Chapter Thirteen
Old Business
Once in the shed, Patrick laid me down against several old blankets he used to cover the scratchy straw. At least it was better than the hard floor of Bellis’s shack. For several minutes he inspected my body, then he finally nodded. “You look okay. Nothing that won’t heal in a day or two.”
“Feels worse than that.”
“It’s not. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”
“That’s a rather cavalier attitude to have about what just happened.”
“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Not really. Not even a little bit.”
“You expect me to believe you?”
I thought a moment. “No…” I felt like pouting.
“Then tell me the truth.”
I hedged a bit because the truth was tough to confess, especially after I’d just sworn that I didn’t want that beating. “Okay, I admit…it’s always bugged me
