Page 124 of Shattered Silence Duet

“No, I’m not,” he says gruffly as he pulls his shirt back on. I frown at his covered chest, wishing I could still see it. “What about you? Do you have a tattoo or ever thought about getting one?”

“I don’t have any. I’ve never really thought about it before. I’d have to come up with something I’d want on me for the rest of my life.”

“You know, some people get tattoos to cover scars on their body. If you end up with any you want to cover, that’s an option for you.”

“I never thought of that. It’s a good idea… replace a bad memory with a good one.”

“Exactly,” he says, pulling my hand up to kiss my knuckles. “But don’t think you need to cover your scars, they tell you that you’re a survivor, and they are beautiful, because they are a part of you.” I blush and bite my lip, feeling strangely happy that he called me beautiful.

“Whose turn is it?” he asks. I shrug. Between his body and his words, I’m having trouble remembering anything.

“Hmmm…” he muses. “Have you thought about what you’d like to do after you’re healed and all of this is behind you?”

Does he mean him and the guys… after they’re behind me? I frown, trying to figure out what he means. He probably just means after my mom is in jail.

“Uhh… you mean after my mom is caught?” I ask carefully.

“Yes, you’ll be able to do anything you like. Have you given any thought to it?”

Is he trying to hint that I need an exit plan? That I’m only staying here until she’s sorted out and I’m safe?

“Not really… what, err, umm,” I stammer awkwardly, trying to figure out how to phrase my question. “What would you suggest?”

“Well, you’re great with math, so you could do something with that, maybe something in finance? But you are also good at science, so there’s that avenue. Of course, you could do anything you want. The world is your limit, Malishka.”

Is it? But what if I don’t want the world? What if everything I want is in this house?

Chapter 14

Mina

“What if she says they aren’t ready to come out?” I ask Gideon and Ben nervously.

“Mina, I’m sure they are, and if not, then you’ll just have to spend a little more time in bed while we all wait on you. Is that the worst thing in the world?” Ben asks as he squeezes my hand.

“Maybe you’ll be healed enough to start doing some course work for your GED,” Gideon suggests as he moves to my other side, shoving his hands in his pocket.

I’ve been living with the guys for two weeks now, and today, I’ve returned to the hospital to get my stitches removed. All seven of the guys wanted to come with me, but I convinced them that only two of them could come into the room. Atlas and Dom are waiting in the entrance like a couple of security guards, and the other three are outside in the SUV. I knew there wouldn’t be room for all of them in here and I wanted this done quickly.

I had asked to book this appointment with a female doctor, and when she enters the room and gives me a warm smile, I start to relax a little.

“Hi, Mina Stevens?” she asks, looking at mychart. Luckily, Ben was able to get an ID for me, so I’m able to use my real name again.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m Doctor Young. I’m going to take a look at your stitches and see if we can remove those for you today. Does that sound good?”

I nod, and she directs me to the table. Ben helps me up and moves to my side, and Gideon stands beside him. She gives them an amused glance.

“Are they your bodyguards?”

“Something like that,” I mumble, making her smile as I remove my shirt. I’m wearing one of the modest sports bras that the guys bought me, making sure they didn’t touch any of the wounds on my torso, making me feel covered and comfortable. But having Gideon and Ben see so much of my exposed scars makes me internally cringe. I’ve seen what I look like, and the scarring isn’t pleasant.

“Hmm, yes, these are looking very good. I can take out all the stitches today.”

I smile and glance at the guys. Ben's smile is big as he squeezes my hand, while Gideon just gives me a tight-lipped smile. He’s been doing that a lot lately and I don’t know what to make of it.

Shortly after I moved in, he stopped holding my hand, and stopped kissing me on the cheek or head. He still spends time with me in the evening, as do all of them, but I can’t help but feel like he’s taken a step back from me. I felt closer to him when he was my guidance counselor and not my… friend? Housemate? I wasn’t even sure what to call these guys half the time.