, and stumbled upon that video.”

I could barely look at him. “Yes.”

“Did you play it?”

The familiar expression of hatred had returned to his face with a vengeance, and I gripped the railing behind me. “I…”

“Did you?!” He got up in my face, slamming his hands against the railing on both sides of me. Badass whimpered.

I bit into my lip so hard I thought I’d draw blood. “Yes. I’m so sorry. I—”

He slammed his fist against the railing. “You had no right!” His scream pierced through the night, and I flinched. Badass let out another whimper, moving around us restlessly. “You had no fucking right!”

Tears blurred my vision. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“You know? You’re sorry?!” He hit his fist against the railing again, and I cried out when I saw blood flowing out of the ripped skin on his knuckles. Badass began barking.

“Was that payback?! Did you do that to get back at me for everything I’ve done to you?”

“No! No, it wasn’t like that.” I sniffed and brushed a tear from my cheek. “I admit I told myself I wanted to find something to use to my advantage, but that wasn’t it. I just wanted to find out more about you.”

He glared at me with hatred that destroyed all the warmth his kisses and loving touches had created. “You wanted to… What the fuck is wrong with you? You had no right to go into my room and snoop around. You had no right to watch that video.”

Tears started cascading down my cheeks uncontrollably. “I know that now. I really know that, and I regret doing it. Back then, when I saw that thumbnail—you tied up to that chair—I just couldn’t ignore it. I got so worried. But I know it was bad and stupid of me to do that. I’m so sorry.”

Without thinking, I raised my hand and touched his shoulder to console him, but he flinched and stepped back, shoving my hand off his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!”

He took a few more steps away from me, staring at me with disgust. I placed my hand over my mouth to stifle my cry. I wanted to dissolve into nothing. I was so stupid for digging into his past.

The barking noise became almost unbearable, and Blake shouted at Badass, “Shut the fuck up!”

The dog whimpered, tucking his tail between his legs, and scurried away.

We fell into silence that was even more unbearable than the previous noise, and it took everything in me not to hightail it out of here. His gaze iced over.

“Did you tell anyone about Emma or what you saw?”

“No.” He looked like he didn’t trust me. “I swear to you I haven’t told anyone about Emma or the kidnapping, Blake.” I sniffed, my chest heavy. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you, and when I saw what happened—”

“Don’t fucking say it. I