Page 18 of Z For Butterfly Man
“Then why have you gone all this way to protect your friend from me?”
“What? No, Reagan, I’m protectingyoufromhim. I don’t want him near ya. Didn’t ya hear him the other day? He has a thing for innocent girls like you.”
Girls who look like Brittany Johanson, not me. I narrow my gaze at him because he’s being silly. “Shane, it’s Mason Bloom. He’s like sixteen or something. And he’s grieving. He’s not—”
“I don’t give a fuck.” His voice is sharp when he cuts me off. “I don’t want you alone with him. Or any other guy.”
The intensity in his tone ties my stomach into a knot. I should be scared. I should tell him to leave. But instead, all I can think about is how he’s looking out for me, how safe I feel with him.
“Mother locked me in anyway.” I gesture toward the door. “He couldn’t be alone with me even if he wanted to.”
Shane’s expression darkens. “She locked you in?” He tries the doorknob, and the harsh sound of the lock answers him. “What if you need the bathroom?”
With a sigh, I curl back up on the bed. “I’ll have to hold it.”
He drags a hand through his hair. “Jesus Christ, Reagan. That woman is a fucking—” The heat of his body suddenly engulfs me as his strong arms fold around me.
In an instant, I melt. I close my eyes and allow myself to dissolve in his embrace, where there is nothing but warmth and care and shelter…and maybe even…
The mattress dips under his weight. His calloused thumb brushes away a tear I don’t realize has fallen. “I’m gonna get you outta here,” he says quietly. “I promise. One day, you’re not gonna have to deal with her shit anymore.”
When?My throat tightens. “Shane—”
“I mean it.” His blue eyes burn into mine. “You’re gonna be safe. I’ll make sure of it.”
I want to believe him. God, I want to believe him so badly it hurts. “You should go. Mason isn’t going to come anywhere near me, not that he ever would. I’m thirteen, Shane.”
“You don’t look thirteen anymore, though, not to me, and if I see it, someone else will, too.” He glances at my bed, then back at me, a slow smile curving his lips. “I ain’t going anywhere. I’m sleeping here tonight. With you.”
My face flushes hot. “But… I…”
“Relax, baby girl. I’m your big brother. Just gonna make sure you’re safe. That’s all.”
“But…what happens when she unlocks the door in the morning and sees you here?”
“I’ll tell her I’m the knight who came to save the princess from the wicked stepmother.”
I snort a laugh. Sometimes, I think she’s my stepmother. Sometimes, I imagine Prince Charming killing the wicked witch and taking me to his castle. Sometimes, I picture killing the hag myself. “But this is real life. As unbelievable as it may sound, she’s my real mother. And there’s no such thing as fairy tales.”
He pulls me closer into his arms as he makes us both lie down. “I know.”
“Seriously, she’ll hurt me. You don’t understand how bad it’ll be. The things she threatened to do to me…”
“What things?”
I swallow, the terrifying images flooding in. I can’t summon the courage to tell him.
“Tell me, Reagan, what things?”
I’m too ashamed to speak, so I just open my journal and show him.
Flames blaze in his eyes when he’s done reading. He slams the journal shut. “Let her come in.” His voice is menacing. “Iwant her to see me. I dare her to try and do something to hurt ya.”
My breath hitches. “Shane, she’s—”
“I mean it, Reagan. Let her try. I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of her.”
I don’t fight or argue anymore. I crawl in and pull the thin blanket over myself. Because the truth is, I want to believe him, and I don’t want him to leave.
