Page 62 of Sin

“Because,” he said, smiling even wider and making my heart beat a few beats faster. “Lewis is driving us to the airport.”

Chapter Thirteen

I realized I had become my mom’s greatest fear

“Are you okay?” Bennett asked beside me.

I swerved like a pro around the rubble littering the streets of Mercy Heights, wishing I could delay what I was about to do but knowing the longer we took to reach the Citadel, the more people could die.

I couldn’t stop staring at the damage everywhere. Upturned cars were left in the middle of the road, trash drifted down the sidewalk like tumbleweeds, and several buildings were ablaze. All part of my father’s and his minions' doing. “Yeah, just nervous.”

Nervous was putting it lightly. I’d said goodbye to London before taking off with Bennett, and I tried not to think of how betrayed he was going to feel once he found out what I’d done.

But I would do anything for him. Even this. Even if it meant he’d hate me for it.

“If we survive this, you have to fix things with London,” Bennett said, as if knowing who I was thinking about.

I purposefully kept my face blank and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

Bennett shot me a reproachful look as I weaved around a streetlight knocked over in the middle of the street. “You really hurt him.”

My fingers strained, gripping the wheel tighter. “I know.”

I’d never meant to hurt London. But sometimes we hurt those closest to us, intentionally or not. After losing my mom, I’d felt like I was drowning and needed space. I’d seen the horrific things some Supers did to others, but until then, it had never felt personal. Real.

If I’d known how this would all end, I would have never come back.

“Good.” Bennett stretched out in his seat, eyeing me. “I don’t think London would be very happy with me if I had to cut off your balls.”

Even under all the stress I felt at the moment, I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “I wouldn’t be happy with you either.”

“What did you do this past year?” he asked, throwing me off by his change of topic.

Memories of my travels came to mind, lots of sandy beaches and snowy mountains. I’d tried hard to find peace with my mom’s loss. But I’d eventually found that I wasn’t seeking peace but was simply running from my grief. But that was the problem. You couldn’t hide from grief. One way or another, you had to face it.

“To be honest?” I said, “A whole lot of nothing. I traveled mostly. I thought if I distracted myself enough, I wouldn’t miss my mom so much.”

Reaching across the console, he patted my arm with a knowing look. “That’s not how it works, though.”

Of course he understood. He’d lost both his parents, one to death and one to selfishness. Then there was his brother who’d lost his life too. “I know. I only ended up feeling more alone than I ever have.”

It was why I’d come back. Because I’d discovered that grieving on my own only made it worse. The only peace I truly felt came from being surrounded by my family and friends.

It was my grief which clouded my judgment when it came to my father. I’d needed him, trusted him, and once again, he’d let me down.

Distracted by my morbid thoughts, I was too late to dodge the sinkhole rapidly forming just up ahead.

I shouted out a curse and tried to redirect us, but we were moving too fast. Even as I tried to slow the car, I watched with dread as we came to a jerky halt at the edge of the sinkhole.

My hands shook uncontrollably as I chanced a glance out my window, only to see the gaping depths of the sinkhole below.

Slowly, gravity started to pull, pull, pull…

Bennett cursed, quickly disentangling himself from his seatbelt and I hurriedly did the same. It took me several tries to undo my belt because my hands shook so hard.

The car tipped dangerously as Bennett shoved open the passenger side door and hauled himself out and onto the cracking asphalt just beyond. But when he reached back to help me out, shouting at me to hurry, it was too late.

The ground rumbled like thunder, as if the gates to Tartarus were opening to welcome me inside.

---