Page 67 of Dirty Monsters

“Wren!” I yelled at the top of my lungs while also taking a minute to turn off my bike so I could hear better.

I ran up the small sidewalk and scanned over the dunes that lined the beach, spotting her just as she was making her way into the rough water of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Wren,” I yelled again, taking off in a sprint. I was in boots, jeans, a T-shirt, and my leather jacket. Way too hot for a Florida night, but it was what I needed when I hopped on my bike to head to Lip’s. Now, I started shedding my layers, hoping it allowed me to run faster, to get to her faster.

By the time I made it halfway across the beach, I was in nothing but my jeans and T-shirt. My bare feet were sinking into the soft sand, and my hands were still covered in Kane’s blood.

Wren was walking farther into the water, her arms spread and her shoulders shaking. It was way too rough to be in the water alone at night.

It was suicide.

“Fuck, Wren!” It hit me out of nowhere. She didn't fear death the way the rest of us did. She would rather be dead than live in a world where she can break, and after seeing Kane again, she was broken.

Just as she slipped under the water, I lunged past the breaking point of the waves, trying to grab her. I missed and settled my footing before lunging again. The second time was the charm, and I latched onto her shoulder, pulling her toward me.

I didn't know if she knew it was me. I had no way of knowing if she could hear me yelling or running up behind her. But she fought me like I was a shark, turning and pounding on my chest with all her might.

“It’s me, baby. It’s okay.” I tried to comfort her, to make sure she knew she was safe. She would always be safe from here on out. I would make sure of it.

Pulling her in tight to my chest, I started to back out of the water. Her fight was slowing, her will was diminishing. When we made it to the shore, I fell back into the sand, bringing her with me and breathing out in relief, knowing I made it in time.

“It’s too rough tonight, Wren. You shouldn't be out there.” I sounded rougher than I should have, but I was scared and tired. Not to mention I was still having an adrenaline rush from almost killing my brother with my bare hands.

Wren stayed quiet, breathing hard in the sand next to me. When my eyes darted over to her, hers were closed, and her arms were spread wide.It was almost as if she was silently praying for something, anything to take it away. I wanted to do it for her. I wanted to be her escape.

I sat up and leaned over the top of her, placing a hand on her waist and shaking her to glance at me.

“Wren,” I said softer than before. “I need to see you’re okay.”

With her eyes still closed, she finally spoke.

“I wasn't going to hurt myself, Ro. I needed to cleanse myself. I needed to wash Kane off my body and out of my mouth.”

I tensed, and she felt the change in me. She opened her eyes to see my reaction to her words and reflected at her was anger and fear. My worst fears were true—he touched her. Now I was regretting my retreat to find her when what I really should have done was stay there and finish Kane off like she told me to.

“Kill him.”

Her words repeated in my head.

“What did he do, baby? Tell me.”

She closed her eyes again, shaking her head back and forth.

“Tell me,” I repeated, lower and angrier.

“He is everywhere, all over again.” Tears were coming from the cracks of her eyes, but I stayed still and quiet, letting her finish. “I tried to fight him, Ro. But when I thought maybe you were behind this, that this was your revenge too, I couldn’t take it anymore. My fight grew weak.”

“I will kill him before I let him near you again.”

“Why did I think you and him were not connected anymore? You’re fucking twins. You will always be connected.”

“Wren, until a couple of weeks ago, he was all I had, and I had yet to realize how deeply he scarred you. Once I found out, once I finally admitted to myself that he was the fucking monster, I stopped answering his calls. I only wanted to be with you, locked away, hiding from everyone.”

“Where were you tonight?”

“That meeting with Mrs. Tessier over the same shit with Molly. It never ended. I swear I kept trying to get out of there. Then Lip called me several times before she told me to answer it. He saw you, he told me he saw you, and I ran. I didn't know Kane was here, but I knew something was wrong. Baby, I swear I didn't know Kane was here.”

“I know,” she croaked. “I saw it on your face when you saw him.”